Fire was a great discovery. And the wheel was a great invention. For Android users, CyanogenMod lies somewhere between that – the combination of the discovery that one can go beyond a manufacturer’s UI or even Google’s own stock settings, and the invention of a method to achieve a level of customisation that was never seen before.
The fact that Micromax has brought in the Cyanogen OS into a budget phone is one that would make many Android enthusiasts very, very happy. We at Technophile believe that the ₹10k segment has a new benchmark in smartphone brilliance.
Design and buildThe 5-inch display size has become the unwritten norm for smartphones these days, and the Yureka follows that trend with a rather big 5.5-inch display. But this does not make the budget device ungainly in any manner. On the contrary, the Yureka is rather slim and light, and even one-handed usage on a device with this size of a screen is actually very comfortable.
There’s nothing in the design that actually stands out, because everything is quite subtle. However, if you turn the phone over, the rear removable hatch has a rather good finish, with a matte-rubber coating on the otherwise plastic build. Let the usage of plastic not fool you – the build is actually very sturdy. In a phone that costs ₹8,999, you get Corning Gorilla Glass.
As far as the innards go, the Yureka is loaded. And by loaded, we mean Gatling-Gun-with-a-trillion-rounds level of loaded. You get a 1.5 GHz Octa-core chip, and the good news is that it’s a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615. Accompanying this is 2GB of RAM, an Adreno 405 GPU and 16GB of internal storage (expandable, of course). The CyanogenMod sits on Android 4.4 KitKat, creating a rather unique UI experience. In non-geek, this is everything that you’d want from an Android phone that handles all your everyday apps, a little bit of gaming and the 2,500mAh battery is good enough to last a full working day. If you need numbers, the Yureka scores 18,400 points on the Quadrant Benchmark – that’s as good as a Moto G.
The cameras on the Yureka are quite good too, given its price tag. The rear-facing 13-meg shooter is brilliant in daylight, and even in low-lit conditions it shows only a little bit of noise. On the front, the 5MP camera takes decent selfies too.
So is everything that matters, in order? Not quite. The display, though it totes a 720p resolution, isn’t quite bright and lacks saturation too. Also, the speakers could have been much better.
VerdictSo is the Yureka a phone that you should just go for, if you have the need for a device in this price range? Sure. If you’re an Android lover and would like pure, unhindered performance and good imaging, this is the phone to go for. You also get 4G LTE, something rather unheard of in this price segment.
And then there’s the promise from Micromax about good after-sales service and updates, but only time will tell how much of it gets fulfilled. So go, jump out of your bathtub and grab it.
₹8,999
Love – Brilliant performance; CyanogenMod benefits
Hate – Slightly dull screen; lacklustre speakers