Indian electronics firm Micromax has just released a new phone packed with a powerful battery that allows it to power up another phone or tablet on the go.

The features of the X352 are modest by current smartphone standards, but its real power literally lies within: a 3000 mAh battery.

Like Us on Facebook

Micromax has cleverly positioned the X352 in the market as a backup power source or reverse charger for your primary phone when it suddenly dies out on you before you can hit the wall socket at home or at work. Thus the slogan "Share the power".

But the Micromax X352 is not likely to impress those who have been exposed to sleeker, more advanced smartphones.

It has a mere 2.8-inch screen with a 320 x 240 pixel resolution and 64k colors like the cellphones of yore.

The .3 megapixel rear VGA camera and 156k internal memory of the X352, though expandable to 8 gigabytes, are no longer things to rave about nowadays either.

However, this 'feature' phone, which sells at US$36, has made up for its comparatively lesser features by including a built-in answering machine, a torch light, and a 3000 mAh battery that Micromax says makes the X352 a "power bank".

Initial reviews of the X352 say there are smartphones around that sport a more heavy-duty 5000 mAh battery but the internal components of these phones have failed to make efficient use of all that power.

Consumers who were scouting for a cheap secondary phone lauded the X352 saying it will come in handy during calamities and other emergency situations.

A sleeker smartphone whose features tend to drain its battery fast would be useless during prolonged power outages, according to these practical users.

This, they say, is where the Micromax X352 comes in as a winner, for serving its primary purpose as a basic phone, while acting as a reverse-charger on the side.

TagsMicromax X352, Cellphone battery