Micromax subsidiary Yu Televentures will launch their next flagship the YU YUnicorn on the 19th of this month according to the official invite the company just sent out.
The phone is expected to be the YU 5330 and may not run Cyanogen due to the recent launch of Lenovo Zuk Z1, which is the current exclusive for India.
According to rumours the phone is expected to have a metal body and run on the Helio P10 chipset just like the Meizu M3 Note launched today. The Yunicorn is also expected to have 4 GB of RAM and a Full HD display of a possible 5.5 inch screen size.
YU Televentures and Cyanogen seem to be going through a breakup it seems, as Lenovo is shouting that ZUK smartphones with Cyanogen are India bound. The 2014 YU and Cyanogen exclusive partnership left OnePlus in dirty muddy waters struggling to launch the OnePlus One in the region.
This could also mean that the company’s next handset seen running Android 5.1 may or may not come with Cyanogen. Lenovo is working on its online brand ZUK for a while and will be launching in India soon.
The ZUK Z1 running Cyanogen 12.1 based on Android 5.1 Lollipop and comes with 64 GB of storage for a price of Rs. 18500 approximately in China. However it is expected to hit the Indian market for roughly Rs. 19,999.
The Yu Yutopia as a handset from the company YU was much awaited, and there is an excellent reason for that. The company tried to create a lot of hype for the product, and everyone had high expectations from the Yutopia.
Does the Yu Yutopia live up to expectations, or does it end up being an expensive handset with too much hype. Let’s find out.
Build Quality and Design
The YU Yutopia is not the prettiest handset out there. In fact out of all the possible purchases that you can make in this price bracket, the YU Yutopia is the least inviting as far as design is concerned.
The design is based on the basic design of their Yuphoria/Yunique handset which is a big let down from an aesthetics point of view. It does have a lot of rounded edges that from an in-hands perspective are really comfortable.
Build Quality otherwise is great, aircraft grade aluminium, which means we get strength while keeping the overall weight of the Yutopia low at 155 grams. The 7.2 mm thickness is also appealing from a build point of view. The phone is pretty slim yet robust and lightweight. The front glass is now a CORNING CONCORE GLASS that is pre-fused with the display made by Sharp, and the capability of Concore is considered the same as Gorilla Glass 3.
The YU Yutopia will handle drops and dings with ease since the phone is metal, it will get dents and may get scratched too, but will not break or shatter easily.
With no removable back, Yu managed to stuff the cards in a ridiculously sized card tray. This tray is inconvenient and impractical, over time you swap memory cards your network SIM card comes out as well.
Hardware
The specs of the Yutopia are the strongest point for the device. The Yutopia beats all in the segment with hardware on paper; you have an SD810 chipset packed in with a 2K QHD display, alongside an amazing 21 MP camera. 32 GIGS of onboard storage and massive 4 GB of RAM.
Specification
YU Yutopia
Display
5.2 -inch Sharp WQHD IPS display, 2K
Resolution
2560×1440 pixels, 567 Ppi
Chipset
64 bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 810
CPU
2.0 GHz Octa-core
GPU
Adreno 430
RAM
4 GB
Front Camera
8 MP FF
Rear Camera
21MP AF camera, 4K video recording
Storage
32 GB
Expandability
Using Micro SD card 128 GB
Battery
3,000 mAh battery with 2.0 Quick Charge
Operating System
Android Lollipop 5.1 with Cyanogen OS 12.1
Price
Rs. 24,999
Performance and Gaming
Whatever the specs on paper, Yu may have underclocked the chipset and the hardware quite a lot. Performance is mediocre, to say the least, and benchmarks tend to underwhelming results. Running Cyanogen helps the YUtopia get past day to day activities with ease and the 4GB of RAM is more than ample for the daily process.
However tests and benchmarks speak a different language, and in their language, the Yutopia performs just about average.
Gaming is pretty good, but when compared to devices with a full HD display seems to be a little laggy. The 2k display seems to be causing the slowdown of the processing power, letting the phone get its primary workload performance only at average quality.
YU has kept its temperatures down despite using an SD 810 chipset that only goes to show that an OS feature governs the chipset, hence causing a slowdown in performance.
The great thing about the YU Yutopia running Cyanogen, however, is the fact that once can quickly install a speed governor and overclock the handset. Rooting is fairly easy and is done by a single third party app.
Camera and Multimedia
The 21 MP camera with a Sony sensor is the big highlight of the YUtopia, with images coming out crisp and full of juicy megapixels, no one will complain. The camera is quick to boot and click and focuses easily too.
The app is a simply the Cyanogen camera app with the usual features, including filters and slow mo video. The more you play with it, the more pictures you will click. Close up shots are not that crisp, and the camera does not focus up close.
4k / UHD content will playback easily on the handset. However, it will be downscaled to fit the screen resolution. The speaker is loud and will make you happy with the outcome. Overall the Yutopia serves well as a multimedia and entertainment device, letting down on gameplay graphics and overall performance. Video playback and audio is great.
Phone, Networks and Battery
The network runs smooth and supports all the main Indian bands including those for LTE. 4G was tested on Airtel in New Delhi, and speeds of up to 50Mbps were achieved. With the situation of networks in the country fairly weak, it ‘s hard to point to either the network provider or the manufacturer for network issues. The Yutopia managed to get the same amount of Signal -DB when compared to popular products from the likes of Motorola, Samsung and even on the iPhone.
The lack of separate trays makes the swapping of SIM cards, or memory cards a tedious process, and hopefully, Yu will not repeat the mistake again.
Battery life is better than expected, with the processor governed and the heat under control, the battery life is much better in this case, but since the reports are erratic, it is unclear as to how many people will have a consistent experience.
Talk Time: 6 hours
Internet Browsing: 6-8 hours
Gaming: 4 Hours
Video: 5- 6 Hours
Cyanogen and Other Features
The YU Yutopia features excellent hardware on paper and great software too. A lot of people like Cyanogen, and it works well for YU. The remanufactured build of Android works great and for the tweak hurry nerd is a playground in paradise. There are some issues, and they would warrant the use of stock Android to Cyanogen.
Cyanogen was one of the quickest to jump to the latest version of Android. That is no longer the case, with more than half a year gone by, Cyanogen still rocks 5.1.1 hence YUtopia does the same. While a marshmallow build is, supposedly, “around the corner” the high wait time is no longer fun. Cyanogen has a significant and large support community of which YU users enjoy the spoils.
The UI is fast and responsive, highly customizable and intuitive to the needs of the user. Allowing users to skin various elements of the OS. You can also add and remove tweaks to enhance the OS.
The fingerprint scanner has received many complaints, and it requires the same finger to be scanned from various angles many times to get the issue resolved. It does work but misses the unlock target at times, frustrating the user.
Conclusion
While YU is looking at a lot of firsts with the YUtopia, the phone may not be “all that”. It has fantastic specs, and an excellent build quality, a great OS experience, and a good camera. However, it is priced higher than one would want to spend for a category two phone. Hardware wise the price matches, things like the camera and the display itself warrant the price.
Performance is on the low side, and honestly, the phone is excellent on paper but is not a good looking phone in the hand. While looks may be perceived differently by each user, the general look of the phone is bland, and the design refuses to find a balance between a rough exterior look and a polished premium look.
There are many smartphone options, in the price bracket, that offer an excellent package, but none that give everything that is available in this phone. For the pure hardware enthusiast, this is a gem of a phone. For those looking to flaunt may have to look elsewhere, as the YUtopia is an underdog when it comes to looks.
As far as the price is concerned, the company is expected to launch a slightly cheaper variant of the YUtopia around the 16-17 thousand rupee mark to compete with the likes of the One Plus X, later this year.
The included Marley earphones are a great addon, but are very generic earphones, which sound just “ok”. Price could have been lowered by simply including cheap earphones, or no earphones at all.
Micromax is certainly speaking out loud about its upcoming Yu Yutopia. CEO Rahul Sharma said that it would be the “most powerful phone on the planet”, however, the Indian smartphone makers have gone even further with its new teaser on Facebook that read- “Calling a 1080p Display a 2016 Flagship killer? #WhySettle #YUTOPIA.”
The new teaser is an obvious dig at the “2016 flagship killer” OnePlus 2, however, apart from that they’ve also confirmed that the Yutopia will come with a Quad HD display. The Facebook teaser also includes a blurred image of the OnePlus 2 with the words “Never Settle For 1080p” on it.
Therefore, with this teaser and the previous one, we now know that Yu’s next premium smartphone will sport a metal build, as compared to its usual plastic build and a Quad HD display for the first time.
However, speculations about the upcoming Yutopia’s specifications include a 5.2 display, 64 bit class Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 backed by a 4GB RAM, Cyanogen 32GB memory with expandability and a rumoured 21MP primary camera with an 8MP front camera.
The company has not confirmed any of the rumoured specs so until then, let’s just hope all the mud-slinging pays off.
Yu launched the Yu Yureka Plus last month with a minor change in specs and pricing. Termed by our review as the “phone that the Yu Yureka should’ve been in the first place,” it received a fair response. Now Yu Televentures is back with another announcement of a new phone that will be launched on the 8th of September.
Claimed to be the “next wonder that will be unveiled,” no other details have been spilled about the phone and we hope that it is a dynamic change from what Yu offered its users, last month. Since the Yu Yureka Plus costed a mere Rs. 9,999, we’re certain that this phone too, will be priced reasonably.
All we can do now, is hope that this new Yu phone can stand its own ground with the iPhone 6S arriving the next day. Do you think it will make even half the impact the iPhone is set to make? Let us know in your comments below and stay tuned for more details.
The Yureka Plus originally priced at Rs. 9,999 is now being quoted at Rs. 8,999, making it the most affordable smartphone in the market. The Yureka Plus comes with a Full High Definition (FHD) display, an Octa core Snapdragon 615 processor, Lollipop Cyanogen OS 12, 2GB DDR3 RAM, and a 13 MP AF rear camera with a Sony Sensor among other features. This price drop has been announced as a response from the company, to the overwhelming feedback it received from fans, asking them to keep the device at the Yureka price point.
Yureka Plus has seen a successful sale of 50,000 units during the first flash sale, and now it comes in two more colours – an Alabaster White and a Moondust colour. The Yureka Plus also offers an integrated 4G LTE Cat4 modem and 64-bit multi-core CPU, a 5.5 inch FHD IPS display, a Qualcomm Adreno 405 GPU with an H.265 HEVC support, dual SIM slots, and a 2500mAh battery.
Registrations for the exclusive sale on Amazon.in will shut on the 4th of August, 2015 while the sale of the phone will take place only on the 6th of August.
Here are the specs:
Display
5.5 inch FHD, IPS
OS
Cyanogen OS 12
Processor
Octa Core Snapdragon 615
Camera
13 MP AF rear camera with flash, 5MP FF Front Camera
RAM
2GB DDR3 RAM, 16GB ROM
Battery
2500mAh
Colours
Moondust Grey, Alabaster White
Price
Rs. 8,999
However, it is still odd to see Yureka Plus announcing such a price drop, right after its launch.
YU Televentures is venturing into the wearables segment and is starting with the YuFit fitness band. The registrations for the band will start from 21st July and will go on sale on 29th July. The Yufit band has been priced at Rs.999 and will be available exclusively through Amazon India.
The YuFit has an OLED display that tracks steps taken, sleep cycle and alerts about incoming calls and messages. 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.
YuFit Band.
The company will also offer 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.
If you have seen the latest ad by Yu, you may think that the company is probably sticking too close to its ‘Play God’ tagline. The new ad, which is quite cryptic in nature, teases the date 20th July, which has probably got to do with the launch of a new phone.
In the teaser we see a man piecing up a smartphone in a grinder. Does it mean that the new phone could be a better combination of various phones? Or a new phone will rise out of the ashes? Aside from quoting True Detective like quotes, we can’t say anything. Yu is asking people to guess on social media using #YuGuessWhat.
Yuphoria was the latest phone launched by Yu, priced at a mere Rs. 6,999. According to our review, the phone packs more than you can expect from a budget handset. Check out the phone’s specifications and our review:
Mid segment blockbuster phone, Yu Yuphoria, is back on the track. Weeks after following the first flash sale model of the device in May, Yu Televentures will now set up to host the Golden Ticket Sale for the Yu Yuphoria on July 8th.
The sale will be carried on Amazon India between 2 PM to 5 PM, and is especially for all those frustrated customers who were unable to purchase the Yuphoria in previous flash sales. The company informs that selected users will receive an email from Amazon, with a link to buy the Yuphoria tomorrow, 8th July, between 2 PM and 5 PM. The link will guarantee a Yuphoria for that user, and they can then make the purchase without any need for previous registrations. If you are a new buyer and haven’t registered for any of the past sales, you can participate in the regular weekly sale of the Yuphoria. The next sale on Amazon India is on July 9 at 2 PM.
Hardware wise many it’s different from the Yureka, but the Yuphoria adds new detail in a way that will move the company forward. A Qualcomm 410 64bit Chipset, with a 1.2 GHz Quad-Core CPU and Adreno A306 GPU. 2 GB of RAM and 16GB of storage complete the pie along with 64 GB expandability option.
The handset has two SIM card slots, both of which will accept LTE enabled SIM cards, making this budget handset future proof. The camera is a fast and bright 8 MP camera with a large 1.4-micron pixel size, and a sharp f2.2 lens with quick autofocus and minimal drain on the battery. You can shoot up to 1080p video at 30fps and 720p video at 60fps. The front has a 5 MP camera that has a bright f2.0 aperture wide angle lens.
The company has also provided a metal chassis on the Yu Yuphoria and is based on Android 5.0 Lollipop –based Cyanogen OS 12 and is priced at Rs 6,999.
Specification
YU Yuphoria
Display
5-inch IPS HD
Resolution
1280×720 pixel (294ppi)
Additional
Protected by Gorilla Glass 3
Processor
1.2GHz Quad Core, ARM Cortex- A53
Chipset
Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 | 64bit
GPU
Adreno A306 3D Graphics Core | 400 MHz
RAM
2GB
Internal Memory
16GB
Expandable Up to
64 GB
Sim Cards
2 x LTE Enabled Sim Card Slots
Primary Camera
8MP
Secondary Camera
5MP
Connectivity Options
4G LTE
Battery
2,230mAh
Operating System
Cyanogen 12.0 (Android 5.0 based)
Price
Rs. 6,999
You can check out the Hands On video below
A few weeks back, we also performed an extreme drop test on the device. Check out the video below
Micromax’s subsidiary Yu Televentures recently updated its smartphone lineup with the new Yuphoria. The firm was striving to carve a niche in the developers community and has succeeded to a large extent. At a price of Rs. 6,999, the device has some exceptional features like its all-metal body and speakers that produce loud and clear sound. We put the device to test and checked its hardware and graphic capabilities.
Have a look at our full benchmark and hardware test along:
The smartphone boasts an impressive 5-inch display and is powered by a 64-bit 1.2GHz Quad-Core Snapdragon 410. The Adreno 306 GPU takes care of the graphics quality of the phone, making the videos run quite well. The next device by YU packs the latest Cyanogen OS 12 based on Android Lollipop. The company has made use of its partnership with Cyanogen, which will surely give an edge to Yuphoria over other contenders.
We ran AnTuTu and NenaMark 2 on our device and here are its scores along with Redmi 2, and Moto E (Gen 2):
Test
Yuphoria
Xiaomi Redmi 2
Moto E (Gen 2)
AnTuTu
23,779
21,155
15,362
NenaMark 2
54.4fps
54fps
51.2fps
So, as you can see above, Yuphoria scored 23,779 in the AnTuTu test and 54.4fps in the NenaMark 2 test. It has left behind Xiaomi’s Redmi 2 and the latest low-budget Motorola product, Moto E (Gen 2). Although the device doesn’t deliver the best performance, given its economical price tag, it certainly is the best pick among other contenders.
Questions Answered:
There have been several queries regarding the OTG support on the device. We checked out this aspect and found that Yuphoria doesn’t support OTG. The smartphone doesn’t have a Notification LED light either.
Yuphoria sports a ‘Double Tap to Wake Up’ feature, which enables you to lock and unlock the screen with a double tap. Enable the option, and the screen will wake up when tapped twice. To lock the screen, do the same again on the status bar and nowhere else; your device will lock instantly.
As we’ve mentioned before, the YU Yuphoria is the first smartphone to integrate Truecaller. It is optional, and can be disabled easily.
We will soon come up with a full review of the blockbuster smartphone. Meanwhile, you can click here to watch our exclusive Unboxing and Hands-on video.
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:
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.
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.
No waiting anymore, Micromax YU’s next product is finally here! As scheduled, YU Televentures today launched its fresh smartphone Yuphoria in India today, adding another product to the YU lineup. The handset is an amazing offering from the Indian electronics start-up with LTE connectivity and Cyanogen OS 12. It won’t put a dent on the buyers pocket, the smartphone has been priced at a mere Rs. 6,999.
Yuphoria boasts an all-metal design with a matte finish at its back. It’s not a rebranded Chinese product and will be manufactured in India. Coming on to the specifications of the phone, Yuphoria sports a 5-inch IPS HD display with 1280×720p resolution and 294ppi. The screen has a protective coating of Gorilla Glass 3. Inside is a 64-bit 1.2GHz Quad-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 along with Adreno A306 GPU. It packs 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage capacity, which is expandable up to 64GB.
Optics of the phone include an 8MP rear shooter paired with a 5MP camera at the upfront. Battery capacity is sufficient at 2,230mAh. It offers 4G LTE connectivity, which allows faster internet browsing. Other options for connectivity includes Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, audio jack and a Micro-USB port.
Not only this, the handset is the first to integrate Truecaller directly in the dialer through its collaboration with Cyanogen. A lot of customization options are available on the phone along with a new app called App Themer that allows you to customise individual applications with a simple press of a button.
The smartphone will be available in two colour choices – Champagne Gold with white panel and Buffed Steel with black panel. The product will go for sale on May 28 on Amazon India website. Registrations begin today from 5pm onwards.
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.
