Micromax Yu Yureka is among the best Android smartphones under Rs 10,000

Micromax has dominated the entry-level and mid-segment smartphone space for quite some time. The company has now entered into a partnership with Cyanogen, Inc. for its new range of smartphones, YU. The first phone in the offering Yureka also marks Micromax's entry into the "exclusively available online" space as it will only be available on Amazon.in.

Design and Display: The Yureka has got a 5.5-inch touch display with a 1280x720p resolution. Its front is neat, with three physical touch keys below the display. There is a 'YU' branding at the rear, with no mention of Micromax. The phone is sturdy and comfortable to grip with one hand. The rear has got a rubberised finish. The videos and images appeared crisp and sharp.

Operating System: The Yureka runs on Cyanogen OS 11 based on Android KitKat (v4.4).

Specifications and Performance: The Yureka is powered by 1.5 GHz octa-core processor on Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 (64-bit) chipset and is paired with 2 GB of RAM. These specifications did decently well on the benchmark tests. I was easily able to switch between multiple running apps. The heavy graphic apps and games loaded quickly and ran without any lag. However, while playing with the themes, the phone froze a couple of times. Other than the default apps, there is a YUniverse app that allows one to save websites for easy access, and discover news stories.

Camera: The 13 MP camera is a big plus for the Yureka, especially when one considers its price. The images captured with auto focus were impressive. They were sharp and the colours looked rich. However, when moved indoors, the images lacked sharpness. The Yureka can capture videos at a decent 1080p resolution. It also packs in a 5 MP front-facing camera for capturing selfies.

Battery: The 2500mAh battery onboard is just about average. With heavy usage, including hours of browsing, gaming, social networking, camera clicks and calling, the phone died before the end of the day. If used wisely, however, it can last a day.

BAG IT OR JUNK IT: At Rs 8,999, it is one of the best Android smartphones under 10k
RATING: 4.5/5
PLUS: Price, Cyanogen 11
MINUS: Battery