What's good
- Price
- Performance
- microSD support
- Dual SIM
- 4G LTE
What's bad
- Availability
- Hit-or-miss battery life
- Plastic chassis
As a subdivision of Micromax, the Yu brand of phones hopes to turn heads and entice buyers with low-cost, high-performance devices. The Yureka is the first handset available from the group. With so many budget options available, what makes this one the one for you? Let’s see how reviewers feel.
At first glance, the phone is rather unassuming. While large the plastic shell is typical of budget phones. Reviewers did love the rear “moonstone” treatment for improving grip and reducing smudges. With its rounded design and thinner 8mm+ profile, they also help to improve the manageability of this otherwise massive phablet. Times of India thought it was easy to use, noting that it, “doesn't feel humongous.” Unleash the Phones was more positive, stating, “Sure its all plastic, but in terms of build quality, I’d say its the best phone Micromax has made so far.”
Housed in the plastic shell, you’ll find a 5.5-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1280-by-720 pixels. If you’re a detail junky, the screen is a little behind the times, but still adequate for its price market. The resolution shows in many reviews, with NDTV Gadgets saying that it’s, “A little grainy.” Times of India also found the color balance to be a bit off, with colder hues than usual, leading them to say, “We found the tint to be intimidating.”
On the performance front, the Yureka boasts a 1.5GHz 64-bit Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor with 2GB of RAM. No reviews mentioned any issues with the device’s performance, many even trying the latest games and having no issues. Combined with Cyanogen OS 11, the phone appears to provide silky smooth performance. A promised update from Micromax will bring a Cyanogen OS update based on Android 5.0 in the future as well. When this happens, Times of India is concerned about performance, noting, “Phones still need more memory to fully leverage 64-bit capabilities and 2GB would not really suffice.”
If you’re looking to snap pictures while you’re out and about, the handset features a 13MP Sony-powered rear camera with flash and a 5MP front-facing chat and selfie camera. Overall, reviews of the cameras were very positive. Unleash the Phones said, “Camera quality was pretty impressive for a phone in this price range.” Android Guys was on the fence, stating, “The camera focuses swiftly, captures adequate details but the color tone is slightly on the warmer side.” Some reviews noted issues with low-light performance as well, but for a budget phone, it appears to pack quite the camera.
All of this is kept running with a 2500mAh battery. Reviews of battery life were hit or miss. Some claimed all day usage with no problems, others found they were scrambling for the charger before the end a work day. Battery life will likely depend on your data usage and gaming. If you’re a power user, you might consider a battery backup just to be safe.
Other features include 16GB of internal storage with microSD support and Dual SIM support. Forwarding calls from one SIM to another is not supported and one SIM is located behind the battery, making it impossible to hotswap, so planning your network connectivity ahead of time could be important.
While Micromax might not have the best reputation, it appears their new Yu brand could be working to fix some of the concerns. Times of India noted “The build quality and display are not top notch but the performance offered by the phone is superior compared to other phones in the price segment.” NDTV Gadgets was similarly impressed, stating, “The Yu Yureka has a lot going for it, and even its minor flaws can be overlooked considering the amazingly low price.“
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Chandna Pandey, Android GuysThe Micromax Yu Yureka is currently the best smartphone available under 150 dollars hands down. The only glitch is its availability. To buy one, you are required to participate in its weekly online flash sales which is held once every week. Hopefully, Micromax takes its high demand into consideratio...
- Srivatsan, Fone ArenaThe YU YUREKA is definitely a value for money 4G smartphone. We compared the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G with the YU Yureka recently and found the Yureka better than the Redmi Note 4G in several aspects. YU offers free on-site warranty and offers warranty even if the phone is rooted and its bootloader unlo...
- Nandagopal Rajan, The Indian ExpressShould you buy it? Certainly, if you are in one of the cities where 4G is already available. Others can look at this as a different option in comparison to the Xiaomi Redmi Note and maybe even the Moto E, though this is slightly more expensive. You are definitely getting a bit more bang for you...
- Nandagopal Rajan, The Indian ExpressCertainly, if you are in one of the cities where 4G is already available. Others can look at this as a different option in comparison to the Xiaomi Redmi Note and maybe even the Moto E, though this is slightly more expensive. You are definitely getting a bit more bang for your buck with this phone a...
- Nimish Sawant, tech2The Yureka is not without its share of drawbacks. The chief among them being a not-so-sharp display along with poor low-light photography. The build quality is strictly OK. But these are compromises one might be willing to make if one wants an affordable phablet, which stands out from the pool of th...
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Common Questions
Micromax backs up the Yu Yureka with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.
If your Yu Yureka has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact Micromax support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find Micromax's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.
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