Micromax A25 review – Micromax Smarty 1GHz Android for under Rs. 4,000

Micromax A25 also called Micromax Smarty is another low cost dual SIM android smartphone launched by Micromax. This handset is about Rs. 1,000 cheaper than the Micromax A50 and the Micromax Ninja 3.

The Micromax A25 is powered by a 1GHz processor with just 256MB RAM. I found it performing better than the Ninja 3 and the Ninja 4, however there are some limitations with this handset. The A25 does not support 3G, does not have built in GPS, RAM is 256MB and the screen resolution is just 320×240 pixels.

Having said that this small device is power packed, it houses a 1GHz MT6575 processor with PowerVR SGX 531 GPU (Imagination Technologies), same hardware that we have seen on Micromax A90 and the Karbonn A18.

Design
The handset is smaller in size, just to give you an idea it is even smaller than the Micromax A50 (superfone ninja). The handset looks really cool with blackish grey glossy edges with black front panel with a touchscreen of 2.8 inches. There are 2 touch sensitive buttons and a physical button in the center.

The power button is located on the top side, the volume rockers on right along with 3.5mm jack and micro USB port on the left. On the rear side there is 1.3 MP camera and a nice (rubber touch) material that you feel like holding. The blackish grey glossy edges looks exactly similar to as on the Micromax A90.

Performance
The display screen is just2.8 inches with 320×240 pixels resolution. The GPU and CPU are powerful enough for smoother operations on a higher screen resolution and on A25 it will be even smoother, maybe for that reason Micromax has reduced the RAM by 265MB.
Ninja 3 and Ninja 4 also comes with 256MB RAM and their performance is okay but drops when more apps are added. Moreover many games do not work on Ninja 4 even with an excellent display resolution.

The Micromax A25 performance is impressive, even with 256MB RAM. The text rendering in browser is very smooth with hardly any lags. The handset supports 5 point multi touch.

The quadrant benchmark gave this handset a score of 1968 and AnTuTu gave it a score of 4194 which is too good.

Games
The Micromax Smarty could play Angry birds and even Temple run with ease. I have attached a gaming video at the end of the article.

Entertainment
There is built in FM which works with the earphones and the stock movie player can play AVI and MP4 files. You cannot view HD videos on this handset. MP3 plays great and better with stereo earphones.

1.3 MP Camera
The camera of 1.3 MP is really no good. The quality is good enough for use as thumbnails.

Others
There is no GPS and no 3G. Edge and GPRS networks are supported. But the 2G net services is really slow buy should be good enough for chatting and browsing. You even get access to Google play. There is Bluetooth, Wi-Fi with hotspot and you can even use USB tethering for sharing net connection with PC / Laptop.

Battery
The 1280 mAh battery easily lasts for about 1 day with 2G on. The talktime is approx 4 hours and standby time is around 180 hours.

Micromax A25 review
A nice power packed phone with impressive CPU and GPU but with lower screen size and resolution. The screen resolution is not that great if you have used a 320x display before and using a higher resolution display now, you will get the idea. The handset is fast but again the RAM of 256 MB somehow manages the show with a lag free performance. Adding many more apps may reduce the performance, so it is advisable to install only those apps that you will be using.

The looks are equally impressive and smart and hence the name Smarty. A25 Smarty is available for Rs. 3,769 (the latest price).

Micromax A25 Detailed Features and Specifications

  • 1GHz (MT6575 CPU ARMv7) with Imagination Technologies PowerVR SGX 531 GPU.
  • Dual SIM with Dual Standby.
  • Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread OS.
  • 2.8 inch capacitive touchscreen with 320×240 pixels resolution (262K colours).
  • 2G (EDGE/ GPRS = Class 12), Wi-Fi with hotspot, micro USB with tethering, Bluetooth 2.1, FM radio and 3.5 mm Jack. (There no built in GPS).
  • RAM = 256MB (usable = 181 MB), ROM = 512, Internal storage for apps = 136MB and MicroSD card supported (32GB).
  • Dimensions = 104.5x56x13mm with 102 grams weight.
  • 1.3 MP rear camera without flash.
  • 1280 mAh Li-ion battery with 4 hours talktime / 180 hours standby time.

Micromax Smarty Gallery

Micromax A25 unboxing and review video

Smarty A25 gaming and movies demo

[poll id=”16″]