Micromax’s brand ambassador Hugh Jackman has retired as the Wolverine but Micromax is no mood to slow down. In fact, not only have they turned all their recently launched and existing series like Bharat, Vdeo and Canvas series into a huge success. But as we mentioned before, the Homegrown smartphone makers aren’t slowing down for anything. Instead, they are ready to capture whatever competition is left in the market with the launch of its new online-only series – Evok.
Under the Evok series, Micromax has launched 2 models named – Evok Power and Evok Note. The idea is to strengthen its position in the budget segment. The Evok Power is priced at Rs. 6,999 at launch while the Evok Note retails for Rs. 9,499. Like most of our reviews, we reviewed both devices thoroughly over the course of one month. And here is what we found about the Evok Power –
Specifications of Evok Power:
| Release date | April 2017 |
| Form factor | Touchscreen |
| Battery capacity (mAh) | 4000 |
| Removable battery | No |
| SAR value | 0.57 |
| Screen size (inches) | 5.00 |
| Touchscreen | Yes |
| Resolution | 720×1280 pixels |
| Processor | 1.3GHz quad-core |
| Processor make | MediaTek MT6737 |
| RAM | 2GB |
| Internal storage | 16GB |
| Expandable storage | Yes |
| Expandable storage type | microSD |
| Rear camera | 8-megapixel |
| Flash | Yes |
| Front camera | 5-megapixel |
| Operating System | Android 6.0 |
| Wi-Fi | Yes |
| Wi-Fi standards supported | NA |
| GPS | No |
| Bluetooth | Yes |
| NFC | No |
| Infrared | No |
| USB OTG | No |
| Headphones | Yes |
| FM | No |
| Number of SIMs | 2 |
| SIM 1 | |
| SIM Type | Micro-SIM |
| GSM/CDMA | GSM |
| 3G | No |
| 4G/ LTE | Yes |
| Supports 4G in India (Band 40) | Yes |
| SIM 2 | |
| SIM Type | Micro-SIM |
| GSM/CDMA | GSM |
| 3G | No |
| 4G/ LTE | Yes |
| Supports 4G in India (Band 40) | Yes |
| Compass/ Magnetometer | No |
| Proximity sensor | No |
| Accelerometer | No |
| Ambient light sensor | No |
| Gyroscope | No |
| Barometer | No |
| Temperature sensor | No |
Now that you have had a look at the detailed specs. Let’s check out what comes in the box –
IN THE BOX
The smartphone comes loaded with all the aftermarket accessories you would need for a smartphone. The box for the device includes:
- Micromax Evok Power
- Charger
- Screen Protector
- USB Cable
- User Manual and Warranty
DESIGN AND DISPLAY
- Designed for Indians, By Indians
- Edge-to-Edge Rubber Bumper Protection
- 5-inch, 720p Display
We live in the times where one smartphone is hard to differentiate from the other. But with a new smartphone launching each week we can’t blame the smartphone makers for it. Thankfully, Micromax managed to keep one of the two devices from the Evok series a bit distinctive. Yes, the Evok Power is nothing like anything thanks to it’s India specific design enhancements. Enhancements like rubberised sides (similar to iPhone 4’s Bumper Case) are a blessing in disguise as most of the smartphones, if dropped get damaged from the sides and the screen shatters. It offers much better grip and drop protection.
The Evok Power sports a 5-inch display with HD resolution. It has 2.5D curved-edge with Corning Gorilla Glass on top which also has a plastic frame around it. All that is good but the thick bezels are an eyesore on an otherwise well-designed smartphone. Also, there are no capacitive buttons so you will have to manoeuvre around with on-screen controls.
On the rear is the rear camera, LED flash, and the fingerprint sensor right in the centre of the back. On the lower part is the branding with the Micromax logo on the back.
The power and volume buttons are positioned on the right side of the device, while there is nothing on the left side of the device. I personally feel any port on the top of a smartphone is annoying so I didn’t like the fact that both the charging port and the 3.5mm audio socket are at the bottom and only the microphone is at the bottom. Like most budget smartphones, the back cover on this one too is removable but you might need a spade or something to take it off. So you will have to keep a spade or a similar tool handy to insert the SIM cards or memory card.
You get two Micro-SIM slots with support for 4G and VoLTE. Both SIMs are 4G network compliant but only one works at a time. Also, to swap the SIM cards users need to reboot the smartphone.
HARDWARE
- MediaTek 6737
- Adreno 530 GPU
- 2GB RAM
- 16GB Internal Storage
- Expandable storage up to 2TB
- 4010 mAh battery (Without fast charging)
Micromax’s association with MediaTek continues as both the devices are powered by MediaTek SoC.
Evok Power is powered by a quad-core MediaTek 6737 SoC clocked at 1.3GHz. There is 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. Storage is expandable up to 2TB thanks to the dedicated microSD card slot. Out of the 16GB ROM, about 10.5 GB available at first boot with the pre-installed bloatware taking almost 6gigs.
All this backed up by a massive 4000 mAh battery.
SOFTWARE
- Android 6.0 (Marshmallow)
- AroundYU UI skin
I’m sulking while I type this but hopefully, Micromax will soon get rid of all the bloatware and launch phones with the Android N (7.0). I mean Android O preview is already out so buck up guys. That said, there are a number of improvements in the Around UI, the home-brewed UI cloned from its sibling YU smartphones.
Now users get iOS-like control centre for toggles by swiping from the bottom. Users can also access the toggles the regular way by swiping the notification panel from the top.
And we are still a fan of Around screen that aggregates data for different services like hotels, movies, cabs, flights, etc and presents relevant information based on the location.
To access the Around (screen/panel) users have to simply swipe left on the homescreen.
PERFORMANCE
- 4000mAh battery
- 2GB RAM
As the name suggests the biggest feature of Evok Power is power i.e. battery. The 4000 mAh battery will remind you of the feature phone era when we never worried about the battery running out. In terms of usage, the smartphone does what any other 2GB smartphone can do with an added advantage of AroundYU interface.
Like we always say, the Performance of any device can be tested by using the device and not by benchmark tests. So, don’t go by the numbers but here are the results for your reference:
CAMERA
- 8MP Camera with LED flash
- Supports slo-mo video recording up to 960fps
- 5MP selfie camera
Micromax has upped its Camera game with the launch of the Dual 5. And, we can see it being carried forward to other devices too. Though the camera of Evok Power is not the best out there it still captures good photos. The camera on the Evok Power does a decent job in well lit and stationary situations but falters when there is motion or its dark.
Here are some samples for you to judge –
THE UNBIASED VERDICT
The Evok series from Micromax is a great move to grab whatever market share other companies had captured from the big daddy of Indian smartphone makers. Evok Power offers great battery, performance and build-quality in an India-centric design by an Indian company at a competitive price. Isn’t ‘Be Indian, Buy Indian’ a good enough reason to buy a smartphone that was made keeping you(India) in mind?
At the same time, we also wished that both these devices had a cleaner UI and no bloatware. Oh, and those bezels are a big turn off when the screen turns on.
So that was our unbiased review of the Micromax Evok Power: More Power to YU err You. Please share your feedback and suggestions in the comments section below or tweet to us @theunbiasedblog.
