Introduction
Do we have a good one for you today – the HTC One M9 goes up against the new Yu Yuphoria. Can the $110 Yuphoria with a 64-bit processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, stand up to the all-metal HTC One M9? The HTC One M9 certainly outclasses the Yuphoria in just about every area, but for only $110, we must certainly give the Yuphoria a chance to compete against the HTC fan favorite.
The two devices share a few things in common – for starters, they both have almost the same physical size, mostly because they both use a 5-inch display with IPS LCD technology, although different resolutions. They both use a 64-bit processor – one with an Octa-core and one with a quad-core. Both have a microSD card slot to expand their internal memory and both use a large front-facing camera (FFC) – 4MP (UltraPixels) on the One M9 and 5MP on the Yuphoria. They both have the usual suspects – Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (4.1 on the One M9 and 4.0 on the Yuphoria,) GPS, a built-in FM Radio, quick ways to charge their batteries and a microUSB port for charging and data transfer.
Please take a deliberate look at the detailed Specifications Comparison chart below and here you will see just how these two great devices stack up against one another – click on the “View Full Comparison” link at the end of the chart to expand the details. After that, we will look at each individual device in greater detail and point out some of its pros and cons. From all of this information we will try to determine the winner based on specs and execution of design and functions.
Specifications
HTC One M9
The HTC One M9 could never be mistaken for anything else, although it looks deceivingly like the One M7 thanks to the removal of the duo-camera. It has HTC One’s all-metal body and a nicely curved backing making it a joy to hold. This year HTC did not make many changes in the design of the case, but they did make a subtle redesign around the sides of the body with a small lip for better gripping. This year, if anything, HTC is being criticized for not doing enough changes…but why change one of the nicest looking smartphones on the market?
The HTC One M9 sports a 5-inch Full HD Super LCD3 display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and 441 pixels-per-inch (PPI) – this compares to only an HD display on the Yuphoria with the 294 PPI. HTC selected the 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 with four cores clocked at 1.5GHZ and four cores clocked at 2.0GHz. The Yuphoria is using the 64-bit Snapdragon quad-core clocked at only 1.2GHz. The One M9 is packing 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, while the Yuphoria is packing 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, and both a microSD card for additional storage up to 128GB on the One M9 and 32GB on the Yuphoria.
HTC really did a makeover in the camera area and while they succeeded in making it better, it still does not include OIS. The main 4MP UltraPixel camera has been moved around to the front, which should provide great selfies and video chatting and allow it take good low-light pictures. HTC replaced the main camera with a 20MP sensor with autofocus and dual-tone LED flash. This compares to the small 8MP main camera on the Yuphoria, along with a large 5MP FFC. The One M9 uses a non-removable 2840mAh battery, which is larger than the 2230mAh removable battery in the Yuphoria. The One M9 does support Quick Charge 2.0 thanks to its Qualcomm processor, while the Yuphoria supports Quick Charge 1.0.
The HTC One M9 retains the dual front-facing stereo speakers with BoomSound, a built-in IR Blaster, NFC and comes in Gunmetal Gray, Amber Gold, Silver/Rose Gold and Gold/Pink. It is running Android 5.0.2 Lollipop and pricing is around $199 on a two-year contract and $600 off contract.
Yu Yuphoria
Yu Televentures is a wholly owned subsidiary of Micromax, a very popular Indian manufacturer of smartphones, well known for quality at a cheap price. The brand is finally starting to gain notoriety outside the country. The Yu Yureka, priced slightly higher, was the first YU device to hit the market earlier this year. The YU Yuphoria is their latest rendition of a quality smartphone at a rock-bottom price. The phone is mostly made of plastic with metal trim that goes around the nicely rounded outside edges. It has a rather unique setup on the right-hand side of the device – the power button is nestled between the slightly raised volume up and down buttons…a rather strange configuration, but one you will eventually get used to the feel.
The Yuphoria sports a 5-inch IPS LCD HD display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels and 294 PPI – this goes up against the One M9’s FHD 5-inch display with 441 PPI. The Yuphoria uses a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 quad-core clocked at 1.2GHz with 2GB of RAM and 16GB internal storage, complete with a microSD card slot for expansion up to an additional 32GB. The One M9 uses a 64-bit Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor 3GB and 32GB of internal memory, which also has a microSD card slot to add an additional 128GB of memory.
The main camera uses a 8MP sensor with autofocus and an LED flash, and it has a huge metal ring surrounding the lens – this goes up against the 20MP camera in the One M9 that adds a dual-tone flash…neither device has OIS. The Yuphoria has a large 5MP FFC for excellent social selfies and video chatting and the One M9 uses a 4MP UltraPixel sensor. The Yuphoria has a small, removable 2230mAh battery compared to the much larger 2840mAh non-removable battery in the One M9. Both batteries will get you through a normal day and both devices have quick charge features.
The Yu Yuphoria is a dual-SIM device and sports Pure Wolfson Sound and AAC speakers. Although the speaker on the device is on the soft side, you can appreciate it better through a good pair of earbuds (not the ones that come with the device). It is running Android 5.0.2 Lollipop with Cyanogen 12 riding on top. The phone is available in two colors – Buffed Steel and Champagne Gold for approximately $110.
…And The Winner Is…
Summary
This is really a tough one to select – on one hand you have the superior build and specs of the HTC One M9, but on the other hand, you have a device with decent specs that would satisfy many users and all for only $110 versus the $600 cost of the HTC One M9.
Well, call me crazy, but I would rather have the more sophisticated and better spec’d HTC One M9, so I am picking it as the winner of this comparison even though it is going to cost more money. It has the faster Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor, more RAM, more internal memory, better display, a bigger battery, NFC capability, a built-in IR Blaster, and those great sounding dual, front-facing stereo speakers with BoomSound.
Yes, the Yuphoria does only cost $110 – which is a great buy – but you are only getting a plastic device, a 720p display, a quad-core processor, lessor camera, only 2GB of RAM, only 16GB of internal memory, smaller battery, no NFC, no IR Blaster, a feeble speaker and an unpolished Cyanogen 12 overlay. A great phone for the money, but if you are a serious smartphone user that watches videos, listens to music and takes lots of pictures, I just believe you would be happier with the HTC One M9.
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