The result of the work of developers from Yota Devices has always caused a lot of controversy. The first model of their smartphone was a very controversial product, and the point here is not only the presence of a second display. The developers themselves call the first model YotaPhone "zero generation" trial ball. And the countdown is offered with YotaPhone 2, which was presented in Moscow on December 2. And we are pleased to present you an overview of this much-awaited new product, a dual-display smartphone developed in Russia.



His prototype was revealed to the world in February of this year, at the MWC exhibition in Barcelona. The beginning of its mass production was scheduled for autumn, but the development process was a bit long. Starting November 19, Yota Devices accepted pre-orders for a new smartphone, and during the first day, 3,000 YotaPhone 2 from the first batch of 150,000 units were sold out.
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We have recently published a report on the Hi-P factory located in China, where YotaPhone 2 is being assembled. Its maximum capacity is 450,000 smartphones per month, and judging by the interest shown in YotaPhone worldwide, there is every chance production capacity to full.

Specifications

• OS: Android 4.4.3
• Network: LTE, UMTS, GSM / EDGE
• Processor: 4 cores, 2.2 GHz, Qualcomm Snapdragon 800
• RAM: 2 GB
• Built-in memory: 32 GB
• Camera: 8 megapixel, autofocus, flash, 2.1 megapixel front camera
• Color display: 5 '', 1080x1920, AMOLED, 442 ppi, Gorilla Glass 3
• Black and white display: 4.7 '', 540x960, 16 shades of gray, 235 ppi, Gorilla Glass 3
• Interfaces: Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac, microUSB 2.0, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
• Navigation: A-GPS, GLONASS
• Battery: 2500 mAh, Qi wireless charging
• Size: 144.969.48.95 mm, weight 145 g
• Price: 32 990 rubles

Design, ergonomics

The appearance of the smartphone is nothing like an angular brick, as was the first YotaPhone. In fact, the only thing that unites both devices is the presence of a second display.



The smartphone looks modern, stylish and at the same time strictly. And if the main display is covered with traditional flat glass, then the second, on electronic ink, received curved glass.



The smartphone is not wide, with narrow side frames, while being slightly elongated. The thickness of the case is small, YotaPhone 2 is light and fits perfectly in your hand. It can be compared with the fifth generation of Nexus smartphones.



If last year's YotaPhone with its design resembled the fashion of the 1980s, then its successor is not at all ashamed to show people. This device is not for geeks inclined to experiment, but rather an attractive modern apparatus.



The smartphone case is made of matte plastic, and both displays are protected by Gorilla Glass 3. The first YotaPhone was the first in the world with a curved glass from Corning. The hero of our review did not drop the proud banner of its predecessor, and also boasts not a flat, but a rounded Gorilla Glass.



Despite the significant expansion of the functionality of the second screen in the new model, you still have to talk on the phone from the side of the main screen. Only here is the speaker. Next to it is the front camera and proximity sensors and light. On the right side of the smartphone is the volume rocker. It is also part-time slot for nanoSIM-card.





The build quality is very good, no gaps, squeaks, backlashes. For users with large and medium-sized hands, it will be quite comfortable to use the smartphone, you will not need to call the second hand.

Displays

The main 5-inch display is made using Samsung's SuperAMOLED technology. Its resolution is 1080x1920. The second display, on electronic ink, received a resolution of 460x960, and its diagonal is slightly smaller than that of the main display - 4.7 inches.



Oleophobic coating is applied to the protective glasses of both displays. We did not make a full-fledged comparison, but according to the subjective feelings the main display is similar to that used in the Samsung GALAXY S4.



The maximum brightness of the main display - 327 cd / m2 (with a white fill over the entire area). Please note that the brightness level depends on the specific image - the larger the proportion of white on the display, the higher the brightness. Contrast is traditional for AMOLED-displays is very high, which has a positive effect on image quality. However, due to the use of a graphite substrate for effective heat removal at certain angles, the image gets a bluish metallic sheen. For the same reason, anti-glare properties are slightly worse than conventional AMOLED displays. The colors are not distorted, the viewing angles are very wide.



Unfortunately, the dynamic brightness of AMOLED makes it very difficult to estimate the average gamut. Depending on the templates used, we have a “corridor” from 2.4 to 2.8. However, subjectively, "by eye", no brightness dips were noted.



The average color temperature is about 6300K.



Very small deviations in the color balance are noted, the average error Delta E on the gray scale is only 2.51. In general, color rendition can be described as very accurate.



The color gamut traditionally for AMOLED is very wide, much larger than sRGB, which results in higher color saturation. Good or bad - depends on taste.



The depth of color is typed evenly.



The average color error Delta E was 4.32, according to the results of the evaluation on 24 ColorCheker templates. This is a fairly acceptable result, the distortion of natural colors does not go beyond the reasonable. Unfortunately, the manufacturer has not implemented various color profiles.

In general, the image quality causes positive emotions. The color rendition is very bad, the color balance is quite even, the contrast and viewing angles are traditionally high for AMOLED.

Tests and performance

The YotaPhone 2 used the filling at the level of last year’s flagships. Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor at a frequency of 2.2 GHz, 2 GB of RAM, Adreno 330 graphics chip. Those who like to use all the top-end will be disappointed, for the rest we say: the performance of the smartphone more than covers any tasks, we have not noticed any problems with the speed . Modern top-end smartphones YotaPhone 2 is not inferior in this regard. The only censure - sometimes there are small delays in the menu. It is planned that in the future the operating system will be updated to Android 5.0.















32 GB is available for data storage. Alas, there is no memory card slot. There is support for GPS, GLONASS, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0.

Working hours

The capacity of a non-replaceable battery is 2500 mAh, which is much more than the first YotaPhone. With the screen brightness maximized to the maximum, the smartphone lasted about 10 hours in the FullHD video playback mode. In normal use, the duration of work is 1.5-2 days. And this is when using the main display. If you try to use it to a minimum, using mainly the second display, then without charging the smartphone can work for 3-4 days. This is much more than the first YotaPhone, the developers have achieved considerable success. Of course, you will also need to turn on the power-saving mode, at the same time turning off various wireless modules and optimizing the work of a number of applications.

Also YotaPhone 2 allows you to use wireless chargers standard Qi. Good news for those who are too anxious about the wires.

Interface

The operating system uses Android 4.4.2. Graphic shell "native", not modified. Touch control buttons are located in the "basement" of the screen. It is much more convenient than the touch area under the display in the first YotaPhone.

The developers have created an original locking system. The device remembers how the user held the smartphone, what was its position in space. And when you press the power button activates exactly the display that was used last.

Particular attention is paid to the developers to expand the functionality of the second display. In the first model of the smartphone, it was mainly intended to display various notifications. Now the display on electronic ink allows you to fully manage the gadget: launch applications, switch between them, use all their capabilities. The smartphone has a number of applications optimized for working with the second display. Third-party developers are not forgotten - Yota Devices quickly prepared a new SDK.



On the second display you can also duplicate the image from the main display, with the possibility of full control. There are few restrictions, for example, it is impossible to shoot using the second display - the image from the camera is displayed only on the main display.



You can flexibly choose which notifications you want to see on the second display: calls, SMS, email, social networks, calendar events, etc. You can also customize the display based on the content, or in the form of counters of various events. Panels of various shapes are available, which can be combined in different ways, forming the most convenient and intuitive set of notifications. Of course, it is possible to select “wallpapers” for the second display, and you can choose either from the phone’s memory or by quickly downloading from social networks.







The ridge of the second display is the display of electronic books. The developers have created their own application for searching and reading literature, adapted for electronic ink. Although this does not mean that it can not be used on the main display. However, the application lacks some functionality, so let's hope for the soon emergence of alternatives from third-party developers. Not forgotten, and games in the smartphone already pre-installed chess and sudoku, also adapted to the second display.

Camera

Thank God, this time the camera is in a familiar place. If you remember, in the first YotaPhone it is located at the bottom in the corner, therefore, the fingers strove to close the lens. By the way, in the new smartphone the camera has a matrix of 8 megapixels, and in the previous one - 13 megapixels. However, the quality of photos has improved by increasing the area of ​​each pixel of the matrix. Although, in general, the results of the shooting are not impressive, the quality especially decreases with a small level of illumination - the noise increases and the color rendering deteriorates.

Next to the camera is an LED flash. The second display can be used for self-portraits, as well as duplicated photos are duplicated when using the main camera.

Sound

The player installed in the smartphone plays all kinds of audio formats, including AAC and FLAC. In general, the sound quality is average. There is also a built-in FM-radio, which in modern times has become almost uncommon.

Our opinion

In the retail sale YotaPhone 2 will arrive in the near future, and in the company's online store you can already buy it. The price is 32 990 rubles. Alas, but the rapid growth of the dollar found its negative reflection here.

The new smartphone has turned out much more interesting, modern, thoughtful and more useful than the first model. Of course, the main advantage of YotaPhone 2 over all other smartphones is the presence of a second display on electronic ink, which allows full use of the device, even without including the main display. You also can not discount the fact of the Russian development of YotaPhone 2. On the other hand, the device is offered in the price segment Samsung GALAXY S4 and Sony Xperia Z3, which have higher technical characteristics

Pros:

• original design;
• convenient work with E-Ink screen;
• two touch screens;
• good performance;
• wireless charger.

Minuses:

• average photo quality;
• no memory card.