Yureka! Micromax goes after Android fans with new CyanogenMod phone, starting at just $140

Indian phone maker Micromax launched its newest – and perhaps most important – smartphone in India this afternoon.

Priced at US$142 (INR 8,999), the Micromax Yureka is the first phone from the company to be based on the CyanogenMod version of Android. The new Yureka will be available for pre-registration on Amazon India from tomorrow, December 19, and the sale is expected to start sometime January 2015.

Micromax acquired rights to be Cyanogen’s exclusive partner in India earlier this year, which made life difficult for Chinese phone maker OnePlus when it entered India. Yesterday, the Delhi High Court barred OnePlus from selling, marketing, or importing phones in India as the disupte over Cyanogen rumbles on.

Speaking at the launch, Rahul Sharma, co-founder of YU Televentures, a subsidiary of Micromax, termed CyanogenMod OS as a “temple of customization” and claimed that Yureka will focus on “personalization, security, and performance.” The co-founders of Cyanogen, Steve Kondik and Kirt McMaster, who joined the launch via videoconference, commented that Cyanongen will be localized for India in the near future.

Micromax has also gone after the budget phone market with its recent Android One-based model, the Canvas A1. Our review of the Canvas A1 is here.

That Android One-based phone was the first time Micromax tried selling exclusively online, and now it’s doing the same thing with the Yureka. Multiple brands have adopted an online-only strategy in India, such as Motorola and Xiaomi.

Yureka specs

• 5.5-inch 720p HD display
• 2GB RAM
• 16GB of internal storage with expansion slot
• 13MP rear camera
• 5MP front-facing camera
• 4G and 3G support
• Android 4.4.4 Kitkat, CyanogenMod skin
• 2500mAh battery

See: Here are the 10 best smartphones available in India right now