Here’s another competitor for the Micromax Canvas 4 – the Zopo ZP980 (1GB RAM edition). This phone is the current flagship of the upcoming Chinese manufacturer, Zopo. Zopo phones have recently been made available in the country, and offer great specifications at highly competitive prices. The ZP980 features a full HD display coupled with a powerful processor. In fact, the ZP980 from Zopo and Micromax’s Canvas 4 feature the same processor, which makes choosing one out of the two really tough.
Many Indian buyers seem apprehensive about going for Chinese players like Gionee, Zopo, etc. However, it should be noted that even the Chinese are producing good quality hardware since the recent past.
The Zopo ZP980 features an attractive price tag, while the Canvas 4 boasts of great availability and better customer support.
Display and Processor
Both these flagships feature 5 inch screens. However, the ZP980 beats the Canvas 4 in this regard with it’s amazing full HD display. The Canvas 4 on the other hand, features a standard 720p HD display which we earlier saw on the Canvas HD. What does this mean? This means that the ZP980’s screen is one for gamers and multimedia lovers, while the Canvas 4 will suit people who use their phone majorly for utility purposes better.
However, the extra pixels which have to be generated on the ZP980 will definitely take a toll on the CPU and GPU of the device. This would indirectly result in a worse battery life when compared to a 720p screen device with the same size.
Speaking of the processors on these devices, both feature the much-documented MT6589 from the Taiwanese biggie, Mediatek. Both devices pack 1GB of RAM along with the powerful MT6589, which would mean that both the devices would be good in terms of performance as well as multitasking.
Camera and Memory
Both these devices have taken the level up by sporting 13 megapixel rear cameras, unseen previously on budget devices. This brings the competition up to a neck to neck level, and which device buyers go for should be exciting to note. The ZP980 loses out to the Canvas 4 in terms of the rear camera, with the Canvas 4 featuring a 5MP front camera compared to the ZP980’s 2MP. However, quite frankly, 2MP front units should be enough for most users out there, but given a choice the 5MP obviously does sound much better.
Another front where these devices are neck to neck is the internal storage front. Both devices feature 16GB of ROM. However, a 32GB version of the ZP980 will soon be available. Both devices feature expandable storage, so most users would normally be satisfied on this.
Battery and Features
Again, both phones feature the same size of the battery – 2000mAh. This size of a battery is rather unimpressive for phones of this screen size. Why we say this is because 5 inch screens require quite a bit of power to function on medium brightness. The ZP980 will have a battery life even worse, because the system will have to generate pixels more than double the number of those on the Micromax Canvas 4. So, buyers can expect about 8-10 hours of average use of run time on the Zopo, while the Canvas 4 will be a bit better on this regard with about 12-14hrs of usage.
Among other features, there’s nothing unique on the ZP980 except for the Full HD screen, while the Micromax Canvas 4 comes with a unique ‘Blow to unlock’ feature not seen previously.
Key Specs
| Model | Micromax Canvas 4 | Zopo ZP980 |
| Display | 5 inches 720p HD | 5 inches 1080p Full HD |
| Processor | 1.2 GHz quad core | 1.2 GHz quad core |
| RAM, ROM | 1GB RAM, 16GB ROM expandable up to 32GB | 1GB RAM, 16GB/32GB ROM expandable up to 32GB |
| OS | Android v4.2 | Android v4.2 |
| Cameras | 13MP rear, 5MP front | 13MP rear, 2MP front |
| Battery | 2000mAh | 2000mAh |
| Price | 17,999 INR | 16,500 INR |
Conclusion
Given the minimal difference in price, the Canvas 4 does look the better contender out of the two simply for the fact that Micromax is a popular Indian manufacturer, trusted by many. On the other hand, Zopo is a newcomer in the market; and Indian buyers usually have their apprehensions with Chinese electronics. Taking nothing away from Zopo, the ZP980 is indeed a superbly built phone and carries as superb design as well. However, we do not see the ZP980 beating the Canvas 4 in terms of sales at least
