Micromax and Cyanogen today unveiled their first smartphone under the YU brand — the YU Yureka. The mid-range handset runs on Cyanogen Mod 11 and sports mid-range specifications. 

This new handset from the Micromax’s subsidiary is aimed squarely at Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 4G. The Yureka sports a 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor, a 5.5-inch 720p display, 2GB RAM, a 13MP rear camera with f/2.2 aperture and a 5MP front-facing camera with a 71-degree wide viewing angle. Other specs of the handset include a 2500mAh battery, 16GB of internal storage with microSD card, 4G LTE network support, and dual SIM functionality.

The handset will be running on CyanogenMod 11, which itself is based on Android 4.4.4 KitKat. It will come with a plethora of customization options — something for which CyanogenMod is renowned for. Keeping in mind the hacker friendly nature of the device, YU will not void the warranty if the bootloader is unlocked or the device is rooted. Cyanogen folks at the event announced that they will be rolling out OTA updates for the handset on a monthly basis to enhance existing features or add new ones. Micromax also promises that it will be posting the full source code of the device online for developers and advanced users to tinker around with.

The Yu Yureka will only be available in Moonstone Black through Amazon India. Like Xiaomi, Micromax will be hosting weekly flash sales of the handsets. Registrations to buy the device start from December 19th with the handset going on sale in the second week of January 2015.

Micromax has always been known for selling rebranded Chinese phones in India and the Yu Yureka is no different. The handset is a rebranded Coolpad F2 4G with only the software part being handled by Cyanogen Inc. The latter has been in the news for terminating its contract with OnePlus and granting exclusive rights to its OS to Micromax in India.