Category: Micromax

YU Yuphoria Features an All-Metal Design and Will be Made in India

Micromax spinoff YU Televentures was formed with the aim to bring exciting products through innovating and reinventing technology. Their motto #YUPlayGod suggested that we, the consumers were in charge of developing the kind of products we wanted. YU Yureka was the first smartphone from the Indian-bred smartphone manufacturing firm to gain recognition in the international market; it offered good specs at an affordable price. But along with gaining critical acclaim, the company faced criticism for bringing Chinese models rebranded as YU.

YU was quickly judged as a smartphone importer who simply rebrands phones rather than spending effort developing innovative devices. But the next smartphone from the home-grown company breaks all these notions.

At the ongoing launch, Co-Founder of YU Rahul Sharma announced that the next YU device Yuphoria will be an entirely made-in-India product. Unlike Yureka, YUphoria will be manufactured and assembled in the country itself. The company also claims that the design of the phone is not a copy, but has been designed from scratch. As per his statements, the first 1000 units will be made in China and rest of the manufacturing will take place in the homeland.

This announcement is in line with the ongoing ‘Make in India’ movement initiated by the Government of India. It was launched in 2014 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and encourages companies to manufacture goods in India itself. YU is not the only brand opting for this, in the recent past we’ve had several smartphone manufacturing companies heading in a similar direction.

The company has also announced that the phone features an all-metal body. YU is readily striving to make a mark in the smartphone segment and Yuphoria is likely to set a benchmark for the budget handsets. It is known to pack a 64-bit processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB in-built memory space and run on Cyanogen OS 12 based on Android Lollipop.

We will be bringing you the latest updates on the device, keep checking this space for more. You could also click here to watch the event live.

May 12, 2015
YU YUphoria: Here’s Everything We Know From Rumours to Teasers

YU’s next device is set to knock out several affordable handsets in the smartphone battleground. The release of the device is just one day to go, and it has already built excitement amongst the tech enthusiasts. From past few days, YU has been teasing its forthcoming product YUphoria and is pushing clues about various factors of the device. Meanwhile, rumour mills are also working continuously to disseminate possible facts about the phone. Compiling all those reports, lets see how does the new device might look like.

Starting with the innards of the device, YUphoria will boast a 64-bit processor with 2GB of RAM. As per the teaser pitting YUphoria against Xiaomi Redmi 2, the company confirmed of it featuring 16GB of onboard storage. The phone will run on Android version of Cyanogen OS 12.

It is anticipated to have a sturdy body, which will save the phone from accidental drops. The candid footage released a couple of days back speaks of its sturdiness. The company is also boasting the robust sound quality of the device. It is speculated to pack powerful speakers, unlike its previous offering.

Price

The handset, as we mentioned before, will not be as cheap as its predecessor. It will come for a higher price range than Yureka. The smartphone may launch for somewhere Rs. 13,999.

YUphoria is scheduled to launch on May 12, i.e. tomorrow. The final take from the homegrown firm will clear all the uncertainties, but we have to wait until tomorrow.

May 11, 2015
Alibaba Eyes Micromax For Investment And Entry Into India

Asia’s largest e-commerce name Alibaba is keen on entering the Indian market. With all the buzz around the online space, a new pro-investment Prime Minister and the booming Mobile phone market in India, Alibaba has found a secret route to enter.

Sources claim that Chinese search and e-comm giant Alibaba will invest heavily in Micromax, acquiring upto 20 % stake in the Indian bred company. A deal that would cost the company over $ 1.2 Billion, would allow the chinese giant easy access into the market which is tough to get into for new companies.

Alibaba has also been in the news recently for investing in brands like Ouya, Meizu and Snapchat. Micromax is one of the largest mobile phone manufacturer in the domestic market. With its constant damage to Samsung’s position in India, and the new brand “YU” taking on the likes of Xiaomi and OnePlus in the local markets, Micromax makes for a good investment option.

Micromax’s new brand YU is apparently set to launch a new product in India on the 12th of May to provide a more premium outlook, taking on flagship killers. The company was also recently in the news for the sad breakup of OnePlus and Cyanogen .

The investment, however, focuses on Micromax devices and their wide spread reach. Alibaba plans to deploy services like Alipay, the company’s new payment platform. Ant Financial Services Group, which owns Alipay, is China’s largest payment service provider and is controlled by Alibaba’s executive chairman and founder Jack Ma.

May 8, 2015
YU Founder Drops the Second Clue, Brags About Another Impressive Feature of YUphoria

Micromax YU is giving information bit-by-bit of its next big offering. Yesterday, the homegrown smartphone firm released footage showing the durability and sturdiness of the phone. And today, it has dropped another clue demonstrating its speaker quality.

The Founder of YU Rahul Sharma tweeted a video of the phone that will explain exactly what we are talking about:

Now that’s quite a hair raising experience! Here’s the 2nd clue guys. #YUphoria. Check it out: https://t.co/XUQ7hzcyfi

— Rahul Sharma (@rahulsharma) May 8, 2015

The forthcoming YU handset will definitely be a budget killer with Android Lollipop version of Cyanogen OS. The company has already disclosed that it houses a 64-bit processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB onboard memory.

Further information on pricing and availability will be known at the launch on May 12. Stay tuned for updates; more leaks will follow before the launch.

May 8, 2015
Micromax Yu Schedules a Yureka Clearance Sale Before YUphoria’s Arrival

Micromax’s Yu Yureka is back for its online sale again. Yu Televentures, a subsidiary of Micromax, announced that the smartphone will be available on Amazon India without any registrations, this Wednesday and Thursday. The company took to its social networking site, Twitter, to announce the flash-less sale. The tweet did not mention the amount of units available.

Not many days ago, Micromax took to Twitter to announce Yu Yureka’s successor, dubbed as YUphoria, which is expected to be the next big hitter from the company. Yu’s next flagship arrives on 12th of May. The open sale of the Yureka is a clear indiction that the company has begun prepping for its next blockbuster smartphone.

No registrations, no time limits. Yureka open sale on 6th and 7th May. Are you ready to Play God? pic.twitter.com/kYWCQK6pkV

— YU (@YUplaygod) May 2, 2015

The smartphone was traditionally sold in a series of Flash sales that required pre-registration. Exactly a month ago, 30,000 Yu Yureka handsets went out of stock in 7 seconds.

This proved to be quite tedious for potential buyers. This sale may prove to be an excellent opportunity for people who have not had success with the flash sales.

The Yu Yureka is a natural preference since it offers top-notch specifications at a budget price of Rs. 8,999. The 5.5-inch device runs on Android-based Cyanogen OS 11 and features 4G LTE connectivity. Along with a 64-bit 1.5GHz octa-core Snapdragon 615 SoC, 2GB RAM, and 2500mAh battery, Yu Yureka offers an impressive 13 MP rear camera.

Check out our review here:

May 4, 2015
Counterpoint : Samsung Stays Steady on Top in India; Micromax Faces a Steep Decline

According to the Q1 2015 reports by Counterpoint Technology Market Research, Samsung remained the the lead as India’s champion in terms of growth and market share. The company has recently faced absurd challenges, in Asia particularly, but its condition improved enough to win over the Indian market from Apple and Micromax.

Reports of the Q1 2015 showed Samsung India grew 2.1% over the last year. Samsung led the overall mobile phone market and the smartphone segment during the quarter with market shares of 18.2% and 27.8% respectively. This figure is still below the 33% growth from the previous year. But, with a sale of 82.4 million handsets within the first three months of the quarter, Samsung captured 24.5% of the market share.

According to the report, Samsung has used its distribution prowess to sell-in during the quarter as it executed aggressive smartphone launches during the quarter including the Tizen-based Z1.

One of the reasons why Samsung boomed is that the Korean company launched its flagship Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge at the end of the quarter in April.

Micromax ended their quarter with 15.3% market share that served as a decline on the yearly basis as well as on sequential basis. Although, it still managed to secure the second place, the report commented that Micromax’s new brand Yureka with the launch of its first Cyanogen powered LTE smartphone Yu started off well, but will need more models across different price brackets to match the scale of Xiaomi and Motorola.

May 1, 2015
Micromax YU Announces the Arrival Date of its Next Smartphone ‘YUphoria’

Yureka by Micromax subsidiary YU managed to create quite a hype. It was the first Indian-origin smartphone that could stand in the marketplace flooded with Chinese and Taiwanese electronics. Now, YU is again geared to triumph over the smartphone market with the release of its next device YUphoria.

A while back, YU took to Twitter to announce the launch date of YUphoria which speaks of the device coming on 12th of this month. The tweet reads:

The moment of YUphoria is coming. Have you blocked your calender? pic.twitter.com/1ypEzM2lEb

— YU (@YUplaygod) May 1, 2015

The handset is expected to be another blockbuster by the company, with better specifications than Xiaomi Redmi 2. To sum up the information we know about YUphoria till now – it will boast the Android Lollipop version of Cyanogen OS, making use of the company’s exclusive partnership with Cyanogen. A 64-bit processor with 2GB of RAM and 16GB onboard memory will be equipped to the handset. Other details have been kept under wraps.This was also the company’s first phone to get a crowd-sourcing name.

Further information on pricing and availability will be known at the launch event itself. Keep checking back for updates.

May 1, 2015
Micromax Enters the Personal Computing Space with ‘Canvas LapTab’, a Laptop-Tablet Hybrid

Today, the homegrown handset maker Micromax debuted into personal computing arena with the launch of a tablet/laptop. It is the third segment where the company plans to gain a foothold, after smartphones and televisions. Dubbed as Canvas LapTab, the tablet transforms into a laptop when attached to a portable keyboard. The portable gadget is available at an easy price of Rs. 14,999.

The Co-Founder of Micromax Vikas Jain stated at the launch event –

We will launch five to six laptab models by March next year, which will more than 10-inches in screen size. We will move into pure laptops and pure personal computers overtime. We are thinking of manufacturing it in India.

The device is different from the one unveiled at CES 2015 and runs on Windows 8.1 OS. The compact machine has been targeted at students, travellers, and enterprises.

Coming to the specifications of the device, the Canvas LapTab features a 10.1-inch WXGA IPS touch screen. The processor powering the device is a 1.83GHz Intel Atom Z3735F, which comes bundled with 2GB of RAM. The memory storage details are still unknown. As mentioned above, the tablet runs on Windows 8.1 as of now, and can be upgraded to Windows 10 once its released.

Optics includes a 2MP front and rear shooter. The LapTab has a mammoth battery of 7,700mAh, which can keep it going for 10 hours, the company claims. It comes with a 3G SIM slot for mobile data connectivity.

The Canvas LapTab will be available on May 6 with the company’s online partner Amazon India. The product may be available through offline channels at a later stage.

April 30, 2015
Micromax Launches a Surprise Device on April 30

Indian tech company, Micromax, is all set to enter an entirely new product category on April 30^th. Micromax established a firm foothold in the smartphone market with the release of the Yu Yureka, and moved forward to release its smart television.

The teaser by Micromax reads as ‘The Next Smart Thing is Coming.’ The question mark shown next to the television may suggest the company is working on something very different than what it usually offers. The invite drops the hint that the gadget is being brought in collaboration with Intel.

The next smart thing is coming soon! pic.twitter.com/czuFFP6cPH

— Micromax Mobile (@Micromax_Mobile) April 26, 2015

What’s interesting to note is that days after Micromax’s event, Xiaomi’s Mi fitness band goes on sale on 5th May. It might be possible that Micromax would release their version of a fitness band few days before Xiaomi’s launch. The surprise device could also be as simple as a Chromecast-like streaming dongle, or a dangerous bet like the HTC Vive virtual reality headset.

Meanwhile, there are several rumours going around. Some claim that Micromax is planning to release a hybrid laptop. Since the speculations are many, it would be better to sit back tight and wait for the 30th. Just a day to go now.

April 29, 2015

Micromax Launches Canvas Spark With Android Lollipop and 8MP Rear Camera, Priced at Rs. 4,999

In a series of tweets, few days back, Micromax disclosed that it was all set to release its newest affordable smartphone, the Canvas Spark in India. Today, the company has finally launched the handset at a price of Rs. 4,999. The low-end 3G smartphone will be available exclusively on Snapdeal via flash sale.

Measuring a thickness of 8.5mm and weighing 134g, Micromax Canvas Spark features a 4.7-inch qHD IPS display. The screen has a protection of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top. Inside, the handset is equipped with a 1.3 GHz Quad-Core MediaTek MT6582M processor, coupled along a 1GB DDR3 RAM. Memory stats consists of 8GB of internal memory, with 32GB of expandable memory via microSD card.

Fitted on its back is an 8MP primary camera with LED flash, while the front-facing camera is a 2MP snapper. It runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop and comes with support for 21 languages. A 2000mAh battery provides power to the handset.

As stated by the company, the Canvas Spark is the fourth among the new 3G smartphone launched after the S300, D320 and Q324. For booking the device, customers can register on the official Micromax website starting from 12:00 pm on 22nd April.

Check out the spec sheet below for overall details:

Specification	Micromax Canvas Spark
Display	4.7-inch qHD IPS with Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Processor	1.3GHz Quad-Core MediaTek MT6582M
RAM	1GB
Primary Camera	8MP
Front Camera	2MP
Internal Memory	8GB
Expandable Up to	32GB
Battery	2000mAh
Operating System	Android 5.0 Lollipop
Price	Rs 4,999

April 21, 2015

Cyanogen Announces Official Cyanogen OS 12 Update for Yureka Devices

Cyanogen has started pushing its exclusive Cyanogen OS 12 update based on Android Lollipop to Yureka devices. The India-based smartphone firm revealed that the L update is a major design overhaul. Along with better touch and design of the UI, enhanced animation is said to add more depth to the interface. The update lets users personalize application notifications, which are now better integrated with the lock screen.

Cyanogen took to Twitter to announce the same –

Our Lollipop (‘L’) update is rolling out to YUREKA owners today. Treat yourself to OS 12. @YuPlayGod #CyanogenOS http://t.co/vVnnSo0ppW

— Cyanogen (@cyngn) April 16, 2015

The YU Founder Rahul Sharma commented on the update –

The Cyanogen OS 12 update is a product of our passion and dedication towards reinventing and redefining the consumer experience and I am extremely excited to share it with our community.

Many new tools and design options are incorporated in the L update along with two key features, App Themer and Cyanogen email. The App Themer offers extra theming features, down to the granular ability to theme individual apps. The novel Cyanogen email, powered by Boxer, adds Exchange support, multiple account integration, and canned responses for quick replies to the OS. The statement released by YU remarks, “Boxer has also included great customization bells and whistles that lets the consumers select a different LED color for email notifications, and choose what happens when they swipe left or right on a message.” Boxer’s premium version is free to all Cyanogen OS users.

Other features of the L update include improved privacy on the smartphone; users can create guest profiles to effectively control the usage of their device and can also freeze app screens for restricted user actions. The update supports Indian languages like Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil and Telugu.

April 17, 2015
Micromax YU Announces the Name of its Next Smartphone

Since YU threw the decision ball to name its next device in the consumers’ court, the company generated a lot of fanfare across social media platforms. Over 1,00,000 entries made it to the first crowd-sourcing campaign #YUNameIt and out of those, one entry has been chosen as the moniker of the second YU smartphone. Recognized till date as Project Caesar, the phone will now be known as “Yuphoria”.

According to YU, “Yuphoria represents zeal, enthusiasm and passion which reflects what YU is committed to bringing to the consumers through innovating and reinventing technology.”

From more than 1,00,000 entries, the five submissions that reached the voting stage were Yuphoria, Yuknight, Yunicorn, Yunity, and Youth. Consumers’ votes favoured Yuphoria, which was then chosen as the identity for Project Caesar. As promised, five randomly selected lucky winners from the entries for Yuphoria will win the next YU smartphone. The company claims that participants have also won Amazon Gift Cards worth Rs. 1 lakh.

Recalling the scarce details we’ve heard about the device, Yuphoria will be equipped with a 64-bit processor along with 2GB of RAM and 16GB internal storage support. The handset will boast Cyanogen OS 12 based on Android Lollipop. The upcoming handset is also expected to cost higher than the first phone.

Micromax-owned subsidiary YU hasn’t disclosed the release date of its next device. Precise details will be made available at its launch. Keep checking back for more updates on Yu Yuphoria.

April 9, 2015
Yu Yureka Successor Might Not be as Affordable as the First Phone

Earlier we confirmed that Micromax Yu’s next smartphone, codenamed Project Caesar, will launch in April. Now, we’ve uncovered an important pricing detail about the Yureka successor. We have learnt that the next Yu device might not be as cheap as Yureka and will most likely cost higher than Yu’s present offering. This may be an unfortunate news for many, as Yu’s aggressive price point was considered a major reason for its success.

It is still unknown if the upcoming handset will see a slight price bump or will come with a hefty price tag, but one will need to pay extra bucks to own the currently-untitled ‘Yu 2’.

Meanwhile, recent disclosures reveal ‘Project Caesar’ will boast the Android Lollipop version of Cyanogen OS, making use of its exclusive partnership with Cyanogen. The company has made official some standard features that would be equipped onto the next device such as a 64-bit processor, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB onboard memory. Recently, the firm also announced the first ever crowdsourcing campaign #YUNameIt where users were invited to name their device.

The first Yu smartphone has managed to gather a large fan base among the customers. On the March 5 flash sale, 30,000 Yureka units swiped off in just 7 seconds. If the India-based smartphone maker continues to offer high specs at attractive rates, the company could have the chance to beat international companies in its homeground.

April 8, 2015
Micromax YU Invites its Followers to Help Them Name Their Next Device

We’ve known for a while that Micromax YU’s upcoming smartphone is in the pipeline. However very scarce details are known about the much-awaited device, which till date has been called ‘Project Caesar’. Now YU wants to give it a fixed name, and one which has been decided by its fans and followers.

The Indian smartphone brand announced the first ever crowdsourcing, where its devotees can suggest the company a name of the forthcoming Cyanogen-powered smartphone. The firm has announced a contest where the winner’s decided name will be the moniker of the next YU handset.

Interested users can submit their entries at all the social platforms of YUPLAYGOD with a caption ‘#YUNameIt’. The submissions should be made on or before April 2. Once the entries are closed, top 5 participants will make it to the voting stage, which will be held on March 3 and 4. The one with highest number of votes will be the chosen name for Project Caesar.

Not only this, YU will reward 5 randomly picked contributions with the next YU device. An additional number of them with receive Amazon Gift Cards worth Rs. 1 lakh.

Customers can submit their entries using the following links:

Click here or here to play.

April 1, 2015
Yu Teases Specifications of Project Caesar, Pits it Against Xiaomi Redmi 2

As the clock is ticking for the arrival time of Yu’s next smartphone ‘Project Caesar’, the Micromax subsidiary has released a promotional campaign to sustain the excitement of its potential customers. Yu is now teasing the forthcoming handset with a poster that gives away a few details about upcoming smartphone.

Looking at this image from Yu, one can make out that Project Caesar will be equipped with a 64-bit processor along with 2GB of RAM. Also, the on-board storage space on the device will be 16GB, as mentioned in the poster.

You will also notice that Yu has taken a dig at Xiaomi with the teaser. The home-grown company ridicules the specifications of the recently launched Redmi 2 and mocks Xiaomi with the caption “Read Mi Lips… The Future is Yu.”

Few days back, YU poked fun at Xiaomi with another poster that ridiculed Redmi phones for still running on KitKat OS. The company confirmed that its forthcoming device will feature Cyanogen OS 12 based on Android Lollipop.

Yu is slowly disseminating information about Project Caesar, but there’s still a lot to be known. The phone is confirmed to be launched in the month of April this year. Keep checking this space for more updates on Yu’s latest device.

March 25, 2015