YU Yunicorn: The dark horse

The phone looks set to take the market by storm

Launched at a competitive price of Rs 12,999, the YU Yunicorn looks set to take the market by a storm.

However, this price stands only for the first month as the device would be then sold for Rs 14,999. YU Televentures has decided to deviate from the popular online-only sales model and would use offline channels to drive more sales of its smartphones. And Yunicorn is expected to be the first smartphone that would be available both online and offline.

The new entrant is likely to compete with the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, Lenovo Zuk Z1 and Moto G4 Plus and it does land a heavy punch looking at the features it comes with. The fresh and new user interface (UI) was the first to catch my attention. The operating system (OS) of the device named "Android on steroids" clearly demarcates its powerful features.

Holding the phone in your hand, one can feel its well-crafted metal unibody. Measuring 8.5mm in thickness, it is not that slim and weighs a significant 172 grams, too. Looking at the front end of the phone, one can be reminded of the resemblance it bears with the Oppo F1 Plus. But then overlapping designs is the trend nowadays.

The Yunicorn is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio P10 SoC and 4 GB of RAM. It supports a wide array of LTE bands along with carrier aggregation. You also get 32GB of storage which can be expanded by up to 128GB.

The in-built "Around YU" feature is what takes the phone to the next level. Whether it is your midnight hunger pangs, or shopaholic nature, the phone covers it all. YU Televentures has also collaborated with Lybrate to offer doctor's assistance with just a click. However, the feature is still in the nascent stage and would be available after a month in form of an over-the-air (OTA) update. A Marshmallow update is also on the cards.

Wait, I'm not done yet. The YU wallet pre-installed in the phone enables you to recharge your mobile, DTH connection or even your data card.

The phone sports a 13-megapixel (MP) rear and 5MP front camera. Picture quality is decent, though it could have been a shade better. Powered by a 4,000-mAh battery, the phone promises a standby time of 500 hours and functions smoothly for over a day on full charge. Also, the fingerprint sensor works just perfect.

YU has indeed launched a phone that has in it to take it to the end. Go for it!