Micromax's Yu Yureka Off to a Rocky Start; Launch Date Revealed

Micromax's new Yu brand of smartphones is off to a rocky start despite a launch that silenced critics of the company. The well-endowed Yureka smartphone that features a jaw-dropping price was supposed to go up for registrations via Amazon at 2pm on Friday, but saw a slight delay and then a few glitches to the registration mechanism. The January 13 launch date was also revealed alongside.

Disillusioned potential Yu Yureka owners took to social media to vent their frustration at the registration page, which apart from not working properly for some users and confusing others with the difference between the 'Register Now' button that was initially shown (see below) and the 'Subscribe' (see above) button that appeared later, was closed a few minutes later, thanking users for the 'overwhelming response'.

This was especially baffling, as the promotional image clearly described users could register till December 25 if they wanted to avail of the early bird offer of a free leather cover (if they purchased the phone on the January 13 launch day).

The Yu Twitter handle confirmed the registrations were closed as well, and told users "we will be back shortly." Roughly an hour later, the registration page was opened again.

(Also see: Micromax's Yu Yureka Looks Promising but Questions Remain)

The mismanagement of the registration process saw several comparisons with Xiaomi's flash sale system, with users calling the closure of the Yureka registration window within minutes a 'flash registration'. Of course, Xiaomi's phones go out of stock in seconds, and not the registrations.

(Also see: Micromax's Yu Yureka With 64-Bit Octa-Core SoC, Cyanogen OS Launched at Rs. 8,999)

The Yu Yureka has been priced at Rs. 8,999, and sports some rather impressive specifications at the price. The dual-SIM smartphone features Cat. 4 4G LTE connectivity, and runs Cyanogen OS 11 based on Android 4.4.4 KitKat. It bears a 5.5-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) IPS display with Gorilla Glass 3; a 64-bit 1.5GHz octa-core Snapdragon 615 SoC (MSM8939); an Adreno 405 GPU; 2GB of RAM; a 13-megapixel Sony Exmor CMOS sensor rear camera with an f/2.2 aperture and flash; a front-facing 5-megapixel fixed-focus camera; 16GB of inbuilt storage expandable via microSD card (up to 32GB), and a 2500mAh Li-Po battery.