YU Yureka with Cyanogen OS, 64-bit Octa-Core CPU, 4G LTE launched in India for Rs. 8999

At an event in Delhi today, Micromax launched its much awaited YU smartphone brand in India. Yureka is the first device from YU brand running CyanogenMod OS 11, priced aggressively at Rs. 8,999. The YU branded ‘YUREKA’ smartphone will be exclusively available online on Amazon India and registrations for the same starts on 19th December at 2PM on Amazon.in. The device will however go on sale in the second week of January. YUreka looks a promising smartphone in terms of its hardware, Cyanogen OS, privacy features, customization, after-sales support, frequent OTA updates every month and its completive pricing of Rs. 8,999. It is apparently a strong competitor to the recently announced Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G.

YU branded “Yureka” (AO5510) sports a 5.5” HD IPS display (720p) at 267ppi, is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 (MSM8939) 1.5GHz Octa-Core 64-bit processor, Adreno 405 GPU, runs on the infamous and non-bloated Cyanogen OS 11 based on Android 4.4.4. Yureka features 4G LTE, DDR3, and 64-bit architecture that delivers upto 16 EXA byte RAM. The device packs a 13MP rear camera with Sony IMX135 CMOS sensor, f/2.2 aperture, autofocus and LED flash. It supports 1080p video recording at 30fps, 720p slow-mo video at 60fps and time-lapse mode. A 5MP front-facing camera is there for taking good quality selfies.

Yureka supports Dual-SIM, comes with 2GB DDR3 RAM, 16GB of internal storage and expandable memory upto 32GB via microSD card. It packs Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for screen protection and an optimized 2500mAh battery. Connectivity options include: Dual-SIM (Micro SIM), 3G, 4G (LTE TDD B40 2300MHz, LTE FDD B3 1800MHz), Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS and FM Radio. The phone form factor looks sleek as it measures 6mm at the sides and 8.5mm at the center. Available in Moonstone Grey colour!

What’s impressive is that it comes with an unlockable bootloader, YU will release kernel source and your device warranty won’t void even if it’s rooted. The company has said to offer free replacement or repair service at your doorstep which sounds too good to be true. As stated, the device powered by Cyanogen OS will also receive OTA updates every month.

YU’s Yureka seems really good on paper as it boasts top notch specs that are very much similar to Vivo’s flagship X5Max but at an extremely low pricing of Rs. 8,999. We’re really interested in trying out Yureka when it goes on sale in the 2nd week of January, 2015.