Tag: Micromax

Spec Battle: YU Yuphoria vs The Rest of the Budget Blockbusters

Yesterday, Micromax YU showed off its latest smartphone in India; the YU Yuphoria is another amazing product by the company. With the latest smartphone, YU is certain to cement its status in the smartphone domain.

Yuphoria features a decent display of 5-inches with Gorilla Glass 3 protection. As revealed earlier by the firm, it packs a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 410 with Adreno A306 GPU. The RAM stands at 2GB with internal storage space at 16GB. The best part is that all these specifications are available at an inexpensive price tag of Rs. 6,999.

Let’s check out if Yuphoria takes a dig at other contenders in the budget category:

Specs	YU YUphoria	Lenovo A6000 Plus	Xiaomi Redmi 2	Asus ZenFone 5	Moto E (Gen 2)
Display	5-inch IPS, Gorilla Glass 3	5-inch IPS	4.7-inch IPS LCD, Gorilla Glass 2	5-inch IPS, Gorilla Glass 3	4.5-inch IPS LCD, Gorilla Glass 3
Resolution	1280×720 pixels	720×1280 pixels	720×1280 pixels	720×1280 pixels	540×960 pixels
Processor	64-bit 1.2GHz Quad-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410, Adreno 306	1.2 GHz Quad-Core Snapdragon 410, Adreno 306 GPU	1.2 GHz Quad-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410, Adreno 306 GPU	1.6 GHz Dual-Core Intel Atom Z2560	1.2GHz Quad-core Snapdragon 410
RAM	2GB	2GB	1GB	2GB	1GB
Memory	16GB	16GB	8GB	8GB	8GB
Expandable up to	64GB	32GB	32GB	64GB	32GB
Rear Camera	8MP	8MP	8MP	8MP	5MP
Front Camera	5MP	2MP	2MP	2MP	VGA
Battery	2,230mAh	2,300mAh	2,200mAh	2,110mAh	2,390mAh
Operating System	Cyanogen 12 OS (based on Android 5.0)	Android 4.4 KitKat	Android 4.4 KitKat	Android 4.3 Jelly Bean	Android 5.0 Lollipop
Connectivity	LTE	LTE, Data only	LTE	3G	LTE
Price	Rs. 6,999	Rs. 7,499	Rs. 6,999	Rs. 9,999	Rs. 7,999

As you can see the table above, Yuphoria’s specs are giving a tough time to the best smartphones in the budget segment. It touts a Gorilla Glass 3 protection, which even the Rs. 7,499 Lenovo A6000 Plus doesn’t have. It has LTE connectivity and runs on the latest Cyanogen 12 OS based on Android 5.0 Lollipop. What isn’t mentioned above, is that the smartphone also flaunts a metal frame, which is rarely seen on smartphones in this category.

Yuphoria clearly stands out of the pack, but we will only give our final verdict on its performance after an in-depth review. Stay tuned for that, till then watch our unboxing and hands on with the YU Yuphoria.

May 13, 2015

Yu’s First Fitness Band Can Calculate The Calories In Your Food

At the launch event taking place in Delhi, Micromax Yu has launched the highly anticipated successor of the Yureka, the Yu Yuphoria. But the Cyanogen 12-based phone is not the only product getting launched today.

YuFit Band

Yes, Yu has ventured into an entirely new product category with the launch of its fitness band, named as the YuFit Band, along with an accompanying app. This device works as a standard step tracker, a sleep tracker and for locating your phone. The fitness band comes along with an accompanying app called HealthifyMe. This app calculates the calories of any food material you click along with suggesting a healthier alternative. On the fitness front, it gives access to group coaching, social fitness, motivation and more.

HealthYU cassette

The Fitness band costs a mere Rs. 999. The company also offered a free personal trainer for the first 1000 YuFit users. Along with the fitness band, YU also revealed another device known as the HealthYU cassette. This device measures body vitals such as ECG, skin temperature, blood oxygen saturation, heart rate and respiration rate and is is priced at Rs. 4,999. This small device can fit into your pocket and has two suction cups that help in attaching the device to a smartphone’s back cover. The device then pairs with an app working on the phone with Bluetooth, and once the pairing is complete, you can keep four fingers on the four sensors on the HealthYu to start tracking the body vitals.

May 12, 2015
OnePlus Resolves Issue with Cyanogen, Indian One Users to Continue Receiving OTA Updates

The brawl between OnePlus and Micromax wouldn’t be easily forgotten by any tech follower. Cyanogen entered a deal with India-based company Micromax for exclusive rights on its open-source operating system. Micromax then dragged OnePlus to the courtroom for using its proprietary Cyanogen OS, but nothing was finalized till date. Today, the tussle between the two tech majors has ended and that too on a happy note.

The OnePlus India team has officially declared that there is no difference between them and Cyanogen now, and the software maker will carry on its association with OnePlus. It’s time for celebration for the Indian One users, who were deprived of the OTA updates from Cyanogen.

Sunday’s are always good ! #updates #igyaan #software #onePlus #cm12

A photo posted by iGyaan Network (@igyaan) on May 3, 2015 at 12:37am PDT

The OnePlus India Head Vikas Agarwal spoke in light of the legal settlement –

OnePlus remains vindicated of the recent trials and tribulations that has surrounded the company due to legal tussle with Micromax over exclusivity on CyanogenOS. We are happy to confirm that all ‘OnePlus One’ users in India will continue to receive OTA updates from Cyanogen in-line with our users in markets around of the world.

Vikas revealed that all legal proceedings have been resolved and the cases have been withdrawn through mutual consent. Cyanogen OS will send regular updates to all OnePlus One devices globally. OnePlus got embroiled in a legal case with Cyanogen on its handsets. The Delhi High Court banned the smartphone for some time, but it was suspended soon after. OnePlus was asked to come up with an alternate OS as soon as possible.

A couple of days back, Cyanogen itself came out to announce break up with OnePlus, but things have come back on track. Since there is no dispute on the usage of Cyanogen OS on OnePlus devices, there is a high possibility of the operating system arriving on the upcoming OnePlus handset, OnePlus Two.

May 8, 2015
CyberMedia Research Confirms, Samsung Leads the Indian Mobile Smartphone Race

Once again, Samsung has become the top smartphone manufacturer, beating Micromax in its home ground. The Korean electronics firm has retained its position with an increase in market share from the last quarter. This shuffling is due of change in duty structure and restricted supply of mobile devices from Chinese brands like Xiaomi, OnePlus due to Chinese New Year festivities.

According to CyberMedia Research, Samsung’s share increased from 23.7% in fourth-quarter 2014 to 27.9% in Q1 2015 (January to March). The firm also saw a boast in market share in feature phone during this quarter that was lower in the previous one. The major factor to contribute to its growth in India is the availability of various models in different segments. Samsung has variety of smartphones from entry-level to high-range that led to its success this year.

Micromax remained at the second spot with a decline in market share in the smartphone segment. The India-based equipment firm registered a decline in share from 17.8% in the previous quarter to 16.2% in the first quarter of 2015. Microsoft rolled to the third spot with 9.6% share in overall mobile handsets.

Lead Analyst, Telecoms Research at CMR, Faisal Kawoosa commented, “With major announcements of new handsets and entry of some new brands happening in a big way in 4Q CY 2014, there wasn’t really something very exciting in the market for customers that could push up sales in 1Q CY 2015. At the same time, change in duty structure and the consequent impact on the supply chain due to the Chinese New Year festivities contributed to the market contraction.”

This quarter has seen contracted overall shipment from the Q4 2014. The mobile handset sale in the country declined by 15% to 53 million mobile handsets, out of which 37% were smartphones i.e. 19.5 million and 18% were feature phones.

May 6, 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

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
Android 5.1 Update Arrives for Micromax Canvas A1 Users in India

It’s not been long since Google updated its proprietary operating system and brought before the world 5.1 version of Android Lollipop. The upgrade is hitting many devices and the latest device to receive Android 5.1 Lollipop is the Micromax Canvas A1. The Indian electronics firm is skipping the 5.0 version and is straight providing the improved version of Android Lollipop with bug fixes and new features.

The new version is coming with a build number LMY471 and it will occupy 409.8MB space on your device. The update comes with stock Android features like device protection, HD Voice calling, redesigned Quick settings menu and more. Canvas A1 users can check the update by following these steps: Settings > About Phone > System Updates > Check now.

The upgrade was first released by the company for its own Android One devices in Indonesia and other countries are gradually receiving the advanced version. Meanwhile, Nexus 6 has also started receiving the update along with Nexus 4, 5,7 and 10.

March 13, 2015
30,000 YU Yureka Units Go Out of Stock in 7 Seconds

Micromax subsidiary YU held the eighth flash sale today on Amazon India. Even after months of its launch, it has received an amazing response from the users. The flash sale kicked off today at 2 pm and the flagship killer went out of stock in mere 7 seconds.

Amazon India took to Twitter to confirm the same –

Thank you for your response. #Yureka was sold out in 7 seconds today. #YurekaSale pic.twitter.com/uzvxjve9TC

— YU (@YUplaygod) March 5, 2015

The YU Yureka is an easy favourite since it offers superior specifications at a budget price of Rs. 8,999. The 5.5-inch device runs on Android-based Cyanogen OS 11 and features Cat. 4 4G LTE connectivity. With 64-bit 1.5GHz octa-core Snapdragon 615 SoC, 2GB RAM, and 2500mAh battery, YU Yureka offers a massive rear camera of 13MP.

Meanwhile, the Indian electronics brand has announced the successor of its first smartphone. Codenamed “Project Caesar“, the phone will come with the Android Lollipop version of Cyanogen OS.

March 5, 2015
Amazon Launches ‘Golden Ticket’ Sale of Yu Yureka

A good news for the Yu Yureka fans. Amazon India has announced the access to a ‘Golden Ticket Sale’ for select customers who have shown a high levels of interest to buy the Yureka handset but are still unable to avail the phone due to its limited supply.

The ‘Golden Ticket Sale’ will be held on 18^th February, Wednesday, between 2pm-5pm. For this sale, only registered customers who were unable to buy the handset will be eligible to participate and receive a confirmation on email by Amazon

According to the company, the last sale of Yu Yureka witnessed a sale of 25,000 units, all sold out within 4 seconds. The fourth flash sale saw 15,000 units sold off within the same time span. The third sale saw 10,000 phones sold off within 3 seconds.

The sixth Yureka weekly flash sale will go live as planned on February 19th, Thursday, on Amazon from 2 pm onwards for all registered customers for this sale. For a quick recap, the smartphone sports a 5.5 inch HD IPS display, and is powered by a Snapdragon 615 Octa-Core processor, paired along with 2 GB of RAM. It is priced at Rs. 8,999. So if you are one of the few lucky ones to have been selected by YU, this is your chance to get a hold of this awesome device.

February 18, 2015
Samsung Hits Back at Canalys Report, Says it is Still on Top

Today began with a news that could have been the cause of jubilation at Micromax’s office but would bring gloom to Samsung’s. Research firm Canalys had reported that Samsung was pushed off from the top spot by Micromax in the fourth quarter of 2014. But Samsung has now hit back at the report quoting data from market research organisation Gfk group.

Samsung has said that according to the Gfk data, its volume market share in the October-December 2014 quarter was 34.3% whereas the value market share was 35.8%.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Asim Warsi” author_title=”Vice President, Marketing, Mobile business, Samsung India Electronics Pvt. Ltd.”]

In the entire year 2014, we continued to lead the market with innovative and exciting offerings. Our volume market share in the smartphone market in the year was 35.7%, which is more than double than that of the next player, while our value share was 40.2%, which is more than four times the next player. The GfK data is based on actual retail sales in 50,000-plus population cities.

[/quote]

But all of this doesn’t depart from the fact that the company has been losing ground to brands that are offering a lot more features to the consumers. Samsung has to find a silver bullet to return back to the prominent spot it used to at during the start of the smartphone race.

February 4, 2015