Yu Yureka vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G Comparison: Which is the best budget Smartphone?

This can be one of the ultimate smartphone battles, though the ones we are going to compare aren’t the best devices in the market. They are only good for the price, and for several factors, Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G and the Yu Yureka can be called the best budget smartphones with 4G connectivity, currently. But, there are some advantages of one over the other, and in the end, it comes up to what you want in your smartphone – compromising a bit on some less important factors.

The specs on both the smartphones are convincing enough, as they come with the 720p 5.5-inch display, 13-megapixel rear and 5-megapixel front cameras, and while the Yureka (Check Yureka specs) has a Snapdragon 615 chipset, the Redmi Note 4G (Check Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G specs) comes with the Snapdragon 400 chipset. There is quite some difference in the processors, though the performance doesn’t solely depend on the internal hardware.

With the build quality, I am still not convinced about the build quality of Yureka, which although is much lighter at 155gm compared to 185gm weight of Redmi Note 4G and thus more preferred, the body of Yureka gives that feel of holding a cheap phone. But at the same time, we don’t give full credit to the Redmi Note 4G, as the curvy corners and glossy back make it more slippery in the hand.

Chrome finish buttons are seen on both, but the placement is very awkward on the Yureka, with the volume button getting pressed whenever the power button is being pressed on the other side, while we try to stabilize the device with the same hand.

While both the devices come with the same screen size and display resolution, they are a lot different in content output, as the Yureka seems to have an over-saturated display while the Redmi Note 4G has lesser saturation than needed on some colors. Especially in the greens and blue, the pictures will give you a fare idea on how the Redmi Note looks a little more natural, but the Yureka does a little better job in sunlight readability with the adaptive brightness. The sharpness seems better on the Yu Yureka, and the contrast is better as well. Still, we’re not convinced overall with the display, as the blue saturation takes away the natural feel.

The cameras although are same with the megapixel count, there is a big difference in both – software and hardware. Sony’s sensor is seen in Yureka while there is a Samsung sensor in Redmi Note 4G. Capture quality is much comparable in broad daylight, both the devices taking photos with similar quality. But when we took a few low light captures, the difference is a lot and it comes down to how the user want the captures to be – bright but a lot grainy in Yureka, darker but less grainy in Redmi Note 4G.

You can notice it in the capture samples that the blue and green come out more than what you expect with Yureka, and its the other way around in Redmi which tends to have lower saturation.

While the camera shakes are very much evident in videos captured from both the devices, it was lesser on the Redmi Note 4G’s video.

Yureka with CyanogenMod ROM wins, hands down. It comes with Android 4.4.4 based CyanogenMod 11s, while the Redmi Note 4G comes with Android 4.4.2 based MIUI v5. MIUI seems a very limited OS, as the user has a few options to play around with, compared to the big number of features and customizable options given to enhance the user experience in CyanogenMod.

The performance on both the devices is good, but Yureka is a touch better – credits to both the processor as well as the CyanogenMod. Switching between apps or scrolling through the home screens seems smooth and quicker in the Yureka, than in the Redmi Note 4G. While gaming, the experience is almost the same, with Yureka getting heated to a considerable amount.

While the OS and performance is where the Yureka excels, the Redmi Note beats it with the battery life. It is not just about the capacity, but also with the way battery drains on data network connectivity and while keeping the screen active. The 2500 mAh battery in Yureka lasted for 21 hours with about 3 hours of screen-on time, when we used only Wi-Fi most of the time, but could last for just 11 hours on 3G network. The 3100 mAh battery on Redmi Note 4G could go on for about 31 hours with similar conditions on Wi-Fi, and over 19 hours on 3G.

The connectivity is almost the same, with both the devices supporting 4G LTE with Indian band support and other standard connectivity options. But for the SIM options, the Yureka comes with two SIM card slots, compared to a single SIM slot in Redmi Note 4G. We haven’t been able to test the 4G connectivity properly on both, except some usage on 4G in the Redmi Note 4G, which is not good enough to conclude about the connectivity.

Overall, which one fares better? Given there is no big difference in the pricing, it is more about what the user wants from their smartphone. While Yureka seems better in some areas, the Redmi Note 4G emerges a winner in some other. If you are looking for a smartphone with an OS that makes you interested in doing more and more cool stuff, Yureka’s your choice. Yureka again is the one you should purchase if you are very much concerned about the overall performance. If you are someone more concerned about the battery than the OS, go for Redmi Note 4G. Slight difference in both, when it comes to display, camera and other hardware, but the decider between both is the number of SIM cards allowed, battery life and the interface.