By 
We’re not ashamed to admit that we have a bit of a crush on YotaPhone. It all started back at Mobile World Congress in early 2013 when we got our hands on YotaPhone’s first device. The idea of a secondary display that uses very little battery amazed us. Now YotaPhone is back with a refined version of their dual-display phone, and this one is ready for the masses.
Earlier this week we got a brief demo of the YotaPhone 2 from the CEO himself. Today we’ve got our own YotaPhone 2 to play with. Since this is such a unique and exciting device we decided to do a full unboxing. Check out the video below to see the unboxing and initial set-up.
Now for some specs. The front “colour” display is 5-inches with full 1080p resolution. The back “always-on” display is e-ink with 960 x 540 resolution. That equates to 235ppi, which is better than the Kindle Paperwhite. Other specs include Android 4.4 KitKat, Snapdragon 800 processor, 8MP camera, 2GB of RAM, and 2500mAh battery.
The YotaPhone 2 might not have the best specs around, but that doesn’t really matter for a device like this. The e-ink display is the selling point. It’s something no other device can compete with. Right now the YotaPhone 2 is available in 20 countries, but they are in talks with all major US carriers to bring it here. Are you interested in the YotaPhone 2?
I am super interested… Im holding unto my GS3 until I see a phone that strikes me. I have said recently that android has evolved to the point that you don’t need the best specifications to experience a smooth performance..
Nah!! You goin’ get the phone with the best specs. =.P
LoL!! But you’re right. I do like this idea. I do a lot of blog reading. Can’t watch the video now, but I hope you’re able to navigate through browsers.
You can do anything on it now. It’s just bad for videos because there’s always a delay on e-ink displays, just like the Kindles and other like items.
Super awesome idea. Love it. I think it is one of the best ideas in phone tech in recent years. Not sure why the buzz has not caught on.
The phone specs suck, it gets terrible reviews on the web, but the e-ink display concept is just awesome. I hope this idea catches on with other makers – forget Samsungs korny side screen this is WAY better. Maybe they need to find a way to make retrofit backs and a phone app to make it an after market feature on any top tier phones and not worry so much about making phones. Just focus on the concept and getting it working ideally and make it a retrofit to other better higher tier phones than they make.
I definitely would not say the specs “suck.” It has a 1080p display and a more than capable processor. Maybe they aren’t top of the line, but the specs here are not that bad.
C’mon this is 2015! We’re supposed to have shoes that lace themselves, hoverboards, miniature pizzas that can be microwaved into full sized pizzas, and phones with 256 cores, all the RAMs, and all the pixels. :P
Specs really don’t matter past a certain point if the software and user experience is optimized correctly. I agree, these specs are fine.
It’s not about the BEST specs.. but it is about keeping up with specs and evolving them.
But I am seeing opinions like yours more and more now when people like me post up.. people bagging on people for wanting companies to keep up and progress and just be happy with what is available now because “these specs are fine” – which is not even what I am claiming to want. Sorry, I do not subscribe at all to that mentality as that mentality would mean we would have stayed at 512mg RAM as people thought that was “fine”. Or 2g speed as that was “fine”. Or 512mb memory as that was “fine”. Or 3″ screens as that was “fine”. No.. none of it is fine when others are advancing their specs. I am talking about advancing forward and keeping up with specs.. not about HAVING to have the best of the best.
This phone does not advance or keep up. Period.
It’s not all about the spec wars. Just a few techies really care about the specs. I placed myself in that grouping, but recently I haven’t had the ‘need’ to upgrade because all the flagships I’ve bought in the past two years are still top of the line today mainly due to software support. We’re in the age of the current PC market where for everyday use, we have enough power.
“This phone does not advance”
Who else is making a dual screen phone(not a ticker like the Edge), AND can pull off a week of battery. No one else.
And it has quick charge(think that’s what I heard), so it’s not that dated. The primary pull for this device is the e-ink, which ask Amazon and they’ll tell you that specs don’t matter.
Hmmm, but for 2015 the specs are not terrible, but not worth buying IMHO. Inside 1-2 months, these are dated.
Running 4.4 in 2015? 5.0 is out already.
8mp camera? 15-20+ have been around.
2500 mAh in 2015?
2gb RAM – 3 and now 4 are out, 3 is very common in 2014 and really a minimum IMHO for future user with all we do now with devices.
2.3ghz is not bad, but what processor? It is not an 810 which is around the corner.
Physical dimensions and weight are not impressive nor are build materials.
People can clown the desire to have newer specs (see below) all they want but the simple fact is the phone specs need to stay up with the times because the next phone will while they don’t.
This phone, as I said above, is not really about the phone. The phone itself is meh… it is about the e-ink. THAT is the key here. Not this phone. And the e-ink concept is fan-friggen-tastic.
I don’t think the phone will sell. But that is not important, at least to the Yota company itself. Important things are inventions that came into making this phone and through which the company will be eventually bought by someone big. Heat dissipation without impacting e-ink’s performance, Android with dual displays, etc. Good job, guys!
Looks like a Nexus S from the front.
Such a nice looking device. I’m hoping that something like this catches on and a part for the Project Ara phones comes out so I can build my own Yotaphone possibly
Ok nobody betta not call me no Apple fanboy because I never did nor will own a iPhone, but Apple seems to take specs that don’t mount up to android but has optimized there software to almost perfection, the 8mp camera, awesome pic quality and it’s pretty dam fast, with that being said, android need to not increase so fast after the sd810 and find a way to get top potential out of sd810 and the 3 to 4 gigs that goin to come with it, and look to add updated guts in around fall 2016 and not spring that way they can test the new cpu and gpu more for max performance, I mean I love New tech but when we get tech I know we not getting it at its full potential
As a phone I personally have no interest in buying. You put the same concept in a 8-9 inch 4:3 tablet and I will throw money at you.
This will be my secondary, possibly primary device.
Any chance on knowing the specific bands supported? I need T-Mobile LTE support.
Edit: history has shown me the most likely candidate, and it ain’t T-Mobile. Damn.
Okay, as I’ve recently gotten into doing this “reading” thing, I’ve got to ask if this Yota phone lights up in the dark like the Paperwhite?
(you’d think with a backlight that you might as well read on a tablet, but the e-ink is so much easier on the eyes specially just before bed time)
Most likely not. The Paperwhite light isn’t actually back light but front lighting. (See more at http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/travel/amazon-kindle6.htm). As a result of that there’s an offset between the screen and the bezel, which the Yota doesn’t.
Insurance mandatory