Canvas LapTab, the laptop-tablet hybrid of Micromax, is a perfect option for those who want a laptop and a tablet that really help them out with work at affordable rate. Students and office-goers who do not have a big budget to spend are the major customers of this device. Canvas LapTab can replace the PCs of your home, as it is sufficient for activities like watching movies and browsing web.
Design and Looks
Micromax Canvas LapTab is a bit chubby, but its tablet part looks suitable to the briefcase of a business. It has grey color in colour and the back cover with the gun-metal finish gives the device the somber look. Micromax Canbal LapTab looks like classy with the frame of rubber-like material on all four sides of the back cover. Even though Canvas LapTab looks a little too thick as a tablet, it is a necessity as the device is more than a tablet. Anyway, the build quality is definitely worth for the price. Even though Canvas LapTab is made of plastic, it looks like a rugged device.
Micromax Canvas LapTab comes with a 10.1 inch screen that has a resolution of 1280×800 pixels. It is pretty fair and gives brighter and sharper images while compared to other Windows tablets in the market. Even though you get tablets with fullHD resolution screen in this price bracket, 720p seems to be standard for 2-in-1 devices. The viewing angles of the device are also decent. The drawback is the just average performance of panel’s touch sensitivity, which occasionally fails to register taps.
A Detachable Windows hybrid tablet
There are two parts to Micromax Canvas LapTap, which as the tablet and the detachable keyboard. They are joined together via the magnetic hinge. This 1.1 kg laptop is too heavy to hold. However, the weight is distributed equally while placing the device on a table with the help of the hinge. But it may topple over, if you keep it on the lap carelessly because its tablet portion is heavier. You need some practice to shut and close the laptop correctly, as there are chances for the magnetic hinge to slip on the front edge of the keyboard. The gap between the tablet portion and keyboard portion, while it is in the shut state, prevents the display from touching the keypad.
Ports and Slots
There is no physical buttons for navigation to the LapTab, but the touchscreen Windows button works as the home button. The right side of the tablet has the volume and the power buttons, which are too stiff to press. There are a 2MP camera in the back and the front and two speakers, which are provided with grills on the left and right sides of the tablet. The microUSB port on the top of Canvas LapTab is also the port for the power cable. You can also see one microSD card port, a 3G SIM slot and a 3.5mm jack for headphones on this part.
Despite the presence of a SIM card slot the Canvas Laptab hubrid can not be used for WhatsApp messaging like a windows phone.This is because it is not a phone but a laptop which runs on a windows desktop/laptops OS.The single micro Sim slot can be used for 3G calling or use internet in 3G/2G network.The micro-USB port is for charging your device.The power button is on right side of the laptab and you need to press it for booting the whole device.The volume is also controlled from the tablet unit only.
3G Dongle USB slot
The laptop can be connected to a 3G network via a 3G dongle which is present on the right side of detachable keyboard unit.The same USB slot can be used to connect an external hard drive , external CD drive or Pen drive.
Keyboard & Speakers
The mechanical keyboard dock of Micromax Canvas LapTab is really thin, even though it is an acceptable overall build quality. It is the keyboard that makes the tablet a mini laptop. The keys are soft that does not make noises while typing. The island-style keyboard complete is complete with function keys and trackpad that give good tactile feedback. But, still we may take time to get used to them, as the size has reduced suitable to a tablet cum laptop. So it is not good for those, who are doing typing related jobs. Besides, the palm rest area is also small so the users with large hands will feel it awkward. The trackpad, which supports eight gestures and two-finger scrolling, is quite responsive.
As the keyboard docks with the tablet unit with the help of magnets and two mounds and it is connected to the tablet via metal contacts and not Bluetooth. As there is no battery in keyboard, we don’t have to charge it.
The speakers are placed on the left and right sides of the tablet in the device.The inbuilt speakers’ audio level is bit low and may not be suitable for a noisy environment.The headset which you receive with the device package however fulfills the gap and has an excellent quality.
Software
The Micromax Canvas LapTab comes with the operation system of full-fat 32-bit Windows 8.1. As the OS comes with subscription to Microsoft Office 365 for a year, the device can provide almost full productivity features of a regular laptop. You can enjoy the flexibility of Windows in this device, as it provides the same file system, drives and settings of a proper computer. Canvas Laptab also features free Magzter Subscription of 10 Indian magazines for three months.
The on-board Intel Atom Z3735, which is an entry level processor, is great for doing office work, watching movies, playing casual games and surfing the web. But, we cannot experience best responsiveness in the tablet. The lag during the time of swiping or scrolling may get you irritated. Moreover, you may suffer stuttering on heavy web pages like Facebook, while browsing.
Performance
Micromax Canvas LapTab features a 4th generation Intel Atom Z3735F quad core processor, comes with 1.8GHz and supported by 2GB RAM. This combination makes the device great. There is 32GB internal memory to the LapTab. You can expand it up to 64GB though a microSD card. Considering the performance of the device, Canvas LapTab is good for moderate use such as casual games, web browsing and multimedia as well as for apps like office suites. But, it is difficult to open too many tabs at a time and multitask between many apps.
Battery life
The Micromax Canvas LapTab has a huge battery, which is almost big as the battery of a full-sized laptop. The company claims that this 7800mAh battery will give over 10 hours backup. Even though it falls of a little short of the claim in actual use, we can continuously work for 6-7 hours under not-so-heavy usage. But, if we use some particular tasks like YouTube, the battery will reduce from 8o percent to 30 percent in less than two hours. However, the battery takes around eight hours to get fully charged, which is a lot. As battery life laptop and tablet is a crucial factor for people who use it on the go, Canvas LapTab cannot be said perfect in terms of battery life.
Good and bad
The keyboard hinge in the centre along with two magnetic clamps ob both side for docking the tablet remains loosened because of missing base screws and this makes its opening and closing a tough and annoying job.The laptop cum tablet also takes a long time to full charge.The touch is unresponsive at times but that may not be a serious issue.
The most impressive positive feature of Micromax Canvas LapTab is nothing but its amazing price. A 2-in-1 natured hybrid device at this price is really appreciable. Moreover, its touch support display with Windows offerings is also remarkable. The keyboard is thin and very responsive. However, the reduced size of the keyboard and trackpad makes some difficulties to the users in the beginning. The battery life of LapTab is also average. It is best for PC-like basic usage.
Of course, there are many other limitations to Micromax Canvas LapTab. However, it is an affordable device at Rs 14,999, for those who have a tight budget and want a cheaper substitute for a laptop. But it is not an option for those who want to enjoy music, gaming, watching movies in their tablet. However, it offers decent performance for normal use as well as portability of a tablet. It delivers the basic tasks like running work-related apps and doing basic tying.