Along with a few of its Indian-origin peers, Micromax had to shutter its smartphone business after the local market was practically taken over by Chinese players a few years back. Acting upon the increasing consumer interest in local substitutes for foreign products lately, Micromax has now decided to make a comeback with an all-new lineup and brand image. Under the new In sub-brand, Micromax has launched two new budget phones, the In 1b and Note 1, with a multi-year software support guarantee.

The In Note 1 is the bigger of the two and also gets a quirky rear design. It packs a tall FHD+ screen with a centered hole-punch camera, a Helio G85 processor from MediaTek, along with a quad-cam setup on the back. In comparison, the cheaper 1b comes with a slightly smaller HD+ display with a waterdrop notch and only two rear cameras. It’s worth noting that the 2GB RAM variant of the 1b ships with Android 10 Go Edition instead of the standard version due to its memory limitations.

Where this pair shines is the battery department, as both pack hefty 5,000mAh cells that can even charge other phones — although the Note 1 juices up a little faster at 18W versus 10W on the 1b. Micromax also promises a stock-like Android experience and major OS upgrades for two years for both handsets. As a "bonus," these two phones also get a dedicated Assistant button, the utility of which is often up for debate.

Both the Micromax In 1b and Note 1 will be up for grabs in the last week of November at a starting price of ₹6,999 (~$95) and ₹10,999 (~$150), respectively. You’ll have to pay a little extra for their upgraded variants with more RAM and storage. Both phones will retail online on Flipkart and micromaxinfo.com.