The Micromax Mad A94 comes powered by Broadcom quad core processor clocked at 1.2GHz. This handset competes with the XOLO Q1000 Opus that also houses the same Broadcom chipset. The Mad A94 comes with dual SIM slot with smart on feature, supports 3G and is priced at under Rs. 9,000.
A94 Box pack
The box pack contains the handset, travel charger, data cable, 1800 mAh battery, earphone, user guide and warranty card. Also included is quick start guide about – “get paid to be mad about ads”. User will need to dial a 10 digit number, view the advertisement, earn point and redeem (as phone recharge). SAR value : 0.46 W/Kg (Head) and 0.60 W/Kg (Body).
Design, Display and OS
The handset looks a bit different. The rear side is grey color with matte finish and the cover is bending inwards towards the left and the right side. The handset is a bit bulkier at the top and get a little slimmer and curvier at the bottom.
The volume rocker are placed on right, power button on left and 3.5mm audio jack plus the micro USB port on the top. Mad A94 weight with battery is 147 grams, dimensions are 67.28×138.06×9.67mm.
The capacitive IPS touch screen is 4.5 inches with 854×480 pixels resolution (16M colors). When you remove the factory film it will leave some sticky residue on the screen, you might want to clean it with a soft cloth. The touch however is not that smooth as experienced on other handsets. The viewing angles are also not that good.
There are accelerometer, proximity and light sensors. The Micromax Mad A94 sails on the Android 4.2.2 OS.
Memory and Storage
The A94 comes with 512MB RAM and 4GB storage. 0.98GB is assigned for apps and 1.68GB as phone storage. Of the 512MB RAM, 186MB is available (on first boot). OTG is supported and you can install / move selected apps on the external SD card. External SD card of up to 32GB is supported.
Performance
The handset is powered by Broadcom (BCM23550) 1.2GHz quad core processor coupled with VideoCore IV HW GPU. The performance is very good, even with 512MB RAM. The A94 can play many high end games – check the video review. Unfortunately battery backup is not that good.
Benchmark scores
- Quadrant Standard – 3151.
- AnTuTu – 13911.
- Vellamo – HTML5 1212, Metal 466.
- Nenamark 2 – 50.3 fps
- Multi touch : 2 points.
Gaming and Entertainment
I could install the MC4 and Asphalt 8 onto the external storage. You will need to set the preferred installed location to SD card from Settings -> Storage. The MC4 game play was smooth but as mentioned the touch response is not that good. Asphalt 8 was playable in high graphics mode and was even better when set to low graphics mode.
Camera and Entertainment
The camera still quality is pretty good. In fact even the front camera is of the same resolution as the rear camera i.e. 5MP. Both the front and rear cameras are Auto Focus. The rear camera is with LED flash support. The rear camera can record good quality videos in 720p resolution.
You can watch full HD movies using MX player – pls check the video review.
Others
There is 3G, Bluetooth, GPS and Wi-Fi. I did not find any issues with these features. GPS lock is fast well under 10 seconds. There is one interesting feature (highlight in the video review). It’s Dual SIM Smart on feature wherein users can receive calls from both SIM card even during calls – Many handsets do not support this feature.
1800mAh Battery
The battery is of 1800 mAh capacity. After 18 minutes the battery level dropped by 8% when using the Benchmark application and battery dropped by 6% in 14 minutes when playing high end games. You can play the games for about 3 to 4 hours on a single charge.
There seems to be some issue with the OS as the battery drained much faster even in standby mode. I usually keep the handset in standby mode over night. This was the first handset that surprisingly drained off completely from 40% battery level. Probably some app is consuming too much power even in standby mode. The max temperature was 42 degrees.
Verdict
The hardware used on the Micromax Mad A94 is the same that we have seen on the XOLO Q1000 Opus. A94 performance is pretty good, not a bad option for under Rs. 9,000 (if the battery issue can be fixed). The Dual SIM smart option looks good (though I have not tested it). Between Opus and A94, the XOLO Opus seems a better option but there are issues on that handset too.
Image Gallery
Sample Images
Micromax Mad A94 handset and gaming review video
720p video shot using the Mad A94 handset
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