Micromax A50 Superfone Ninja Review

Connectivity

This is a dual-SIM phone with 3G, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS. In call quality is decent via the earpiece and the loudspeaker. Browsing WAP sites isn’t a problem, but on trying full websites, text starts appearing warped and it’s difficult to scroll and pan through content. Flash is not supported either. There are no special social networking apps, but the default ones are good enough anyway, so there’s no problem out here. 

Browsing best for WAP sites only

Misc. Apps

Due to the fact that there’s very limited space, Micromax have wisely chosen not to pre-install a range of apps and all that you’ll get at the start are the stock Google apps - Gmail, Talk, places etc. Games like Temple Run aren’t available for the device. 

The most interesting part out here is the presence of AISHA, their much talked and marketed voice recognition feature. Like Siri, if you have a clear voice and anything, but a thick or a peculiar accent, Aisha will not disappoint you. For simple things like placing reminders, calls, playing music, finding areas on maps, it works quite well. But sometimes you’ll have to repeat, repeat and REPEAT what you want her to do, if you’re speaking in a conversational tone. Which will really make you wonder, if you could just do it the ‘old fashioned’ way - type it out, and finish it yourself! However, we’ll have to give Micromax the benefit of doubt on this one, because in terms of functionality, you’d rather have it than not. 

2MP camera

Camera

The A50 comes with a 2 megapixel camera that has very bad quality and we’d recommend you avoid it entirely. Images look terrible on the phone’s screen, but they look no better when viewed on a bettery display. It’s important to mention that the Spice Mi-280 that we reviewed earlier, comes with a 3.2 megapixel camera and a front camera as well. Video recording is equally bad and the camera is definitely not one of the highlights of this phone. 

Poor colours

Battery Life

The A50 Ninja is powered by a 1200 mAh battery and keeping in mind that this is a dual-SIM, the battery fares average. If you have a single SIM activated though, the battery life improves considerably. In our test, we managed to get 5 hours 20 minutes of video playack in the video drain test. Under normal usage, you should manage about three fourths of a day. 

Worth a buy?

Verdict

The Micromax A50 Superfone Ninja is priced at Rs. 4,999. While the price is impressive, the A50 has a number of cons that prevent us from recommending it - from the build, design flaws, the display, right up to the camera. AISHA definitely isn’t the selling point out here, as the marketplace is filled with third party voice recognition apps. The Spice Mi-280 comes in at a similar price tag and though the screen size is slightly smaller, it packed in more of a punch than the A50.