Indian phone maker Micromax is taking some design cues from LG and Samsung for its latest smartphone. The Micromax Canvas Infinity has an ultra-wide (or tall) display with an 18:9 (or 2:1) aspect ratio.
But while the LG G6 and Samsung Galaxy S8 have similar widescreen displays, those are high-end phones with premium specs. The Micromax Canvas Infinity? Not so much.
The phone goes on sale in India starting September 1st for about $156.
Unsurprisingly, the spec sheet is a bit more modest than the one for the latest high-end phones from Samsung or LG. But for a budget phone, the specs actually look pretty good.
The Canvas Infinity features 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, a 2,900 mAh battery, a 13MP rear camera with phase detection autofocus, and a 16MP front-facing camera.
It’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor, has a fingerprint sensor, and ships with Android Nougat software.
The phon features a 5.7 inch, 1440 x 720 pixel display. It’s the right size and shape to view two apps in side-by-side windows of equal sizes. But those apps won’t look quite as sharp as they do on LG’s 2880 x 1440 pixel display.
Still, it’s nice to see that features that used to be exclusive to high-end phones are making their way to more affordable models. We saw it happen with fingerprint sensors and HD displays. Now it looks like 2:1 displays are moving down-market as well.
via GSM Arena
Despite the larger diagonal (5.7″ vs 5.5″), an 2:1 AR display has a smaller (portrait) width than a 16:9 display (2.5″ vs 2.7″).
https://screen-size.info
The main constraint is the display portrait width, which is being decreased. So while the smaller chin/forehead is appreciated, I’d prefer the old 16:9 vs the new 2:1 format.
Exactly.
Not just that, all the content is optimised for 16:9 aspect ratio… whereas the 19:9 weird ratios will leave many letter-boxing or issues for the future.
As a rule of thumb, if you see a 5.6inch wide-display… just remove 0.5 inches to reveal the true size, eg 5.1inch. Or a 5.3inch wide, actually, around 4.8inches true. Its a very DECEPTIVE marketing trick!
For years I’ve been against wider displays. I can’t stand the 16:9, for example – preferring 16:10, 3:2. It’s like this new aspect ratio exist only to mock… It’s like thrashing your fists against the wind.
I hear you.
My favourite aspect ratio is root2, ie 1.414
It’s much more convenient for pixel-perfect matching, and it can be upgraded alongside Moore’s Law.
Example:
1,2,4,8,16,32,64
E7 == 128 x 90
E7+ = 180 x 128
E8 == 256 x 180
E8+ = 362 x 256
E9 == 512 x 362
E9+ = 724 x 512
E10 == 1024 x 724
E10+ = 1448 x 1024
E11 == 2048 x 1448
E11+ = 2896 x 2048
E12 == 4096 x 2896
E12+ = 5792 x 4096
E13 == 8192 x 5792
E13+ = 11584 x 8192
The point of these displays is to enable minimalistic upper and lower bezels.
There was no need for this AR for what they do here.
Alternately, the point of the slim top and bottom bezels is to enable these wider displays without making the phones physically larger.
Kind of gimmicky. I expect a price cut amidst the fierce competition at the low-end.
They should’ve differentiated by going mid-range instead.
A 2:1 FHD would’ve made more sense at this size (1080 x 2160) for acceptable density.
And a step up to a QSD 660. Or a QSD 653/652, maybe even a QSD 650.
I doubt you could purchase any QSD 820/821 today at a decent price, so the above options will do.
Those two decent upgrades, will make it a much more rounded phone.
And bumping up the price by another $50 to ~13,000 INR…..
….now its competitive and will sell hot hoT hOT