Battle of Budget Smartphones: Micromax YU Yureka, Xiaomi Redmi Note and Nokia Lumia 638

Last month we saw top smartphone makers launch affordable 4G smartphones into the Indian market.

Early in 2014, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi made a remarkable debut with Mi-series feature-rich devices taking the domestic players head on, which ruled the market up until then.

However, home-bred Micromax made an incredible comeback late December with the new YU Yureka which has created a big buzz among tech savvy Indian youths for its amazing hardware and Cyanogen Android OS.

Microsoft which now owns the Nokia devices too launched a new budget Lumia 638 4G-LTE in India.

Mentioned below are the key specifications of Micromax YU Yureka, Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G and Nokia Lumia 638.

Design and Display:

The new Micromax YU Yureka comes with ergonomic sloping edge design with a bulge in the middle (on the rear side). It measures 154.8 x 78.0 x 6.0-8.8 (width) mm in dimensions.

In terms of display specifications, it sports a 5.5-inch HD (720x1280p) screen with a 80-degree viewing angle.

Xiaomi's Redmi Note 4G features a regular candy-bar design and flaunts a 5.5-inch HD (1280x720p) IPS LCD screen with a pixel density of 267 ppi (pixels per inch).

On the other hand, Microsoft's Nokia Lumia 638 is the smallest among its peers. And also its screen specifications are below par compared to the other two models. It comes with a 4.5-inch FWVGA (854x480p) ClearBlack IPS LCD screen with a pixel density of 221 ppi.

Processor, RAM and storage capacity:

In this aspect, Micromax YU Yureka wins the battle hands down, thanks to the advanced 64-bit class CPU.

Micromax houses the new generation 64-bit class-based Snapdragon 615 Octa-core SoC (System on Chip), manufactured by industry leader, Qualcomm.

The advantage of having a 64-bit processor is that its phone performance and RAM management will be more optimised and efficiently used among the apps. Users are less likely to face a lag during multi-tasking.

Snapdragon 615 chipset comes with a H.265/High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) which enables faster computational operations. It will be aptly backed by the Adreno 405 graphics engine, 2GB DDR3 RAM and 16GB inbuilt memory.

Redmi Note 4G and Lumia 638 ships with the old Snapdragon 400 series quad-core processor, which comes with Adreno 305 GPU.

Xiaomi and Microsoft smartphones house 2GB and 1GB RAM respectively.

Camera specifications details:

Micromax YU Yureka ships with a 13.0-megapixel camera with Sony Exmor RS sensor, Blue-lens architecture, 5-physical element lens, f/2.2 aperture, 75.4 degree wide-angle, full HD (1080p) resolution recording, LED flash and a pretty decent 5.0-megapixel camera with a 71-degree angle lens, which is certain to cheer selfie enthusiasts.

On the other hand the Xiaomi phone is no less of a competitor, it too has similar camera specifications. Redmi Note 4G features a 13.0-megapixel camera with auto-focus, LED flash, HDR and a 5.0-megapixel snapper on the front.

Microsoft's Nokia Lumia 638 is a bit of a disappointment. It houses a sub-par 5.0 megapixel camera with no LED flash and no module on the front for video chat.

Mobile operating system:

In this aspect too Micromax closely edges past rival Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G, thanks to the Cyanogen custom Android OS.

Advantages of using a Cyanogen OS includes the option of removing any app (even the pre-loaded ones which come with the phone), enhanced performance, better RAM management, regular security updates [case in point POODLE vulnerability fix released last month], quick settings configuration option, regular monthly update, privacy guard (gives users the control to what the applications can learn about you and your contacts), Global Blacklist (gives users the ability to flag telemarketers, robo-callers, annoying people and blacklisting them) and many other customisation options.

[Read More: CyanogenMod Team Releases new Android KitKat CM11 M12 Series Custom ROM; Brings Security Patch for Poodle Vulnerability Issue]

[Note: It is learnt that Micromax YU Yureka will be the first device among all Android phones in the world to get custom CyanogenMod series Android 5.0 Lollipop OS. That's not all. Yureka will get a monthly OTA (Over-The-Air) updates thereafter and the company warranty will not get void, even if user roots unlock the phone.]

Redmi Note 4G's custom Android OS with MIUI is also refreshing. Its interface can be called as a hybrid between Android and iOS which is not at all complex, it is simple and yet visually appealing.

It has to be noted that Xiaomi is one of the very few OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturers) partners of Google, who are quick with releasing software updates. And that's not all. They also listen to fans on official forums and release a regular software patch soon after a bug is reported.

Microsoft's Nokia Lumia 638 runs on the proprietary Windows Phone 8.1 (with Cyan update).

Apart from a limited number of apps and games in the Windows ecosystem, security and interface, Windows Phone OS platform is good.

[Note: Nokia Lumia 638 is also slated to get the new Lumia Denim update with Cortana, an intuitive digital voice assistant similar to Siri and Google Now features seen in Apple iOS and Android devices respectively.]

Price:

Price is one of the most important aspects of this article as it plays a crucial role in the minds of the price-sensitive middle class and the aspiring youth population, which forms the biggest chunk of India's demography.

Micromax YU Yureka:

With a price of under Rs 9000 and some exceptional internal hardware, Micromax has got itself a winner - a potent arsenal to stake claim over Samsung, the top smartphone maker of India.

The latter sits on top with a 24% share, whereas the former is placed a close second with 20%, according to the latest IDC (International Data Corporation) research.

Micromax YU Yureka is set to go on sale exclusively on Amazon India for ₹8,999 on 13 January.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G:

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G is sold exclusively on Flipkart and Airtel (in select cities with 4G network service) for ₹9,999.

Nokia Lumia 638:

It may have limited success in swaying consumers with its peppy colour options (previous Lumia series are a hit among youths) and buyers with small palms. But its specifications are bit below par compared to its peers. Lumia 638 is available at Amazon India store for ₹8,299

Verdict:

With a dirt-cheap price-tag, Micromax YU Yureka is a clear winner among its rivals. It won't be competing with anybody, instead it will pose a serious threat to the newcomers and MNC brands like Xiaomi, Microsoft, Motorola and OnePlus.

The only complaint among Micromax fans is the after-sale serives, but Micromax has annouced that YU Yureka buyers will be provided with on-call service, where-in consumers can just call customer-care. The company service personnel will come to their door; then, they would get it fixed and return it. This is a testing time for Micromax to make a good impression on consumers and keep the loyalty like tier-1 MNC brands like Apple and Samsung.

Key specifications of Micromax YU Yureka, Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G and Microsoft Nokia Lumia 638:

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