Micromax X550 Mobile User Review

The ‘want’ of trendy smartphones is increasing day by day and it seems like every brand has got something to offer in this domain. Micromax too has came up with its own model which it has named X550 Qube.

Qube has a beautiful full body expanding touch screen, much like the android mobiles. This is a 3.2 inch 262k color attuned TFT full touch screen. On this screen you’ll find a cube which can be rotated in various directions so that each surface reveals a different set of widgets.

Qube X550 has a camera which is 2.0 MP pixels sharp and can deliver maximum photographic resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels. The camera does have the digital zoom feature but no flash. You can record video as well.

The entertainment share of this mobile phone is fairly high as you can enjoy stereo FM and multi format music player with your favorite headphones plugged into the 3.5 mm jack. Video playback is supported for MP4, 3 GP and AVI formats.

Although Qube might seem comparable to the looks and style of the android smartphones but it is lacks some significant features which wipe this model out of competition. Firstly, this is a dual band GSM phone, not a 3G one and hence you miss out on many features. Secondly there is no support for Wi-Fi networks which is a big minus. The battery power of this phone is fairly good and delivers maximum 8 hours of talk time and 6 days of standby time.

Micromax X550 features:

• 3D Cube User Interface
• Touch screen
• Facebook ready
• Social networking consortium – Snaptu
• Multi-Instant messenger – Nimbuzz
• Preloaded Opera mini browser

Specifications:

Touch Screen	Yes
Type	262K TFT
Size	3.2”
Resolution	240X400 Pixels
Music	Multi Format Music Player
Band	GSM/GPRS 900/1800MHZ
FM radio	Yes
Messaging	SMS, MMS, EMS
Facebook	Yes
Opera Mini	Yes
3.5mm Jack	Yes
Snaptu	Yes
Nimbuzz	Yes
Bluetooth	Yes, A2DP
Java	Yes
GPRS/WAP/MMS	Yes
Video Player	Yes (AVI/3GP/MP4)
Camera	2.0 Mega pixels
Games	Yes
SMS Memory	500
Phonebook Memory	1000
Expandable memory	Micro SD up to 16GB
Battery	Li-ion 1200mAh
Talk time	Up to 8 hours
Standby time	Up to 6 days
Dimensions	112.5* 55.9* 14.1 mm
Weight	85 g

Micromax X550 Price:    Rs. 5,500 /- (Market Buy)

In the Box, you’ll get:

• Transceiver
•  Standard Charger
• Standard Battery 
• Data Cable
• Handsfree Kit
• User Guide
• Service Guide
• Software CD
• Leather Pouch
• Warranty Card

Performance:

The Micromax X550 (QUBE) had a satisfactory outing in the signal reception and call clarity test. There were no dropped calls or noticeable loss of voice clarity during the calls, across both zone one and zone two. It got decent scores across device earpiece volume, loudspeaker clarity, handsfree clarity and speaker volume tests. Although, it delivered average performance with loudspeaker audio and photo colour tests, it had good performance in the camera and music tests. It performed reasonably well in the video playback test. The X550 was unimpressive in the Bluetooth test and finished transferring a 5MB file in about 66.87 seconds.

Verdict:

The Micromax X550 (QUBE) is a feature-rich social-networking and touchscreen phone, which provides good value for money. The 3D Cube UI adds a new dimension to the aging touchscreen interface. Although, the absence of a hardware keypad, Wi-Fi and 3G is a major drawback, it still makes a decent buy at Rs. 5,500. Perhaps, we could forgive the absence of some of these features in such a cheap device. However, the biggest shortcoming comes from one of the features it already has - the touch-screen - the interface of which, is anything but ergonomic and discerning. I've come across countless affordable touch-screens that have problems with usability and this is just another. Spending a little more, (Rs. 1,400 or so), will get you something like a Samsung Corby Pro, that has a better interface and also bundles a hardware QWERTY keypad.

Ratings:

Features - 6.5
Performance - 6
Build Quality - 7
Value for money - 7
Overall - 6.5

Review By: Mayank Sehgal