Mercury MagiQ: A Robust Smartphone for 12k

New entrants to the mobility segment should be commended for bringing smartphones and tablets with higher configuration, found predominantly in globally celebrated brands, to Indian buyers who still don't fancy a 30k smartphone, at a budget price. Mercury MagiQ, a 5-inch smartphone with dual SIM and dual camera, from well known computer peripheral distributor Kobian is a decent looking budget smartphone.

What strikes us in the face is its huge 5-inch capacitive display and the squeezed in touch based backlit shortcut buttons. The display is the mostly seen 480p, as in Canvas 2 and Spice Stellar but that's nothing to complain about as it looks quite vibrant and glossy. You can play non HD videos with ease and since the speaker pitch is healthy, you will enjoy movies and music on it. The rear camera can bring out simple looking photos while the front is greatly affected by the lighting conditions. However, under sufficient light it's almost as good as the rear one.

This well-built phone, because of its sheer size, can be used as a tablet for checking out mail, and typing out replies. The big screen accommodates your social networking pages ably. It also supports Bluetooth keyboards so you can pair and type extensively. Since, it's Android and has Google play, you can download as many apps as its storage allows, but because it supports external storage via micro SD, you can add another 32GB to its existing 4GB. The 2200mAh battery is highly impressive and gives a tablet like back-up of upto 6 hours.

Despite the hefty build its weight is just 140g, while Spice Stellar Horizon has a 5inch display and weighs 205g. Also, the rugged back panel, curved edges make it easy to handle. It has 3G based dual SIM slots, a feature we saw in a few other 12-15k smartphones, such as Micromax Canvas 2. There is a micro USB port at the bottom for transferring files and charging the device.

We were unimpressed by the old and outdated Bluetooth version 2.1, but more by the device's ability to handle games. Games like Ae 3D Motor run better than Micromax Canvas and Spice Stellar Horizon, but with a slight lag. However, with 512 MB RAM and 1GHz processor, one has to be a little judicious while multi-tasking.