Yu Yuphoria initial impressions: Here’s who it is and isn’t suited to

The Yu Yuphoria launched in the country to much fanfare, as the company proclaimed this to be the first truly affordable, made for India, metal phone. Its overarching talk points are attention to detail in design, a fast and configurable Cyanogen-based Android Lollipop OS, dual SIM LTE support, and good photography capabilities: this phone clearly aims to re-draw the line that defines what a 7,000-Rupee phone should comprise.

But there really is no such that as a perfect phone, is there? Manufacturers assign different weightages to individual features, effectively ‘tweaking’ them toward specific applications: gaming, photography, business and the like. So where does the Yuphoria sit on the entire spectrum that comprises phone usage?

Let’s take a closer look at each of this phone’s key specifications and figure out how it stacks up across popular use cases.

Photographers
You care about: photo and video apps, require several camera modes
Key requirements: a very good camera, plenty of storage, snappy performance

This phone packs an 8MP f/2.2 main camera and also includes the regular HDR and Landscape modes. But it also features noise reduction, making it especially suited to low-light conditions. 1080p video recording, which is par for the course these days, is included along with several interesting effects like slow motion and time lapse. There is a zero shutter lag option that captures single frames and burst shots with virtually no lag; a definite plus for grabbing that fleeting photo op. Also from the 16GB of internal storage about 11.8GB is available, which is a decent amount to get you started before you decide to expand up to 32GB via microSD.
Photography verdict: 4 out of 5

Gamers
You care about: graphics performance, battery life, screen, storage
Key requirements: Fast processor and GPU, plenty of storage, hi-res and relatively large screen

The phone’s Qualcomm MSM8916 Snapdragon 410 runs at 1.2 GHz and is a quad-core part. Graphics are handled by the Adreno 306 processor. Together, this is a decent combination for running your regular the Temple Run and Angry Bird fare, but anything more graphically demanding like Asphalt 8 or Real Racing will stress this phone, especially at amped up settings. Also the 1280x720, while sharp at 294 ppi , is still a 5-inch screen: a gamer might be more satisfied with a tad more screen real estate. The 2230 mAh battery cuts it for a reasonable duration of intense gaming--an hour or so over the course of the day--but a avid gamer will need locate a charger by nightfall.
Gaming verdict: 2.5 out of 5

Heavy social media users
You care about: social media apps, selfies, messaging apps
Key requirements: Decent storage, good battery life, UI customization, decent cameras

Apart from the decent local storage on this phone, social media junkies would appreciate the good rear camera and the especially good 5MP f/2.2 front camera: its 86-degree field of view makes it especially suited to capturing a wider scene for those big-group selfies. And if it is primarily social media apps, the 2230 mAh should more than suffice for lasting well over an entire day.
Social media verdict: 4.5 out of 5

Music and video buffs
You care about: local music playback apps, audio streaming apps, have a large music library (many files hi-res audio)
Key requirements: a great sound subsystem, plenty of sound-crafting software options

Here is an area this phone particularly stands out: packing a Wolfson DAC audio system that is capable of decoding hi-res uncompressed audio, your song library will sound significantly better, straight off the bat. Further, it has extensive equalization options to fine-tune your listening experience. Oh, and that built-in speaker can indeed get surprisingly loud. On the video front, the sharp IPS screen makes for a good viewing experience. Storage-wise, 32GB of expandable memory is good, but 64GB would have been better for storing those entire seasons of Walking Dead.
Movie and video verdict: 4 out of 5

Business users
You care about: Svelte looks, light weight, great battery life, good performance
Key requirements: Snappy UI performance, support for business apps

Business users will appreciate this phone’s understated elegance, especially with that distinctive seamless metal band around edge. The phone does look svelte, is quite snappy to use with the tuned Cyanogen OS, and weighs in at a lithe 143 gms. Also, busy professionals would appreciate its ability to charge to 65 percent over the course of a 45 minute lunch break.
Business verdict: 4 out of 5

Power users
You care about: Performance! Performance! Performance!
Key requirements: a fast processor and GPU, plenty of storage, snappy UI

If you’re a user that simply needs everything to run super-quickly, it’s not going to happen. The Yuphoria’s processor and graphics subsystems are well suited to entry-level to mid-range workloads, but if you push graphics- and processor-intensive applications at it, it will break a sweat. So power users who want all-round performance will not find it in this Rs 7,000 phone (or any Rs 7,000 phone for that matter).
Power user verdict: 3 out of 5

The bottom line: At this price, the Yuphoria is a very well built and slickly designed 4G phone that does a commendable job across usage categories, with exceptional performance on the social media, music and photography front.