Micromax sister company Yu Televentures is all set to launch its new model Yu6000 to take on mid-range devices such as the Lenovo K4 Note, Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and LeEco 1s later this month.
But can the new 6-inch phone compete?
On paper, the Yu 6000 should at least be able to take on the Lenovo K4 Note as both come with the same processor — the medium-powered Mediatek MT6753.
Like the K4 Note, the Yu 6000 will also come with 3 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage memory. Other similarities include a 13 MP back camera and Android 5.1 operating system.
According to Gfxbench benchmarking tool, the Yu 6000 has an 8 MP camera on the front compared to the 5 MP one on K4 Note. No information is available about presence or otherwise of a fingerprint sensor.
In short, the new device from Yu offers everything that Lenovo K4 does — except for TheaterMax virtual reality — and surpasses the Lenovo model in screen size and front camera resolution.
However, when it comes to the other two phones in this price range — the Redmi Note 3 and the LeTV Le 1s — it may not pose much of a danger.
Still, given its price of Rs 9,999 in India, the Yu 6000 could offer a easy-to-get alternative to those who have been trying repeatedly to get hold of the Redmi Note 3 — whose stocks have been notoriously slow in coming.
Though the Yu 6000 comes with a processor that has only about 70% of the power of the Redmi Note 3’s Snapdragon 650, it is compensated by the extra 1 GB of RAM. In practical terms, having 3 GB of RAM with a MediaTek MT6753 processor will give more or less the same performance as a model with 2 GB of RAM and the slightly more powerful Snapdragon 650 chipset.
That said, Yu 6000 may still not be able to compete with Xiaomi in terms of brand value or build quality. The Redmi Note 3 is an all-metal phone that has won praise for its sleek looks, while we don’t know much about the Yu 6000 build specifications.
The Yu 6000 will be announced along with its smaller variant, Yu 5200, early in April.
The Yu 5200 has got very similar specifications to the Yu 6000 except for the fact that its display is 5.2 inch (as suggested by its model number.)
The 5200 also comes with a full HD display and has 3 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage.
It is powered by Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor — which offers similar performance to the MT 6753 chipset — and has a microSD card slot as well.
Like its bigger cousin, it also comes with a 13-megapixel back camera, a 5-megapixel front unit and runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop.
YU 6000 vs LETV Le 1s
The biggest competitor to the upcoming phone will be the LeTV Le 1s, which is priced at Rs 10,990 in India.
For the extra Rs 1,000, you get double the storage and a processor that is about 80% more powerful than the MT6753 found inside the Yu model.
You also get excellent build quality and metallic looks as well.
Another crucial factor is brand quality and reputation.
Yu, which saw a fair bit of success with its Yuphoria and Yureka models, has had a mixed reputation when it comes quality and service. Its latest launch, the Rs 25,000 Yutopia, did not do as well as expected due to persistent software snags and reports of the camera-lens falling off.
However, consumers will evaluate each of Yu’s models on its own merits, and if the initial impressions are alright, the 6000 can prove to be a fairly successful model for the company.
Another possibility — though currently a remote one — is that of the model being priced cheaper than Rs 9,999 when it is launched in a week. Yu has a track-record of cutting prices when faced with heavy competition, as happened in the case of Yureka Plus vs Lenovo K3 Note.
Though it reduced Yureka Plus’ priced from Rs 9,999 to Rs 8,999, Lenovo K3 Note continued to dominate the segment without having to lower its price from Rs 9,999.
In other words, price cuts cannot be a strategy for growth unless your product delivers a satisfactory performance. As such, everything would depend on the quality of the Yu6000, and anything less than a top-class device will fail in this ultra-competitive segment of the market.
Another upcoming factor is the launch of Reliance Jio’s 4G services, which could happen as early as Sunday (according to a mystery tweet.)
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