Mumbai: Micromax’s online brand YU Televentures launched its latest smartphone Yutopia last week. Before launching the device, the company claimed that the Yutopia would be the “most powerful smartphone” in the Indian market.
The company’s CEO Rahul Sharma has touted the device to be “the best in the market at such a nominal price”. The statement is correct to some extent, as this is probably the first smartphone to offer a 2K display below the 25,000 thousand-rupee price mark.
But this is not something that comes as a surprise: several handset makers such as Xiaomi, OnePlus, and even Motorola have also rolled out affordable premium-class devices in the past.
Days before launching the handset, YU took digs at OnePlus including other bigger players in the market and said that the Yutopia is an all-inclusive device that offers much more in terms of functionality, features and looks.
That said, OnePlus was among the first few companies to roll out a premium-budget smartphone—the OnePlus One—in December last year. Later, the company stirred a revolution within the Indian smartphone market by launching the OnePlus 2(OP2) at a price of just Rs 24,999.
OnePlus' 'flagship killer' instantly became a favourite among many customers and the demand for the device increased significantly. Even with the company's invite policy, the demand for the device never decreased. The OP2 is undoubtedly one of the best devices of 2015, and sales data suggest that the device is here to stay.
On that note, we would like conduct a small assessment between the salient features of Yu’s Yutopia and its biggest competitor, the OnePlus 2.
Design: The Yutopia offers a sleek (7.2mm thickness) metal unibody design, which looks good and gives a premium feel. On the other hand, the OnePlus 2 (OP2) is not as sleek (9.85mm), but certainly scores more points for its unique sandstone back panel finish. Unlike the Yutopia’s non-removable back panel, the OP2’s offers a removable one.
Essentially, the OP2 offers myriad design customisations as compared to the Yutopia. People who love to tailor their device should definitely go for the OP2 and the ones who like metal-clad devices should choose the Yutopia.
Display: The Yutopia features a 5.2-inch IPS full WQHD (2K) display with a resolution of 1440x2560 pixels while the OP2 sports a larger 5.5-inch HD display with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. The OP2’s screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass whereas the Yutopia's display is shielded by Corning Concore Glass.
Although we are yet to review the Yutopia, it does offer better display specifications in contrast to the OP2. Even when it comes to pixel density, the Yutopia (565 ppi) seamlessly surpasses the OP2’s score of 403ppi.
Well, if you are looking for a bigger screen, we suggest you buy the OP2, however, if you are more concerned about the quality of the display, the Yutopia seems to be a better choice.
Performance, camera and hardware: Under the hood, the two handsets share a similar configuration—Snapdragon 810 chipset, 64-bit octa-core processor, and 4GB RAM. However, both the phones suffer from heating issues—one of the main issues with the Snapdragon 810. This is one reason why most smartphones still employ an 801 chipset.
We have previously seen the OP2’s prowess in running apps seamlessly and reports suggest that the Yutopia is equally capable in terms of performance.
In terms of storage, the Yutopia emerges as a clear winner due to its internal 32GB storage capacity along with an external capacity of 128GB. In contrast, the OP2 offers only 64GB storage space and does not support expansion via microSD.
As far as camera specifications are concerned, the Yutopia employs a 21MP primary camera that is beautifully housed at the back under a bulging circular glass along with dual LED flash. The front 8MP wide-angle shooter looks promising and will certainly attract selfie-maniacs. The primary camera can also shoot 4K and slow motion videos.
Both the devices are fairly similar in terms of performance
On the other hand, the OP2 sports a 13MP rear camera set-up with laser auto-focus, which is also capable of clicking sharp images and 4K videos. The 5MP selfie camera up front is also decent for everyday users. However, megapixel count alone is not enough to judge camera quality on a device. Hence, we will reserve our verdict until the Yutopia’s review.
On the battery front, the OP2 has a bigger 3,300mAh battery in comparison to the 3,000mAh capacity of the Yutopia. Honestly, we feel that both the companies should have given slightly bigger batteries considering the high-end specs integrated within.
However, the Yutopia has compensated its smaller battery by incorporating Qualcomm’s quick charge 2.0, which can help the device secure more than 50 per cent charge in less than 30 minutes.
Additionally, both the devices support 4G LTE and dual-sim connectivity. The USB Type-C port on the OP2 serves as a design refreshment, but it does not have any added benefits—no support for fast charging or quick file transfer.
Apart from Yutopia's 2K display and expandable storage, there is nothing particularly startling about it—both the devices are similar in terms of salient features, performance, and even pricing.
So if you opt for the OP2, rest assured that you are in for a grand experience. On the other hand, if you are seeking a better display and lots of storage capacity, you can definitely try out Yu’s new flagship.
