Micromax, once the leading smartphone maker in India made its comeback to the domestic smartphone market with two new devices. The company unveiled the In series smartphones the In Note 1 and the In 1b.
Both smartphones will be assembled in India. This time around, Micromax is taking performance and user experience. The devices are powered by MediaTek Helio G series chipsets and both offer clean stock Android experience. The cheaper one among the list - the Micromax In 1b falls under the sub Rs 7,000 category and going forward it will face the heat from brands like Xiaomi, Poco, and Realme.
In this post, we will be comparing the newly launched Micromax In 1b with Redmi 9A, Poco C3, and Realme C11, which we think are the best from the respective company and also fall under the same price bracket as well.
- Micromax returns to India with the launch of the In 1b and Note 1
- Best phones under Rs 7,000 in India
Performance
Let's start with the performance, which is one of the key factors while buying a budget device. The Micromax In 1b is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio G35 chipset. It has a max clock speed of 2.3GHz and comes with Arm Cortex-A53 CPU. IMG PowerVR GE8320 GPU will take care of the gaming and graphics. It also comes with HyperEngine technology which offers better performance, gaming connectivity.
The Poco C3 and Realme C11 are also powered by the same MediaTek G35 chipset while the Redmi 9A is powered by the slightly inferior Helio G25 chipset.
The Micromax In 1b comes with two storage options - 2+32GB and 4+64GB while the Redmi 9A comes with 2+32GB and 3+32GB options. The Poco C3 comes with 3+32GB and 4+64GB option. However, the 4+64GB variant of Poco C3 is priced over Rs 8,000 here. The Realme C11 comes in only in the 2+32GB option. All the four phones support microSD card for storage expansion.
Display
The Micromax In 1b offers a 6.53-inch HD+ (1600 x 720p) IPS screen. It has a 20:9 aspect ratio. It has a dew-dorp style notch which houses the selfie camera. The other three phones i.e Redmi 9A, Poco C3, and the Realme C3 all come with the same 6.53-inch HD+ screen. So, the display is common across all the four phones here.
Cameras
Cameras have never been the talking point for any budget phone but, if the phone can capture decent photos in daylight, that should be enough for many. For optics, the Micromax In 1b opts for a rear selfie camera with 13MP primary shooter with f/1.8 and a 2MP depth sensor.
The Redmi 9A comes with 13MP f/2.2 single shooter while the Poco C3 packs in three cameras - a 13MP primary shooter followed by 2MP micro and a 2MP portrait sensor. And lastly, the Realme C11 houses a 13MP+2MP dual camera setup.
To the front, In 1b features an 8MP shooter while the other three devices house a 5MP shooter.
Battery
This is another segment where everything is uniform across four devices. All four devices pack in a massive 5000mAh battery and they all support 10W charging. The only device that supports Type-C charging is the Micromax In 1b while the other three rely on a micro USB port.
However, it is worth noting that the Redmi 8A and Redmi 8A Dual both offer 18W Type-C charging. But, the Redmi 8A is technically a last-gen product as the Redmi 9A is already launched and the Redmi 8A Dual’s two variants are priced over Rs 8,000. So, we decided to not include them in this comparison list.
Price
Now that the key specs are clear, here’s what matters the most - the pricing. The Micromax In 1b costs Rs 6,999 for the base variant with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage while the 4+64GB costs Rs 7,999. This is also the cheapest 4GB RAM phone in India right now, undercutting its Redmi competitor.
The Redmi 9A 2+32GB is priced at Rs 6,799 while the 3+32GB costs Rs 7,499. The Poco C3 is priced at Rs 7.499 and Rs 8,999 for the 3+32GB and 4+64GB variant respectively. And lastly, the Realme C11 is priced at Rs 6,999 for the 2+32GB variant.
Specs comparison
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Micromax In 1b | Redmi 9A | Poco C3 | Realme C3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.53” HD+ | 6.53” HD+ | 6.53” HD+ | 6.53” HD+ |
| Processor | MediaTek Helio G35 | MediaTek Helio G25 | MediaTek Helio G35 | MediaTek Helio G35 |
| RAM | 2/3GB | 2/3GB | 3/4GB | 2GB |
| Storage | 32/64GB | 32GB | 32/64GB | 32GB |
| Rear camera | 13+2MP | 13MP | 13+2+2MP | 13+2MP |
| Front camera | 8MP | 5MP | 5MP | 5MP |
| Battery | 5000mAh | 5000mAh | 5000mAh | 5000mAh |
| Charging | 10W, Type-C | 10W, micro USB | 10W, micro USB | 10W, micro USB |
| Software | Android 10, Stock | Android 10, MIUI 12 | Android 10, MIUI 12 | Android 10, Realme UI |
Conclusion
All in all, Micromax had made a smartphone that can truly take on the likes of Xiaomi, Realme, and Poco. On top of the neck to neck specs are a feature, Micromax is also offering a fingerprint scanner and a dedicated Google Assistant Button which is quite rear in the segment. The cherry on top here is the clean stock Android experience with zero bloats or ads and 2 years of Android update.
To top it off, there is also the made-in-India tag that Micromax is pitching to fuel the battle against Chinese products.
