YU Yunicorn: The best YU smartphone, but can it challenge Redmi Note 3

Micromax's subsidiary, YU, has been focused towards offering feature rich affordable smartphones in the past. And the flagship from the company, the Yunicorn, has been priced at Rs 12,999. But can it compete against the popularity of Redmi Note 3?

With a big display at the front and branding at the rear, most of the smartphones look alike. But when I held the Yunicorn in my hand, it reminded me of the Meizu M3 Note (priced at Rs 9,999). Surprisingly, both the phones look identical like a unibody construction with a 5.5 inch full HD display and a home button with the fingerprint scanner at the front. The camera module along with the flash are also placed at the same location and so are the ports. Having said that, the Yunicorn feels good to hold.
 
Yunicorn is a dual SIM device running on Android Lollipop operating system. It has got a near stock UI and the company believes to call it Android on Steroids. The user interface is simple and the Around YU helps in quick search and now includes integrated wallet as well.. The device is powered by Octa-core MediaTek MT6755 processor and is paired with 4GB RAM. But having a 4GB RAM doesn't always promise an extra-ordinary performance. While the Yunicorn was able to handle most of the tasks with ease - including browsing, streaming videos and playing games - at times it slowed down a bit. There was lag while switching between multiple running apps. The device comes with 32GB internal storage and 128GB expandable storage. Connectivity options include LTE, Bluetooth 4.0 and WiFi.

Yunicorn packs with a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front facing camera. It has got various modes including HDR, Panorama, gesture shot and more. The camera locks focus instantly and captures images quickly. While the images looked good on the phone but when zoomed in lacked sharpness. The colours produced looked real.

The best part about the Yunicorn is its 4000 mAh battery, which lasted for a day on heavy usage.

Bag it or Junk it: The best YU smartphone till date, faces completion from Redmi Note 3 and LeEco Le 2

Price: Rs 13,499
Rating: 3.5/5
Plus: Build, battery
Minus: Performance Lag