Micromax's Canvas Sliver 5 Launched, Goes Up Against Mi 4 64GB, Which Has Better Specs

Micromax Informatics on Thursday released the Canvas Sliver 5, its latest Android flagship phone, which the Indian company claims is the slimmest phone ever at 5.1mm “end-to-end,” minus the camera protrusion that is often seen on such slim phones.

The phone weighs only 0.21 pounds and will retail at 17,999 rupees (about $280) starting July in India, and is expected to be shipped to some other markets as well. At that price, buyers will likely compare it unfavorably with phones such as Xiaomi Corp.’s Mi 4 64GB version, which offers better specs on various counts, but at the same price.

Micromax CEO Vineet Taneja, who launched the phone at an event in New Delhi, said the phone would offer the best ever combination of design, performance and after sales service that Micromax had put together in one smartphone.

Hollywood actor Hugh Jackman -- the company’s high-profile ambassador -- will return to promote the phone, Taneja announced at the launch: "Wolverine is back," he said.

The Canvas Sliver 5 is equipped with a 4.8 inch AMOLED screen that helps reduce thickness. And like other modern smartphones in this price range, the Sliver 5 too has an aluminum rim, and Taneja did a Hugo Barra on the audience, talking about how well the company had engineered the rim.

Barra, vice president for international operations at Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, never fails to promote a video on the making of the metal rim for the company’s Mi 4 phone, that has seen two rounds of price cuts in India recently.

While the Mi 4 doesn’t offer 4G support, which the Sliver 5 does, many would likely look to buy the Mi 4, which trumps the Micromax offering on features, including the user-friendly MIUI interface.

The Mi phone’s new price, at 14,999 rupees for the 16GB version also gives it a definite edge over the Canvas, as most users are unlikely to really care about simply a millimeter or two less or more in thickness.

Spec-to-spec, the Mi 4 comes out tops: Better cameras at 13MP/8MP versus 8MP/5MP for the Canvas; larger 5-inch screen with higher 1080p resolution versus the Canvas' 4.8-inch 720p screen; more than 50 percent greater battery capacity at 3080 mAh versus 2000mAh on the Canvas.

Finally, the Mi 4 runs on the Snapdragon 801 chipset versus the 410 version for the Canvas Sliver 5.