The Micromax A89 is a low cost dual core handset (MTK 6577) with PowerVR SXG 531 GPU running the ICS OS over a 4 inch screen of 800×480 pixel resolution. The dual SIM handset is priced at Rs. 6,000 and comes with a 3MP FF rear camera.
The Box Pack
Inside you will find the A89, screen guard, USB to micro USB cable, Charger, earphones of a low quality that you usually get with low cost Micromax handsets, battery of 1450 mAh capacity, warranty card and user guide.
Design
The handset follows the Ninja design pattern with curvy edges. The sides are silver colour and the other part of the body is glossy black. There are 3 touch buttons on the front panel and on the top you will find the in-call speaker and the sensors. The sensors are not easily visible; they are on the left side. The box pack mentioned the G-Sensors, in fact the handset also comes with light and proximity sensors.
Display
The screen is 4 inches with supported resolution of 800×480 pixels. The touch is smooth / responsive and handset supports only 2 point multi touch.
CPU + GPU
When I got this handset I was eager to know what kind of dual core hardware it is running on. The Videocon A30 and the Xolo A500 comes powered by QRD MSM 8225 dual core processor with Adreno 203 GPU. The A500 and A30 models are priced at Rs. 6,999 and these models were launched to compete with low cost MediaTek handsets.
Interestingly the Micromax A89 comes with the same hardware that powers the Micromax A110 and many other handsets. It’s MTK 6577 (MediaTek) with PowerVR SXG 531 GPU. And yet the handset is priced at around 6K even cheaper than the A30 and A500 models.
OS, Memory and Storage
The Micromax A89 Ninja handset runs on the ICS OS with 512MB RAM and 4GB internal storage.
- 512 MB RAM – Free = 240MB, Used = 232MB.
- 4GB Internal storage – 2.08GB (free) as internal storage and 503MB for apps of which 445MB is free.
- MicroSD card slot that supports 32GB card.
Benchmark scores
- Quadrant Benchmark: 2747.
- Antutu Benchmark: 6845.
- Nenamark 2: 27.4 fps.
- Linpack : Single 36, Multi 52.
- Multi Touch: 2 point.
Entertainment
The speaker sound is loud and clear. The MX player can play 720p videos smoothly. There is built in FM radio.
Camera
There is only one camera placed on the rear side of 3 megapixel resolution. The camera is the weakest link. You cannot record videos in 720p resolution instead the camera can record videos in max 640×480 pixels @57.77 fps.
You can check the sample images shot using the 3MP camera at the end of the article.
Connectivity
There is 3G, 2G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, micro USB port and 3.5mm jack. USB and Bluetooth tethering is supported. Wi-Fi Hotspot is supported.
Others
There is no front camera so you cannot make video calls. Using the phone dialer you can make a call directly from any of the SIM’s (you get both SIM 1 call and SIM 2 call buttons).
The light sensors work and so does the proximity sensors. There are no magnetic sensors.
Battery
The 1450 mAh battery I believe will last for a full day of moderate usage.
Micromax A89 review
The handset not only beats the single core processor that are priced around the same but also the Videocon A30 and the Xolo A500. The 3MP fixed focus camera is disappointing and you cannot record 720p videos, however 720p video playback is supported.
On the other hand the A30 and A500 comes with better camera but they cannot play 720p videos with ease, moreover these handsets can record 720p videos which is really not good at 15fps. So in all if you ignore the camera part, the Micromax A89 is definitely a good buy, especially for those with limited budget.
Image Gallery
Sample images shot using 3MP camera
Micromax A89 unboxing and review video
i have a budget of 5000-6000.
plz suggest me which phone to buy i am confused between nokia asha 311 or micromax smarty . is any one of them is best option for me or not if there is much bettr option from these two please let me know.
help me to select a phone in this range.
Does it support GOOGLE PLAY???
How its WiFi performance??
Dear yogi bhai
. Which one is better mmx a89 or lava iris 455
I wnt to buy today
dear gogi, i am confused which budget android phone to buy with the following features, dual camera, 3g downloading speeds, wifi, gps, video streaming, fm, etc please mail me.
Thank you Gogi..
Can you tell me how is the service of Xolo and actual price of Xolo A700??
Dear Gogi, which wl b better, Xolo A700 or Micromax A89??
I love to play games..and my budjet is 7000.
so plzzzzzz…..suggest me between dis two!!
Thankx….
Hi between the two go with A700.
Sir i’m confused b/w lava iris 405 and mmx ninja a89
so which one to go???
Hey guys! Micromax Ninja A89 is just an awsome handset,its features are really nice,lookwise its perfect hd screen is too good.Such an awsome handset under 7 k is excellent every penny spent is worth it.
We can extend its internal memory,ram, just go to google, search on this query u will get some results by http://www.andropark.com
How to install apps on sd card?plz help me
install link2SD in ur phone, it will definitly solve your problem. after instalation create link in this app and start movind applications, new app will b moved automaticaly
Hi sir,i came through ur review of micromax a89 . It has awesome features . But i have a doubt . Sir as it is ICS , i came to know tat we cant save apps in ext memory card. Is it true ?is there any solution? And also want 2 know about battery life . Is it ok about battery . Also the heating up at camera side . Plz help me wit this .
hello rakesh,
i want 2 tell u dat to move the apps to the ext memory card u have to dwnld a app named as ‘move to sd’ by installing dis app u can easily move ur apps frm int. storage to ext. memory card
EXACTLY SIR
I believe that you cannot install apps on ext. SD card. XDA developers have found a method wherein external sdcard can be swapped with the internal sd card i.e. the external SD card will work as internal sd card.
Follow the link for the procedure: “http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2187437″.
Warning: This will require you to root your device. Rooting voids warranty & in rare case bricks the device. I have rooted my device & successfully swapped 16 GB ext. sd with the int. sd using the XDA developers guidelines.
Right now i have MC3 & 4 installed on my device.
For rooting please follow the link: “http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2140357″
Warning: ROOT AT YOUR OWN RISK. I had faced some problem while rooting. After rooting, my device was continuously re-starting. I then entered the RECOVERY MODE & did FACTORY RESET. After that, the device became normal & root access was still there…
can we upgrade micromax a89 with jelly bean
No update till now may be you have to satisfy with the 4.0 os
Dear gogi..
Please tell me how to callibrate the accelerometer sensor of this phone as i am facing some problems with the sensor of my micromax a89.. Please help me out…
does micromax a89 has wifi hotspot and wifi direct feature?
Dont waste your money. u can donate ur money to some charity, its better than buying this 2nd hand android phone good luck.
I want to choose between mmx a89 and samsung y plus
it totally depends on you Micromax is a lot better in specs than galaxy y …. more processor more core more ram bigger screen …. better resolution and lot more …. BUT Samsung is a better company than mmx, so it all depends on you, if i were you my 1st option would have been mmx if there is a service center nearby…
Can you tell me which one is better buy between karbonn a9+ and micromax a89 in terms of gaming ant internet … plz
A9+ sucks karbonn quality is not at all good in bhopal you wont find any shop selling karbonn as there handsets have lots of issues and after service issues also
Mere A89 ki volume bhot kam hai
bro which one is better to buy,mmx a89 or xolo a700
hey please answer my questions
1)if i root my mmx a89 and install jellybean camera, will the photosphere work in it or is the photosphere working in mmx canvas 2.
2)Is mordern combat 4 compatible with mmx a89
thanks in advance
Hey which seems better nokia 500 s60 v3 or mmx a89? Comment on this page
Does it have flash player or not ,if it has no flash player then its a 2nd hand phone
Why not having a flash player would make this phone a second hand one?now most of the androids don’t need flash..even Htc one doesn’t support flash.so you are implying all of new released(including Samsung,Sony xperia and HTC) are 2nd hand?
Is there any way to move apps from internal memory to sd card,if there is@ then how ? Where can i get some apps that can be used as filemanager’? I am continiously facing weird problem, each every time i have to delet and again download apps,game because is only 503MB FOR APPS please help me…..
Hey guys i tried little bluetooth ftp android software its good for bluetooth hack and file transfer. Even this application can copy and move files, games from internal memory to sd card. Now i am happy with it.
awesome phn battery backup and camera should bv been better
first of all The Big News My Ninja A89 plays full HD i mean 1080p videos with ease for those who have any doubt regarding this phone its just perfect & par away from under 7k devises i m using it for two months i don’t have any single issue guys really a really good one from Mmx…..& gogi what’s ur opinion on 1080p playback???
fanoos kya aap bta sakte hai ki aapke a 89 mein 1080p video kaise chal pati hai, merea89 mein to keval 720p video hi chalti hai. 1080p lagging very much. Thanks in advance.
Deepak download MXplayer from Play.
I am using this phone from 3 weeks And i want to tell everyone that it is a superb phone . I am playing Real Football 12 which becomes 711 MB after installation without any lags at all . Battery is good too coz as far i know all the android phones have low battery backup . It can go easily for one day on moderate use . Display, touch is also very very good . It heats up a little but thats ok coz every smartphone does . And i have notice that the phone doesnt heat up also on heavy usages if battery is above 90%. I guess it is due to the processors programming . So what i do is i keep the battery above 90% nd keep it on charge dn do whatever i want to do . Dn it doesnt heat up much . And to all the newbies i advice that u have to know how to take care of ur android if u want it to perform well . If u want to know anything else dn ask me, i will try my best .
till these days i used nokia 2700, and never used touch screen phone when i see this phone its looks gud so i want to buy but i not understand what is root? and how to root on mmx a89?
Search on andro-park.org.
there is everything about rooting and ROMs
Threre is a custom ROM for our fav a89 and CWMR is also there
Can you tell me on continuous uses how much it will be the battery backup?
HAVE U ROOTED UR A89 FOR PLAYING REAL FOOTBALL? AS IT HAS ONLY 500MB SPACE FOR APPS.
Every is running smoothly on my mmx A 89 but heating problem is not a big issue for me,it heats up while downloading, playing games and charging. But the main problem is it does not run any live tv apps , even on my big bro handset samsung galaxy y s5360 does run nexgtv(live tv app) very smothly. Is there any solution then comment on this page.
Does the phone gets too much heated during normal usage say 20-30 min uses….
bro I think its because of your slow internet connection…nextgtv runs smooth on my a89 through wifi
how much battery back up u r getting?
this phone support temple run series game like oz,brave,2 nd prediater,frontline commando pls suggest yes or no
yes, it supports these games and even gangstar rio after u root the phone
i am planing to buy this phone but very much confused about its heating issue as per comments and battery life…..
for me if it gives battery backup for 4 hrs on continous uses nd 1 day on modirate uses it will be k..pls let what exactly its heating issue nd battery backup…
dnt think bro jst buy itcoz before buying mmx a89 i have same ques. nd confusions bt after buying dis fon my views r totally chnged as it is the best budget phone
Samsung phones also heat, so don’t worry about that, but I don’t know about the quality of these Micromax phones..
Yesss guys now u can record 720p video. just download cameraMX. Enjoyyy…
Gogi sir , I have the micromax a89 please please please help me how to move apps to internal storage to external storage . I used many apps but they could not work and your are my only option …
in my micromax a89 you tube videos are not playing what should i do for solve this problem any one can help me to solve this problem
You tube working grt in mine.
Please gogi suggest me which company’s earphone are good in this phone.. I tried Samsung’s and nokia earphones but the sound coming our ia not pleasant..
Try Nokia buds earphone cost 349/- only and set equilisers …. u will feel the difference…. I m using the same earphone in my Micromax A116 and getting awesome music…..
Use Samsung’s charger… I too got the same problem with micromax charger but didnt find any issue using Samsung’s charger..
hii gogi sir plzz Suugest any solution for heating problm in mmx a89…..phone heats up while charging n playing games…
Every thing stated is fake just a waste of money
yesterday I bought Micromax a89 and there’s a bug in it whenever I connect charger the menu touch button does not work properly it vibrates ruk ruk k what should I do to fix it it does not work smoothely
Mere pass bhi hai and same problm
Will it be able to run hardcore games like mc4, dark knight raises n other upcoming gameloft games.
Which one is better for gaming micromax a89 and lava xolo a500.
Micromax A89 is better for playing HD games. or else choose xolo a700.
Of course MMX a89. Man, it has same hardware as MMX a110. I’ve installed some HD games. For gaming review, Check out this-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoCvQ1QWCLE
And also
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pELyDwrYNlU
Hi Gogi,…. Please Tell me is micromax a89 upgradable to jelly bean? Waiting for reply.
This battery can’t withstand 4.1……better buy a karbonn A27 or Micromax a110 for jelly bean ……or try using samsung batteries……the touch screen heats up while doing so..or buy a portable usb charger it may cost around 1K SO BETTER A PHONE AROUND 6K+1K=7K…….;)
NO,it cannot be upgradable to jelly bean.
sir when I press the menu key its open very slowly and after 2 minutes its hang
plz help me sir
don’t install too much of apps.
Try factory reset…..
sir mmx ninja a89 me sir mobile heat hota hai aur battery 2 hours chalti hai to sir is problem ko solvr karne ke liye koi rasta hai pls reply me
when it gets heated ?
Try the battery saver aur brightness level ko kamm karro.
gogi sir, why cant i add new apn in access point names? please help me with this…
plzz make a depth review of micromax a89 plzzzz sir
sir is there heating problem in this phone? as many review i have been seen that they complaining about the heating issue and heat is unbearable.
just bought it 3 days ago
1 word – its Just awesome
pros – processor , size n all
cons – battery & camera , viewing angles [ not bad nor good, just Ok ]
my battery lasts for a full day on moderate usage , but its same on every android device
camera isnt much a issue to me
and to all – it plays all HD games
installed gta , nova , gangster
all working fine
—-
also to those who get heating issue n all other problems , go get it med checked at the store 😀
mine is working perfectly f9 without any lag heat watsoever
—
also root ur micromax a89 as soon u get it , n remove or freeze google n micromax bloatwares ,which are the main culprits that consume battery like a lil filthy whore
i will give it a 4.5* outta 5* totally satisfied , just close yer eyes n buy it , THE best in range .
yours a89 wifi works fine or not? bcoz in mine a89 wifi works only when i m in a 5-10 mtrs range of wifi router … out of this my wifi does not connect ….. is this a issue with my a89 or it is common in all micromax a89 phones?????
please reply me soon ……
🙂
u r ri8 bro..!!! its an awesome phone
Can you confirm that it whether it can run Shadow-gun or not cause i am playing it for almost 2 months now and i want to but this mmx a89…also what about nfs series?can you play them seamlessly without turning down the sound?
of course bro
new roms are being launched with v6 script n system optimization tweaks
this set already run nfs series , nba , fifa easily ,
and with upcoming tweaks u can crown this handset as King of the Kings under 6.5 k
also we will find a better battery alternate too …. sooonnnnnnn
Just to help you i read somewhere that s2 battery is same…good luck finding it. Also thank you for the feedback..
i need rooting guide for micromax a89.
Is it necessary to root after a month of buying this phone?
Hi, gogi,
Do we have gtalk in mmx a89 ??
just for a second
plz realize how much stupid ur question is …
download it from android market!
i bought a89 … its awesome but now i m facing a problem with wifi. it doesnt connect with my college wifi router . it only connects only when the phone is only 5-10 mtrs. away from router otherwise disconnects .
is it a89 problem? bcoz my friend’s karbonn a7 connects without any issue?
please help me sir….
please reply gogi sir its urgent…
. plz plz plz…
will micromax a89 will last for more than 2 years??
i will say YES
Please tell me about its heating problem and battery backup?
it will last for more than 2 years depends on your use’age..
Hello sir would you kindly inform me that which known games can be played in Micromax A89(e.g Temple run1,2 and Oz,real racing,Nfs series or gameloft games as i have owned s duos and played these)?And also would you help me choose between a85 or a64 or a89 as these each share some of important feature…my budget is 8000 (flexible) feel free to suggest.
Hi Subhankar,
I own this mobile. It handles the all games like temple run1,2 subway surfer, nfs mw, pes 12, tilt 3d, etc with no lag. I tested these games.
Why don’t u consider xolo a700.
gogi sir hav u noticed the 1st touch botton’s font ??its diffrent i hav seen at many websites…..maybe its upgraded..what u say??