Yu Yureka Plus: Many hits, some misses

The Yu Yureka Plus from Micromax has a few good things to offer - a 5.5-inch full high definition IPS display being one of them. Unaffected by variations in viewing angles, the colours on the screen are bright and sharp. A refreshing change for those looking for a break from the usual Samsung-esque display common to most Android devices, its well-designed screen layout makes using it pleasing to the eyes, due to non-pixelated icons and clean contrast, even when viewed in daylight.

The 13-megapixel (MP) rear camera, same as that on the Yureka, comes with adjustable exposure and ISO, another good thing. The 5MP front camera is also a plus, especially for selfie enthusiasts. A cheap option for those who enjoy gaming, mobile videography, photography, in-mobile photo and video-editing, or any other activities best experienced on good-quality screens, its Qualcomm Adreno 405 GPU facilitates increased visual details, smooth frame rates and full HD 1080p video.

However, sluggishness when running just two light applications like phone and messaging is a problem as it is a departure from the performance promised by its octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor with a 64-bit multi-core CPU (consisting of a quad core 1.7 GHz Cortex-A53 and a quad core 1.0 GHz Cortex-A53). This is because the device uses the same old GPU to run a heavier, full-HD display, and gets stuck when loading too many notifications on the homescreen.

The phone's slow-to-respond capacitative buttons at the bottom are also a miss. Its 2,500 mAh battery is one of the main letdowns. When fully charged and left on, unused, without a SIM card and with no running applications, the battery went from 100 to 39 per cent in 24 hours.

The Yu Yureka Plus is one of the best devices available at this price (Rs 9,999), although hard to acquire due to the fact that it is available only through a flash sale on Amazon.

Where the others stand

Yu Yureka
Display: 5.5-inch FHD IPS display
Processor: Octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor
OS: Android Lollipop Cyanogen OS 12
Camera: 13MP with (rear); 5MP (front)
Memory:16GB
RAM: 2GB
Battery: 2,500 mAh
Price: Rs 9,999

Lenovo K3 Note
Display: 5.5 inches
Processor: 1.7GHz Octa-core Media Tek MT6752
OS: Android Lollipop
Camera: 13MP (rear); 5MP (front)
Memory: 16GB internal
RAM: 2GB
Battery: 2,900 mAh
Price: Rs 9,999

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G
Display: 5.5 inches
Processor: 1.6 GHz quad core Snapdragon
OS: Android 4.2
Camera: 13MP (rear); 5MP (front)
Memory: 8GB
RAM: 2GB
Battery: 3,100 mAh
Price: Rs 7,999

Motorola Moto G 2nd generation
Display: 5-inch IPS LCD
Processor: Quad-core 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400
OS: Android 5.0
Camera: 8MP (rear); 2MP (front)
Memory: 16GB internal
RAM: 1GB
Battery: 2,070 mAh
Price: Rs 9,999

Huawei Honor 4X
Display: 5.5-inch IPS LCD
Processor: 1.2GHz quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410
OS: Android 5.0
Camera: 13MP (rear); 5MP (front)
Memory: 8GB internal
RAM: 2GB
Battery: 3,000 mAh
Price: Rs 9,999