Micromax Bharat 1 is one such device, which has been launched by domestic smartphone manufacturer Micromax in partnership with BSNL. Will Bharat 1 be able to challenge Jio Phone? Does Bharat 1 justify its price? Let’s know the answers to all these questions in the review.
Micromax Bharat 1 Design
The Micromax Bharat 1 has a 2.4-inch display and a numeric keypad on the front. The display resolution is 240×320 pixels. Viewing angles are not good and colours seem washed out. The phone has two buttons, a D-pad with a centre bun, a call and disconnect button and a number pad. The buttons are made of plastic and come with blue backlight. The buttons are difficult to use. The loudspeaker works with the earpiece as well. The handset has a VGA selfie camera on the front and a 2-megapixel primary camera on the rear.
The rear panel of the phone is removable. It has a 2000mAh battery. Removing the battery will reveal two micro SIM slots and a microSD card slot. Bharat 1 has a micro-USB port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Like other budget phones, Bharat 1 also has a torch at the top. The torch can be turned on by holding the navigation button for a long time.
Micromax has bundled a headset and charger in the box with the Bharat 1 which comes with a micro-USB cable. The charger is 3.5 watts and claims to charge the phone’s battery in three hours. However, if the company had provided the micro-USB cable separately, it could have helped in transferring files between the phone and the computer.
Micromax Bharat 1 specifications and software
For Rs 2,200, the Bharat 1’s specifications seem pretty decent. The Micromax Bharat 1 is powered by a dual-core Snapdragon 205 processor and has 512MB of RAM. The phone has 4GB of inbuilt storage of which 2.13GB is user-friendly. The storage can be expanded up to 128GB using a microSD card. The phone automatically defaults to storage mode when connected to a computer, allowing for easy file transfers.
Unlike the Jio Phone (Review) which has just one SIM slot, the Bharat 1 is a dual SIM device. This is a dual SIM device but only one SIM supports 4G and VoLTE. The other SIM will be limited to 2G or 3G networks and there is no way to know what speed you are getting. We found that the phone works fine on all SIM cards, meaning it is not locked to any one network.
The handset has Wi-Fi support which can be used to access the internet when the mobile data is off. You can set up a Wi-Fi hotspot using the USB port. You can share files with other devices using Bluetooth connectivity. The phone does not have NFC. Surprisingly, you get GPS but there is no app to use it.
Micromax told Gadgets 360 that the Bharat 1 runs a customised version of Android. While the company didn’t give any specifics, using some of the apps and services and the UI indicated that they were designed for Android 4.4 KitKat, which is several years old now. There’s no app drawer on the phone and there’s a tile-shaped menu. And everything can be accessed through the menus using the Dpad. Navigating through the menus is easy. But the four buttons on the Dpad don’t offer any shortcuts to quickly launch apps.
Bharat 1 comes with WhatsApp and Facebook Lite icons pre-loaded but they need to be downloaded first to use. T9 suggestions are enabled on the keyboard by default but you can switch between different input methods. The D-pad can be used as a cursor for many apps but it is inconvenient. WhatsApp, for example, doesn’t seem to be fully optimised for this type of phone. We tried making a video call on WhatsApp and were able to communicate without any problems. There is also a link to the YouTube website, a web browser, music and video player. The phone also has a file manager and FM radio. There is also a Fun app that gives access to live TV, videos and movies but the content is very limited compared to the Jio Phone.
Bharat 1 comes with WhatsApp and Facebook Lite icons pre-loaded but they need to be downloaded first to be able to use them. Micromax has also provided links to the YouTube website, a web browser, music and video players. The phone also has a file manager and FM radio. Apart from this, there is a fun app called Zenda TV which gives access to live TV, videos and movies but the content is very less compared to Jio Phone. Also, the screen is not good for viewing content due to its screen size and poor viewing angles.
Given that the phone runs on Android, we tried downloading some APKs. But Micromax seems to have disabled it. There is no way to enable it, which means you won’t get to enjoy the full benefits of the Android operating system. Also, there is no voice assistant like the Jio Phone and you also don’t have any option to connect the phone to a TV to watch content. There is no way to download or sideload other Android apps on the phone.
Micromax Bharat 1 performance, cameras and battery life
The hardware of Bharat 1 is very basic and the software is not as good as Android on a smartphone, so we did not have much expectations. The performance of the phone is average. We faced problems while dialing and typing numbers. Even while typing any number, the dialer did not register some numbers. The pre-installed video player does not support all formats but we tested an HD video file which played smoothly.
If you have used a touchscreen Android phone, you may find it difficult to use a phone with a keypad. However, first-time users of a smart feature phone should get used to it easily.
Battery life on the Micromax Bharat 1 is decent. The phone lasted for more than 2 days with a few calls and WhatsApp usage. There is no way to install other apps on the phone so we expect similar battery life. However, if you use a hotspot, the battery will drain faster. The device can also be charged using USB tethering while sharing data.
The Bharat 1’s rear camera lacks autofocus, which is reasonable considering its price. We found the viewfinder to be a bit shaky even in daylight and almost nonexistent in low light. The app is simple and you can switch between modes and zoom using the D-pad. You can change the white balance from the app and set the exposure level and timer as per your requirement.
There is an option in the settings list to switch between the rear and selfie cameras but a toggle would have been better. Both cameras are passable and photos look good only on the phone’s small screen. Photos lack detail and most images will come out blurry if you’re not steady. The selfie camera suffers from the same problem and we noticed chroma noise in most indoor photos. Both the front and rear cameras can record VGA (640×480) resolution videos but the results are below average.
Our verdict
If you want a feature phone that offers calling, Facebook and WhatsApp, then Micromax Bharat 1 is a good option. You have to spend Rs 2,200 and Bharat 1 is yours. You can use it with any service provider of your choice. If you use Bharat 1 with BSNL, then you will get unlimited calls and data in a recharge of Rs 97.
Bharat 1 is better than Jio Phone because of its Wi-Fi hotspot, USB tethering capability and not being locked to a single network. However, you don’t get entertainment content like Jio Phone in this phone. However, Micromax has limited the features of Android. There is no Play Store in the phone and there is no way to install apps. This means you will have to make do with the apps that are available in the phone.
If you are looking for your first smart feature phone or a second backup device then Bharat 1 will not disappoint you.