Micromax unveiled Canvas Infinity, taking an aggressive stance as it looks to reassert itself in India’s competitive smartphone market.

Talking up the device’s features, Rahul Sharma, co-founder of Micromax Informatics, said: “Micromax was born because we always believed in the democratisation of technology, and that is what we are all about.”

The headline feature of Canvas Infinity is the screen, and specifically its 5.8-inch, 18:9 ratio “full vision” display. This ratio was trumpeted as the next big thing by LG, which talked up the content being made available in this format, and which is beginning to offer it more widely in its portfolio.

Samsung’s Galaxy S8 is also in the same ballpark, with its 18.5:9 screen.

Sharma used Galaxy S8 as a comparison with regard to screen-to-body ratio as well, stating Canvas Infinity’s 83 per cent is “very close” to the 84.2 per cent of the Samsung device, and some way ahead of 65.6 per cent for iPhone 7 Plus.

“If you have less body and more screen, your viewing experience is going to be better,” he said.

Where the Micromax loses out is resolution: it features a 720×1440 pixel display, whereas LG’s mid-tier Q6 is 1080×2160 pixels. Samsung’s premium Galaxy S8 and LG’s G6 go higher again (1440×2960 and 1440×2880 respectively).

Canvas Infinity sports a 16MP front-facing and 13MP rear cameras. Powered by a 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 processor, it offers 3GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage, with a 2900mAh battery.

Micromax is also offering a 24-hour service promise – with repair or replacement via express service centres.

Where it beats its rivals is on price. The device goes on sale on 1 September (initially exclusively from Amazon India), priced at INR9,999 ($156).

Fight back
Micromax was a top-tier player in India in the not too distant past, but its market share was eroded following increased competition from Chinese brands including Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo. Micromax was not alone in feeling the pain, with peers including Intex and Lava suffering the same fate.

Indeed, it was reported earlier this year India’s domestic device makers were looking for government intervention to help them combat rivals from China, with criticism over support and subsidies from Beijing.

While the Indian government put incentives in place to boost the country’s manufacturing industry, overseas players have opened assembly plants in India in order to reap the same benefits.