New Delhi, April 11: Micromax A72 Canvas Viva has a 5-inch (480 x 800 Pixels) capacitive touch screen display, 1 GHz single-core processor and runs on dated Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). It comes with 2G (EDGE) support, has a 3-megapixel rear camera and a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera. Other specifications include 2,000mAh battery, 110 MB of internal storage, that can be expanded by up to 16GB with microSD card. It is a dual-SIM phablet that supports GSM frequency in both the SIMs.
On the other hand, Lava Iris 502 is surprisingly powered by only a single-core 1GHz processor and has 512MB RAM. The dual-SIM Iris 502 runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and sports 5-inch WVGA (480×800 pixels) display. Other features include 5-megapixel rear camera, VGA front camera, 2GB internal memory with a microSD slot for cards up to 32GB and a 2,000mAH battery. Let's do a detailed comparison and see how these phones are trying to outdo one another.
Display
Both the phones have 5 inch displays with the same 800 x 480 pixel resolution. We have not seen Micromax Canvas A72 so we can't really compare it with Lava Iris 502 based on experience. But spec-wise both are same.
Operating system
Lava Iris 502 gets the latest Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system, while Micromax A72 is stuck with Android 2.3 Gingerbread. What that means is that Lava Iris 502 is way ahead in this area, and does benefit from better performance, better application support and software optimisation.
Processor
Both the phones get 1 GHz single core processors, though Lava gets 512 MB RAM compared to just 256 MB of RAM in the Micromax. And this is no small difference because to run applications smoothly you need spare RAM space, which in case of the 256 MB RAM there is very little of and even though 512 MB RAM is no big deal it is much better and allows you to run almost all the apps.
While we have not tested the Micromax A72 we don't expect it to run very smoothly on account of lack of RAM, especially if you intend to use multiple apps. Also, in Micromax A72 you get only 110 MB usable internal storage, which means no room for apps on the internal storage, while Lava gets 4 GB ROM with 2 GB usable space.
Connectivity
While Lava Iris 502 gets the full range of connectivity options including 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS; Micromax misses out on 3G, offers slower WiFi (b/g only,) and it also misses on a proximity sensor (which switches off the display when you touch your phone to your ear during a call). There is a proximity sensor in the Lava Iris 502.
Camera
While Micromax offers a 3 megapixel camera at the back without flash and a VGA camera in the front, Lava Iris 502 comes with a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash and also a VGA camera in the front.
Battery
Both the phones get a 2000 mAh battery and while Lava claims 9 hours' talktime; Micromax claims 7 hours' talktime, and that can be because Lava gets Android 4.1, which offers better battery management as well.
We let it be a tie here given that both get similar sized batteries.
Verdict
Lava Iris 502 is without doubt a better choice. It has a better camera, better operating system, better performance (going by the specs), and also better connectivity, and the price difference is only Rs 500. At other sites or at retail stores Lava Iris might cost you slightly more but even then it is better to excuse yourself of this Micromax Canvas because it is unlike the Canvas II and Canvas HD, which are good buys.
