Planning to buy Xiaomi Redmi 4? Micromax's upcoming budget phone might be worth the wait

Xiaomi's dominance in India, especially in the budget smartphone space, is rapidly growing, threatening other OEMs in the highly competitive market. After almost disappearing from the face of smartphone horizon, Micromax's online sub-brand YU Televentures was brought back to life this year with the launch of affordable YU Yureka Black. The company isn't stopping at just that.

YU is launching a successor to one of its popular smartphones from the past – YU Yunique – in the coming days. The Mobile Indian exclusively reported on Thursday that the aptly-named Yunique 2 will be launched in India on July 24 and the leaked retail packaging of the phone gives a hint of what to expect.

The leaked retail box of the Yunique 2 only shows the front design, which is quite simple but significantly improved as compared to its predecessors. After the launch of Yunique smartphone in 2015, YU introduced Yunique Plus with higher RAM last year. It remains unclear what makes the upcoming Yunique 2 better than the previous models, but budget shoppers can expect some surprise there.

The initial look of the Yunique 2 is a sign that the company is aiming major upgrades. The side bezels are slimmer and a golden ring is running along the edges, which gives the phone an overall premium look. The phone is expected to boast a metal unibody, which isn't surprising considering the Yureka-successor – YU Yureka Black – underwent the same change.

In a separate report, two YU smartphones with model number YU5011 and YU5012 appeared on GeekBench. These models are widely believed to be variants of Yunique 2 with 2GB and 3GB RAM configuration. The benchmark listing revealed the phones will be powered by MediaTek MT6737 processor and Android 7.0 Nougat out-of-the-box.

Other features and specifications of the phone are yet to be known, but the launch of the new phone isn't far off to keep you wondering. We are guessing the Yunique 2 will be a solid competitor in the sub-Rs. 10,000 price range, where handsets like Xiaomi Redmi 4, Redmi Note 4, Redmi 4A, Nokia 3 and Moto E4 Plus are favourites among consumers.

YU Yunique was launched at Rs. 4,999 as one of the worthiest phones of its time two years ago, and the Yunique Plus came with a Rs. 6,499 price tag. It is highly likely that YU will price the Yunique 2 around the same prices, especially if it plans to run interference in the steady stream of favourite consumer choices in the sub-Rs. 10,000 price range. Stay tuned for updates.