India's leading handset maker, Micromax, today announced its maiden foray into the laptop category by launching the new Canvas Laptab, a 2-in-1 Windows convertible device that has a detachable keyboard, allowing it to be used as a standalone tablet.
The Laptab has been designed as a unique offering of decent specifications at an affordable price to accelerate PC adoption by first-time users, while also addressing the needs of more experienced people looking for a compact and portable device.
The Canvas Laptab runs on Windows 8.1 and bundles Office 365 as well. Powered by the Intel Atom Processor Z3735F with speed up to 1.83GHz and 2GB RAM, the device features a 10.1-inch touch-enabled WXGA IPS display. There's a 2MP camera at the front, as well as at the back. The Laptab packs in a 7,700 mAh battery that gives more than 10 hours of battery life according to Micromax's claims. The device packs in pretty good specifications, and looks promising. Of course, we'll have to test it out some more in real-world usage to give a judgement on the performance.
The Laptab drives home the portability message not just in its compact size but also in terms of connectivity with a 3G SIM card slot. While it's a norm for most tablets in India, it's a welcome addition on a convertible device that can be used for working on the move.
The build quality is pretty good and has a metallic feel to it, but is a little heavy. I'm a Surface user, and the difference is quite noticeable. Of course, the latter is not available in India and is a much more expensive device. The keyboard connects to the tablet using a proprietary connector, but the connection could definitely be better. It doesn't detach by itself, but a small nudge can dismantle the two. The Laptab doesn't fold like a laptop, and essentially requires placing the tablet over the keyboard. That connection and detaching mechanism is the only oddity with the design in an otherwise nicely built device.
Commenting on the launch, Vineet Taneja, CEO, Micromax Informatics Limited, said,
"At Micromax, we have always believed in bringing the best in class and innovative devices to the consumers and have always aimed to bridge the gap between actual consumer device requirement and available device offering and hence, the Laptab promises to bridge the same at a very consumer friendly price point. Today's launch marks our entry into the PC segment, where we intend to drive category growth and not only garner an available market share. We believe that our vision complements the initiatives for Digital India, and we will be launching a range of exciting products over the next few months in the category."
The Laptab will be initially available exclusively on Amazon.in at a ₹14,999 starting from May 6, 2015. This compact 2-in-1 device looks pretty good on paper, and at this price, should offer the perfect blend of mobility and productivity to the consumers.
