Micromax IN 2B First Impressions: The Good, The Bad, And The X Factor

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The budget smartphone segment is one of the most crowded and competitive in the Indian market. While the major chunk is dominated by Chinese brands, there are a bunch of other companies that have affordable smartphones in their portfolios. Micromax, the Indian smartphone brand made a comeback last year in this category with the IN smartphone lineup. The company has now refreshed this series with the launch of IN 2b in India.

 

Micromax IN 2b

The Micromax IN 2b has arrived as a budget smartphone with some basic set of features such as a dual-camera setup at the rear, an HD+ mini-drop display, and a massive 5,000 mAh battery. The company has announced this handset with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage option for which you will need to shell out Rs. Rs. 7,999. For the 6GB RAM model you will need to spend Rs. 8,999. We got to use the device and in this article, we are sharing the first impressions of the handset.

Micromax IN 2B: The Good
 

Micromax IN 2B: The Good

Smudge-Free Plastic Body

The Micromax IN 2B features an all-plastic build that is of decent quality. The rear panel features a matte texture that reflects sunrise patterns. If not for the 'in' branding at the bottom, the design is identical to some of the Realme 'C' series smartphones.

The vertical camera setup at the upper left houses dual sensors along with an LED flash. The fingerprint scanner is also positioned ideally at the back and is quick with unlocking. The device has a slightly bulky form factor and reaching all the nooks and corners is a task with a single hand.

The 3-slot SIM tray is positioned on the left panel, while the right edge stores the power and the volume keys. The bottom panel has the 3.5mm headphone jack and the USB Type-C port.

Dedicated MicroSD Card Slot, Android 11 OS

Dedicated MicroSD Card Slot, Android 11 OS

One of the useful features which the latest budget Micromax smartphone offers is the dedicated microSD card slot. This allows using dual SIM cards and one microSD card simultaneously.

You can use up to 256GB external microSD to suffice the storage requirements. Another positive aspect of the Micromax IN 2B is the Android 11 OS with a stock Android like user interface. The device has the least bloatware which comes as a respite. The UI isn't cluttered and the only pre-installed apps are from Google.

Dual Rear Cameras With Dedicated Night Mode

Dual Rear Cameras With Dedicated Night Mode

The budget Micromax smartphone is packed with a dual rear camera setup. The handset features a 13MP main camera with an f/1.8 aperture and a 2MP sensor for depth effects. The main lens supports 4x digital zoom. The camera is equipped with several shooting modes which to improve the user experience such as Auto HDR, Portrait, Time-lapse and Slow motion video recording.

The camera performance was decent in the initial testing, but nothing out of the league. There is a dedicated Night Mode as well that is meant to enhance the low-light images. But, we didn't see any major differences.

However, we are yet to test the camera to its full potential and will give detailed feedback in our comprehensive review. Upfront, the device uses a 5MP camera for selfies and video calling which is average with performance.

Micromax IN 2B: The Bad

Micromax IN 2B: The Bad

Standard HD+ Display

The Micromax IN 2B has a tall 6.52-inch display; however, the panel supports standard 720 x 1600 pixels resolution and 60Hz refresh rate. The panel supports an 89 percent screen-to-body ratio and has a traditional waterdrop notch for the selfie camera.

While the panel is suitable for consuming 720p videos on-the-go, we would have appreciated a higher screen resolution if not the refresh rate. Better detailing and color production is what we would want to see Micromax offer to its budget consumers.

Entry-Level Unisoc Processor

Entry-Level Unisoc Processor

Micromax has used the Unisoc T610 processor to drive the IN 2B. While the company is touting this as a No-hang Phone, we noticed slight delays with the camera app launching directly from the lock screen. This might be due to initial app loading as other functionalities felt swift later on.

We will be testing the device with extensive tasks to judge its performance. The reason we tagged this feature in the 'bad' category is solely due to the fact that the brand could have used a slightly powerful MediaTek or Qualcomm chipset to deliver better performance.

Micromax IN 2B: The X-Factor

Micromax IN 2B: The X-Factor

Massive 5,000mAh Battery

The Micromax IN 2B uses a 5,000 mAh battery to keep the lights on. The handset has the modern-generation USB Type-C port which is one of the other positive aspects. While the device comes with a standard 10W charging, the big battery unit complemented by entry-level hardware would allow for an entire day of backup with a single charge.

You can expect the device to give this backup with moderate tasks. We will be giving a feedback on the charging speeds in the coming days. We are also yet to test the performance with extensive gaming.

Micromax IN 2B: Hit Or A Miss?

Micromax IN 2B: Hit Or A Miss?

The Micromax IN 2B carries forward the legacy of its predecessor with a cheaper price tag and a decent set of hardware. The device will be up against Realme, Xiaomi, Oppo, and other brands in the sub Rs. 10,000 segment.

The latest offering by the brand has all the necessary features to compete against the rivals but lacks in some of the areas. It's good to see that the brand is working on expanding its product portfolio, but, it's high time that it fiddles around new and upgraded specifications for its new products.

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