Micromax YUREKA: CyanogenMod Android 5.0 Lollipop Powered Smartphone Launched in India; Price, Specifications
Micromax YUREKA: CyanogenMod Android 5.0 Lollipop Powered Smartphone Launched in India; Price, SpecificationsMicromax YU/Facebook

Micromax Mobile has released several Android based low cost smartphones in India successfully. But the only drawback is that none of their handsets compare well with the flagship smartphones available in the country.

The company has several handsets with mind blowing specifications but their software and user experience is not good. Maybe that is the reason for Micromax creating a new sub brand, called YU, aimed at the tech savvy customer.

The success of Xiaomi and OnePlus encouraged other companies to venture into fresh territory. Hence, the launch of YU with the power of CyanogenMod by Micromax. .

YU launched the first ever CyanogenMod based smartphone, Yureka, in India on Thursday. Available for Rs. 8,999, Yureka will definitely upset several smartphone makers including Xiaomi, Huawei, Lenovo, Panasonic and ASUS. Why? Here are the reasons.

CyanogenMod

The biggest key point behind Android's ground breaking success is its openness. Based on the open environment architecture, Android basically followed the FOSS (Free and Open-source software) architecture and encouraged most developers to create apps in that environment. They also encouraged smartphone makers by providing raw OS and allowed them to create customised interface for further distinction.

A major portion of Android users understood the advantage of raw Google experience over the customised counterpart. To bridge the gap, Cyanogen INC was introduced and became immensely popular for its raw Google experience, quick updates, better hardware software integration, enhanced security and several others. In no time it became a favourite of geeks who believe in rooting and overclocking to get the raw taste of the device.

It was OnePlus who understood the potential of Cyanogen-based Android OS and featured it in their One series handset. Apart from their gimmicky invitation only purchase mode, CynaogenMod is the biggest USP of the handset. And now, with Micromax holding the sole copyright to the Cyanogen-based OD in India, YU series smartphones are sure to achieve success in the market.

Camera

The Yureka Smartphone features a 13MP front camera with Sony Exmor RS sensor and a 5MP front camera for clicking selfies and making video calls. Both the cameras have decent specifications but the existing smartphones in the same price range like the Xiaomi Redmi Note features similar powered camera.

Performance

Yureka Smartphone has been powered by an octa-core (1.7GHz Quad Core ARM Cortex A53+ 1GHz ARM Cortex A53) Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 SoC along with 2GB DDR3 RAM memory. The processor supports 64-bit processing so once the CyanogenMod rolls out its Lollipop version, the handset will be able to cater to the 64-bit architecture.

4G Connectivity

The Yureka smartphone also features 4G connectivity and it definitely should be considered as a plus factor for the phone. Though Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G supports the same network configuration, it is priced Rs.1000 higher than the Yureka.

Screen & Protection

With a 5.5-inch 720p screen with 267ppi pixels density, the Yureka sounds like an ok smartphone but with the addition of Corning Gorilla glass 3 Shield protection and Oleophobic coating for preventing fingerprint and smudges it is a brilliant buy at that price.

Pricing & Availability

With a smart pricing of Rs. 8,999 (around $142/€116), the Yureka Android Smartphone will be popular. To grab the phone, buyers need to pre-book their phone in advance. Pre-booked sales or flash sales usually create an artificial demand, hence, boosting sales and the buzz around the product. Take the example of Apple iPhone, Blackberry or the Chinese smartphones Huawei or Xiaomi and you'll understand why every other consumer manufacturer is following this successful strategy.