As announced, Micromax launched its first smartphone under the Yu brand today at an event in New Delhi and the device is dubbed Yureka. This smartphone based on Cyanogen OS will be exclusively available via online retailer Amazon India. Interestingly, Micromax has priced the Yureka smartphone at Rs 8,999 and the registrations for the device will commence from December 19. Here is a quick review on the hardware of the Yureka below:
Camera and Internal Storage
Micromax has used a 13 MP auto focus rear camera with Exmor sensor, f2.2 aperture, 5P lens and LED flash on the Yureka to make it capable of rendering impressive quality snaps and FHD 1080p videos. The smartphone also boasts of a 5 MP wide angle 4P lens front facer for video conferencing and snapping self portrait shots. The light intensity will be balanced by a blue filter that is available in the camera. These photography aspects make the smartphone a decent one for clicking quality photos in this price bracket.
Furthermore, there is support for panorama, burst mode and HDR and a slew of filters. Also, there are options for recording slow motion videos at 60 fps and YU is working on an update to enhance this frame rate to 120 fps.
Internal storage is decent at 16 GB and 12.5 GB of this is available for users to store apps and other content. If this storage space is not sufficient to store all the digital content, there is additional storage support up to 32 GB with the help of a micro SD card. Hence, we do not have any issue about the Micromax smartphone in this regard.
Processor and Battery
The Micromax Yureka is powered by an octa core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 chipset ticking at 1.5 GHz clock speed. This chipset supports 64 bit architecture and it uses two clusters of Cortex A53 quad core processors. Definitely, the smartphone will take advantage of the 64 bit computing including increased power efficiency, H.265 codec for better compression and more memory support. This chipset is aided by 2 GB of RAM and Adreno 405 graphics engine.
A 2,500 mAh battery is housed in the Micromax Yureka and it is claimed that the Cyanogen platform is optimized to enhance the battery performance by 25 percent. Hence, we believe that the smartphone will be able to last for long hours under moderate usage without much hassle.
Display and Features
Micromax has bestowed the smartphone with a 5.5 inch IPS LCD display with HD screen resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. The screen is pretty average for the pricing of the smartphone with a pixel density of 267 pixels per inch. The panel is protected using Gorilla Glass 3 coating and the IPS display will render wide viewing angles without much color shifting.
The Yureka is runs on Cyanogen 11 OS that is based on Android 4.4 KitKat and Micromax has assured to rollout the Android 5.0 Lollipop upgrade for the device in the country. It is claimed that this smartphone is the first one based on Cyanogen OS to arrive with Themes support and Nextbit Baton integration to save data and settings and sync them across different devices. Initially, there will be two themes and it will increase gradually. Users can encrypt the device, lock folders and choose the permissions that should be granted to various applications. Furthermore, there is a feature that lets users to block numbers as Spam easily.
Comparison
Micromax Yureka will be a tough challenger to the other snartphones such as Asus Zenfone 5, Moto G (Gen 2), OnePlus One, Redmi Note 4G and others.
Key Specs
| Model | Micromax Yureka |
| Display | 5.5 inch, HD |
| Processor | 1.5 GHz Octa Core Snapdragon 615 |
| RAM | 2 GB |
| Internal Storage | 16 GB, Expandable up to 32 GB |
| OS | Cyanogen based on Android 4.4 KitKat |
| Camera | 13 MP/ 5 MP |
| Battery | 2,500 mAh |
| Price | Rs 8,999 |
What we Like
- Support for 64 bit computing
- Customizable options
- Reasonable pricing
Price and Conclusion
The Micromax Yureka is a reasonably priced smartphone for the specifications it packs. The device can definitely lure the consumers who are looking for solid smartphones as it comes with a unique set of customizable options with Cyanogen OS, advanced camera set, battery saving features and support for 64 bit computing. Notably, the device does not compromise on anything to keep its pricing low as it features a wide angle front facing camera for wider selfies, capable battery and other aspects. This device will definitely open a new category of competition in the Indian smartphone market and make it a tough battle for its challengers.
