Yu, a Micromax subsidiary, today launched its new flagship handset: the Yu Yunicorn. The handset has been launched less than six months after the company launched its first powerful flagship, the Yu Yutopia, which was heavily criticised for its heating issues.

The handset features a unibody metal design with brushed aluminium back and chamfered edges. The handset sports a 5.5-inch Full HD display that is protected by a curved 2.5D Arc Glass. Under the hood of the handset is a MediaTek Helio P10 chipset clocked at 2.2GHz. Despite its slim 8.15mm metal design, the handset packs in a beastly 4,000mAh battery. Other notable specs include 32GB of storage space and 4GB RAM. There is also a 13MP rear shooter with dual-LED flash and a 5MP front shooter. The phone features capacitive navigation keys, with the home button also featuring an integrated fingerprint scanner.

Unlike previous Yu devices, the Yu Yunicorn runs on Yu’s own OS dubbed Android On Steroids. The company’s partnership with Cyanogen OS has apparently ended, and while Yu OS does not come with the same level of customisation options, it does pack in features like a monochrome mode, Quick Music toggles, a vertical app drawer, integrated search bar, one-tap backup, and no bloatware. The company says that the whole OS is very close to stock Android with only some minor tweaks to enhance functionality. Yu is also sharing the source code of the OS with developers to aid third-party development.

The handset also comes with v2.0 of Around YU that provides quick access to doctors, news, YU Wallet, and more by simply swiping to the left most home screen. One of the highlights of Around YU 2.0 is that it allows one to directly book cabs from various taxi operators in India right from the Around YU screen. The feature works even if a user does not have any apps installed on their device.

The Yu Yunique will be available online exclusively through Flipkart from Rs. 12,999. After the initial few sales, the handset will be available for Rs. 13,499. It will be available in three colors: Rush Silver, Rush Gold and Silver. The Rush Gold is a special edition of the handset that will only be available for the first few sales.