‘Whatever Xiaomi can do, we can do better’, seems to be the mantra of Micromax’s online-only brand in India – YU. Apparently spooked by the sudden rise of Xiaomi immediately upon its arrival in the country last year, Micromax launched the ‘YU’ brand squarely to take on the celebrated Chinese company with its online-only offerings like the mid-range Yureka smartphone positioned against the Mi Note and the Yureka Plus, to compete against the Mi 4i. Earlier in the year, the company also launched the entry-level Yuphoria, aimed at thwarting the march of the Redmi 1S. Since then, YU has introduced a smart band called the YU Fit, at exactly the same price (Rs. 999 / $15) as the Mi Band from Xiaomi, and now, it looks as though the company is looking to target Xiaomi’s Mi Power Banks by launching a couple of its own.
India’s import and export tracking website Zauba has recently registered the import of 10,000 YU-branded power banks, half of them rated at 5,000 mAh each, whereas the other 5,000 units are rated at 19,000 mAh apiece. The devices have come into the country from China, through the IGI airport in Delhi, and are priced at Rs. 440 ($7) apiece for the 5,000 mAh units and Rs. 650 ($10) apiece for the 10,000 mAh units. These are, of course, import prices, and do not include import duties and retailer margins. The final retail pricing will typically be significantly higher, depending on the product and the amount of import duties it incurs. Once launched, the device will compete against similar products already in the market from a number of smartphone makers like Xiaomi, Asus, Huawei, OnePlus and Sony. While Xiaomi’s 10,400 mAh Mi Power Bank is priced at Rs. 999 ($15) in the country, Asus has priced its ZenPower 10,050 mAh units at Rs. 1,499 ($23). OnePlus sells its 10,000 mAh power banks for Rs. 1,399 ($21), which is the exact same amount that Huawei’s AP007 13,000 mAh power banks go for.
While these listed prices do give us an idea about the launch price of the upcoming power bank from YU, the company itself is yet to announce anything officially to the media. As for the availability of the upcoming power banks, the device is expected to be an Amazon exclusive, and YU is expected to make the devices available on the website over the next few weeks. It is worth noting that all of YU’s current offerings, including its smartphones and its YU Fit smart band, are available exclusively on Amazon.
