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Review Yota Devices Yotaphone Smartphone

More displays. The Yotaphone has been in the headlines for a while now, because it has one unique feature. Turn the smartphone around and you can see a second display, a so-called E-Ink display. Our review shows how the Russian company "Yota Devices" solved this design challenge.

For the original German review, see here.

Another manufacturer tries to compete in the fierce smartphone market. The company "Yota Devices" has existed for a couple of years now, but they never produced a smartphone before. Their latest product, only called Yotaphone, has one unique feature. Both the front and the back are equipped with a 4.3-inch display. The main screen has HD resolution and can be operated via touch inputs. The display at the back is primarily intended for the reading of web content or books since it is a so called E-Ink screen – but more on that later.

The further hardware specs of the Yotaphone are not overwhelming and already familiar. The dual-core SoC is provided by Qualcomm and has the designation Snapdragon S4 Pro MSM8960T. It runs with 1.7 GHz and is supported by 2 GB memory. The smartphone supports LTE and the 13 MP main camera can record Full HD videos with up to 30 fps. Is the innovation of two displays productive or is it an obstacle?

Case

The matte case is made of polycarbonate.
The matte case is made of polycarbonate.

We have no doubt that the integration of two displays into one device was a tricky challenge for the engineers of the Yotaphone. This also means that they apparently did not put a lot of effort into the design in return. The Yotaphone is almost boring when you compare it with the HTC One, for instance. We really do not like the slant on the back since it gives the case an unsymmetrical appearance.

The frame of the case is made of polycarbonate and it is matte and catchy. The back of the case primarily consists of the second display and is coated with a matte material. An overall weight of 146 grams (~5 ounces) means that the Yotaphone is 3 grams (~0.1 ounces) heavier than the Motorola Moto G, but also 1.6 mm thinner in return (133.6 x 67 x 9.99 mm; 5.3 x 2.6 x 0.4 inches). We are positively surprised by the torsion resistance and stability of the smartphones since we expected bigger problems because of the second display. There is still a problem with the design since many users get a cover to protect their devices against scratches, but you have to protect a second display in this case. That pretty much only leaves a bumper, which cannot really protect the display on the back. We always thought about the unprotected display on the back – but this cannot be avoided with two screens.

Connectivity

The Yotaphone has no back cover, so you cannot open the device. The battery is integrated and it requires a lot of effort to replace it, but you will also lose the warranty. It has 32 GB integrated storage.

As usual, the micro USB port is on the bottom. There are no buttons at the right side of the case; the volume can be adjusted with a rocker at the left side. A 3.5 mm headset can be attached at the top. Yota Devices decided to use an unusual layout for the power button to save space. The micro SIM slot has a button at the right that can be used to turn the device on and off. Our enthusiasm is limited and we do not really like to waive the familiar power button, which is used for the HTC One or Samsung Galaxy S4.

There are no buttons on the right side...
There are no buttons on the right side...
...and the bottom only accommodates the micro USB port.
...and the bottom only accommodates the micro USB port.
Left side: Volume rocker
Left side: Volume rocker
Top: 3.5 mm stereo jack and power button (including micro SIM slot)
Top: 3.5 mm stereo jack and power button (including micro SIM slot)

Software

The manufacturer was forced to adjust the software because of the two displays and their different functionality. A tutorial explains the handling of the E-Ink display before the initial start-up including the login or creation of a Google account. After that, you quickly realize that you are dealing with a stock Android operating system. Version 4.2.2 is preloaded and there is not much bloat ware. There is currently no statement from the manufacturer about further updates.

Reasonably accurate GPS signal indoors
Reasonably accurate GPS signal indoors

Communication & GPS 

The Yotaphone is equipped with the common wireless modules and even supports LTE (download: 43 Mbps). The smartphone can be used with the following frequencies: 800/1,800/2,600 MHz. If there are no LTE networks you can also use UMTS (900/1,800/2,100 MHz). It can communicate with WLAN routers according to the 802.11 a/b/g/n standards. Unfortunately, there were problems with the WLAN signal. Other mobile devices had a stable connection while the Yotaphone regularly lost the WLAN signal. This would not be a huge problem if the smartphone would automatically reconnect with the router, but we had to deactivate and then activate the WLAN module first. The signal is then reliable until the next connection loss. Bluetooth 4.0 can be used for short-range data transfers and we could not determine any problems. NFC and Infrared are however not supported.

The integrated aGPS module also supports the Russian GLONASS network. The connection is already reasonably accurate indoors and the comparison with the Garmin Edge 500 is not too bad. The complete route only shows a deviation of 300 meters (~328 yards) and we can clearly see that the GPS sensor lost the connection in the forest. This is also the reason that the smartphone only calculates the linear distance after the new satellite fix. The result is decent, but it cannot keep up with the iPhone 5S or iPhone 5C.

Garmin Edge 500 Bridge
Garmin Edge 500 Bridge
Garmin Edge 500 Complete
Garmin Edge 500 Complete
Garmin Edge 500 Forest
Garmin Edge 500 Forest
Yotaphone Bridge
Yotaphone Bridge
Yotaphone Complete
Yotaphone Complete
Yotaphone Forest
Yotaphone Forest

Telephone Functions and Voice Quality

There is absolutely no criticism in regard to the voice quality. We could not determine any background noises, even after multiple test calls. Voices are clear and easy to understand and the volume is sufficient as well, but obviously, the result depends on the current signal quality. A provided In-Ear headset ensures that you can also make calls when you are driving.

Cameras & Multimedia

The Yotaphone is equipped with two camera modules. A 1 MP front camera is primarily intended for video chats. The results of the small sensor are surprisingly good and still usable in darker environments. The main sensor is at the back and has a very high resolution of 13 MP. High-end competitors from LG or Samsung do not have a higher resolution either and the main camera is supported by an LED flash. Videos can be recorded in Full HD and with up to 30 fps. The position of the camera however is not perfect. You quickly block the sensor if you want to make a quick snapshot in portrait mode.

The results of the Yotaphone are good compared to other camera modules. Our test pictures are razor-sharp and show accurate colors. Only the picture "environment" shows that the small sensor did not get enough light, which results in darker peripheral zones. This effect is stronger with fading ambient light. 

Apple iPhone 5
Apple iPhone 5
Apple iPhone 5
Apple iPhone 5
Apple iPhone 5
Apple iPhone 5
Nokia Lumia 1520
Nokia Lumia 1520
Nokia Lumia 1520
Nokia Lumia 1520
Nokia Lumia 1520
Nokia Lumia 1520
Samsung Galaxy S4
Samsung Galaxy S4
Samsung Galaxy S4
Samsung Galaxy S4
Samsung Galaxy S4
Samsung Galaxy S4
Reference camera Sony Alpha A57 16 MP
Reference camera Sony Alpha A57 16 MP
Reference camera Sony Alpha A57 16 MP
Reference camera Sony Alpha A57 16 MP
Reference camera Sony Alpha A57 16 MP
Reference camera Sony Alpha A57 16 MP
Yota Devices Yotaphone
Yota Devices Yotaphone
Yota Devices Yotaphone
Yota Devices Yotaphone
Yota Devices Yotaphone
Yota Devices Yotaphone
Scope of delivery
Scope of delivery

Accessories & Warranty

The box of the Yotaphone is very appealing. The black box can be unfolded and all the accessories are revealed. Even though there are not many provided accessories, you still get the most important things. Besides a modular charging cable, you also get an In-Ear headset.

The warranty period was not yet specified at the time of this review. The provided brochures refer to the website, but there is no information, either. We contacted the manufacturer and we will update this section as soon as we get the information.

Input Devices and Handling

The E-Ink display is operated via navigation bar.
The E-Ink display is operated via navigation bar.

We already mentioned that the handling of the two displays is a bit special. The main display also has a hidden navigation bar beneath it. You can also activate the "standard" navigation bar within the screen if you have problems with the gestures. A clear disadvantage of this solution is that you lose around 5 mm of the display content. The Yotaphone is almost wasteful with the space when you compare it with the LG G2. There is still a lot of room on all four sides of the display. The front display can recognize up to ten inputs simultaneously and executes inputs precisely and without noticeable delays. Operating the E-Ink display on the back is completely different since you cannot control it with touch inputs. It is operated with a touch bar (also embedded and invisible) beneath the screen. The required gestures are explained well in the tutorial. The E-Ink display has decisive advantages because the technology only consumes energy when the display content changes. The display can also be used under direct sunlight. We searched the internet for a recipe and transferred it to the E-Ink display via gesture to test the handling in practice. We could easily check the list of ingredients in the supermarket because the display was always active. Later we could just put the smartphone on the countertop to see the recipe. This is obviously also possible with a normal smartphone, but the improved comfort of the Yotaphone must not be underestimated.

Display

Main screen with HD resolution
Main screen with HD resolution

Both displays have the same size of 4.3 inches. The main screen can be operated with the usual touch gestures and up to ten fingers simultaneously. It has an HD resolution of 1280x720 pixels with 16.7 million colors. The display on the back however can only be operated with the embedded touch bar; it cannot recognize touch inputs. The E-Ink display has a resolution of 640x360 pixels and can show 16 different shades of gray.

We only performed our display measurements with the main screen. It has maximum brightness of 586 cd/m² and an average luminance of 552.9 cd/m² (over nine sectors) with a brightness distribution of 89%. This is similar to the Moto G and much higher than the LG G2 (84%). The black value is unfortunately somewhat high (0.89 cd/m²) and affects the contrast ratio. It is still good with 658:1 but cannot keep up with the Moto G (817:1) or LG G2 (1085:1).

562
cd/m²
564
cd/m²
526
cd/m²
558
cd/m²
586
cd/m²
525
cd/m²
568
cd/m²
567
cd/m²
520
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 586 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 552.9 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 89 %
Center on Battery: 586 cd/m²
Contrast: 658:1 (Black: 0.89 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 7.04 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 4.5 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
Gamma: 2.05

CalMAN 5 and a colorimeter show that the representation of blue is too pale. The saturation also shows big deviations for green and red. The average DeltaE 2000 value of 7.04 is slightly raised, which is not surprising when you consider the mentioned color deviations. A gamma value of 2.05 on the other hand is on a good level. The grayscale presentation is improved with brighter shades of gray and gets very close to the ideal value.

Color Management
Color Management
ColorChecker
ColorChecker
Saturation Sweeps
Saturation Sweeps

Thanks to the very high average brightness, there are no problems with the visibility outdoors. The contrast ratio cannot quite keep up, but it is still high enough and does not affect the positive effect of the high luminance. But there is also a secret weapon when the sunlight is too bright. Just activate the E-Ink display with a two-finger gesture to duplicate the current display content. 

Outdoor capabilities main screen
Outdoor capabilities main screen
Outdoor capabilities E-Ink display
Outdoor capabilities E-Ink display

The main screen has excellent viewing angle stability. Even extreme angles do not affect the readability and the color deviations are very small. As it is customary for a current piece of high-end hardware, we could not determine any problems in this section.

Viewing angles Yotaphone
Viewing angles Yotaphone

Performance

The dual-core SoC of the well-known manufacturer Qualcomm is based on the Snapdragon S4 Pro-series. Each core has a clock of 1.7 GHz and is produced in a 28 nm manufacturing process. Graphics are handled by the Adreno 320 with a core clock of 400 MHz. The SoC is supported by 2 GB (LPDDR2) memory.

The dual-core processor has to compete with many quad-core CPUs in our performance benchmarks. We use three different tests to assess the performance. Our first test includes several synthetic benchmarks. The first Geekbench 3 result is very good, because it evaluates the single-core performance. The Yotaphone benefits from the clock of 1.7 GHz, but it cannot keep up with the rivals in the 32-bit Multi-Core test – quite the contrary. The other synthetic benchmarks show that our review unit can keep up surprisingly well with the high-end quad-core rivals.

Geekbench 3
32 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
Yota Devices Yotaphone
963 Points
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
1169 Points +21%
Alcatel One Touch Idol X
1337 Points +39%
Google Nexus 5
2239 Points +133%
32 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
Yota Devices Yotaphone
531 Points
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
341 Points -36%
Alcatel One Touch Idol X
399 Points -25%
Google Nexus 5
694 Points +31%
3DMark - 1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Score (sort by value)
Yota Devices Yotaphone
7216 Points
HTC One Mini
2617 Points -64%
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini GT-I9195
3018 Points -58%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
2771 Points -62%
Alcatel One Touch Idol X
1758 Points -76%
Epic Citadel
Ultra High Quality (sort by value)
Yota Devices Yotaphone
54.5 fps
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
34.4 fps -37%
Alcatel One Touch Idol X
14.6 fps -73%
Google Nexus 5
49 fps -10%
High Performance (sort by value)
Yota Devices Yotaphone
56.8 fps
HTC One Mini
52.2 fps -8%
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini GT-I9195
55.2 fps -3%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
58 fps +2%
Alcatel One Touch Idol X
46.5 fps -18%
Google Nexus 5
56.3 fps -1%
Linpack Android / IOS
Multi Thread (sort by value)
Yota Devices Yotaphone
266.9 MFLOPS
HTC One Mini
241.6 MFLOPS -9%
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini GT-I9195
347.8 MFLOPS +30%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
225.8 MFLOPS -15%
Alcatel One Touch Idol X
142.7 MFLOPS -47%
Google Nexus 5
273.8 MFLOPS +3%
Single Thread (sort by value)
Yota Devices Yotaphone
166 MFLOPS
HTC One Mini
153.8 MFLOPS -7%
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini GT-I9195
193.2 MFLOPS +16%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
88.4 MFLOPS -47%
Alcatel One Touch Idol X
73.1 MFLOPS -56%
Google Nexus 5
95 MFLOPS -43%

Legend

 
Yota Devices Yotaphone Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro MSM8960T, Qualcomm Adreno 320, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
HTC One Mini Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 8930AB, Qualcomm Adreno 305, 16 GB iNAND Flash
 
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini GT-I9195 Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 8930AB, Qualcomm Adreno 305, 8 GB SSD
 
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032 Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8226, Qualcomm Adreno 305, 8 GB SSD
 
Alcatel One Touch Idol X Mediatek MT6589, PowerVR SGX544, 16 GB iNAND Flash
 
Google Nexus 5 Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974, Qualcomm Adreno 330, 16 GB iNAND Flash

Other laws apply for the browser benchmarks. The Yotaphone has the chance to support the formerly shown performance, even though it is not easy against the high-end competition. Our review unit can beat the iPhone 5C in Mozilla's Kraken 1.1, but has no chance in Peacekeeper. The overall result is fair to middling, but worse compared to the synthetic benchmarks.

Browsermark - --- (sort by value)
Yota Devices Yotaphone
2399 points
HTC One Mini
2878 points +20%
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini GT-I9195
2188 points -9%
Alcatel One Touch Idol X
2377 points -1%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
2432 points +1%
Google Nexus 5
2803 points +17%
Apple iPhone 5c
2759 points +15%
Nokia Lumia 1520
2098 points -13%
Peacekeeper - --- (sort by value)
Yota Devices Yotaphone
628 Points
HTC One Mini
670 Points +7%
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini GT-I9195
530 Points -16%
Alcatel One Touch Idol X
686 Points +9%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
488 Points -22%
Google Nexus 5
835 Points +33%
Apple iPhone 5c
902 Points +44%
Nokia Lumia 1520
515 Points -18%
Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value)
Yota Devices Yotaphone
2570 Points
Google Nexus 5
5416 Points +111%
Google Nexus 5
4722 Points +84%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total (sort by value)
Yota Devices Yotaphone
10213 ms *
Alcatel One Touch Idol X
15642 ms * -53%
Google Nexus 5
7852 ms * +23%
Apple iPhone 5c
14535 ms * -42%
Nokia Lumia 1520
27067 ms * -165%
Sunspider - 1.0 Total Score (sort by value)
Yota Devices Yotaphone
1159 ms *
HTC One Mini
1252 ms * -8%
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini GT-I9195
1145 ms * +1%
Alcatel One Touch Idol X
1242 ms * -7%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
1414 ms * -22%
Google Nexus 5
1090 ms * +6%
Google Nexus 5
716 ms * +38%
Apple iPhone 5c
730 ms * +37%
Nokia Lumia 1520
545 ms * +53%

* ... smaller is better

Our last discipline evaluates the performance of the integrated flash storage. Google's Nexus 5 is, for instance, faster with sequential operations (read and write), but the situation changes with random accesses. Especially the Galaxy S4 Mini from Samsung cannot keep up with the Yotaphone and falls behind by up to 70%.

AndroBench 3-5
Random Write 4KB (sort by value)
Yota Devices Yotaphone
1.05 MB/s
HTC One Mini
1.18 MB/s +12%
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini GT-I9195
0.32 MB/s -70%
Alcatel One Touch Idol X
1.32 MB/s +26%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
2.52 MB/s +140%
Google Nexus 5
0.84 MB/s -20%
Random Read 4KB (sort by value)
Yota Devices Yotaphone
11.1 MB/s
HTC One Mini
10.53 MB/s -5%
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini GT-I9195
9.37 MB/s -16%
Alcatel One Touch Idol X
16.16 MB/s +46%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
13.61 MB/s +23%
Google Nexus 5
9.88 MB/s -11%
Sequential Write 256KB (sort by value)
Yota Devices Yotaphone
14.78 MB/s
HTC One Mini
15.71 MB/s +6%
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini GT-I9195
6.33 MB/s -57%
Alcatel One Touch Idol X
11.56 MB/s -22%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
12.54 MB/s -15%
Google Nexus 5
15.52 MB/s +5%
Sequential Read 256KB (sort by value)
Yota Devices Yotaphone
61.5 MB/s
HTC One Mini
53.1 MB/s -14%
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini GT-I9195
50.9 MB/s -17%
Alcatel One Touch Idol X
94 MB/s +53%
Motorola Moto G 1. Gen XT1032
103.3 MB/s +68%
Google Nexus 5
74.9 MB/s +22%

Videos & Games

The Yotaphone is powerful enough for current 3D games as well as Full HD video playback. We were not able to produce artifacts or other problems. Contrary to many quad-core rivals, the SoC unfortunately does not support QFHD videos. We could only hear the audio, even with third-party applications from the Play Store.

"GTA Vice City"
"GTA Vice City"
"Modern Combat 4"
"Modern Combat 4"

Emissions

Temperature

The two CPU cores produce quite a lot of heat. We measured an average temperature between 34 °C and 37.5 °C (93.2 and 99.5 °F; front and back) under load. The LG G2 with the high-performance SoC Snapdragon 800 is on a similar level, but the Moto G is around 5 °C cooler on average (~84 and 90 °F). Light workloads for the SoC quickly result in a temperature drop below 30 °C (86 °F) with 29.7 °C (85.5 °F) at the front and only 27.1 °C (80.8 °F) at the back. These results are normal and similar to the competition. The maximum temperature of the power supply unit is also acceptable with 39.9 °C (103.8 °F).

Max. Load
 40.3 °C
105 F
36.6 °C
98 F
35.9 °C
97 F
 
 40.4 °C
105 F
36.8 °C
98 F
38.4 °C
101 F
 
 37.5 °C
100 F
35.7 °C
96 F
35.7 °C
96 F
 
Maximum: 40.4 °C = 105 F
Average: 37.5 °C = 100 F
29.7 °C
85 F
33.2 °C
92 F
38.5 °C
101 F
30.7 °C
87 F
33.2 °C
92 F
40.1 °C
104 F
30.1 °C
86 F
32.8 °C
91 F
37.3 °C
99 F
Maximum: 40.1 °C = 104 F
Average: 34 °C = 93 F
Power Supply (max.)  39.9 °C = 104 F | Room Temperature 21 °C = 70 F | Voltcraft IR-350
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 37.5 °C / 100 F, compared to the average of 32.7 °C / 91 F for the devices in the class Smartphone.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 40.4 °C / 105 F, compared to the average of 35 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 56 °C for the class Smartphone.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 40.1 °C / 104 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 29.7 °C / 85 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.

Speakers

The E-Ink display will change into the "Player Mode" as soon as you start the music playback. It shows the current song and you can change the titles with the navigation bar beneath the display – a very useful feature in our opinion. The quality of the mono speaker is however not very convincing. The sound starts to distort and gets very tinny with around 50% of the maximum volume. You should use external speakers via Bluetooth 4.0 or the 3.5 mm stereo jack.

Energy Management

Power Consumption

Here we can see similarities with high-performance smartphones. The Yotaphone has a comparatively high energy consumption, both during idle and under load. Even the significantly more powerful LG G2 only has a maximum consumption of 4.8 Watts, but our review unit needs 0.6 Watts more. We will assess the effect of the high consumption on the battery runtime in the following section.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0 / 0.2 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 0.6 / 1.3 / 1.5 Watt
Load midlight 3.2 / 5.4 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Voltcraft VC 940
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Battery Runtime

The former results already suggested it. The combination of high energy consumption and a battery capacity of only 1,800 mAh do not result in impressive battery runtimes. The Yotaphone does not even manage two hours under load with a runtime of 1 hour and 55 minutes before you have to recharge the battery. The Moto G manages more than twice that (04:04 hours). The other extreme scenario shows a similar picture. We measured little more than 13 hours with minimum display brightness and deactivated wireless modules, which is a bit meager. The Moto G is again far superior with 25:15 hours. Our last test uses an adjusted display brightness of 150 cd/m² while a script simulates web browsing on several websites. The result can obviously not change the poor results so far. The runtime of the Yotaphone (09:10 hours) is 40% shorter than the Moto G (15:30 hours).

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
13h 15min
WiFi Surfing
9h 10min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 55min

Verdict

The Yotaphone with its two displays leaves a mixed impression.
The Yotaphone with its two displays leaves a mixed impression.

The Yotaphone realizes the very interesting concept of two screens. You can, for instance, quickly switch to the frugal E-Ink display if you want to read the paper. This display can also be used under direct sunlight. We could not find any wear on either of the displays during our review period, but it was a challenge to handle it with care. The device is theoretically always on one of the display because of the construction and is therefore susceptible to scratches.

The hardware of the Yotaphone is more than powerful enough for daily tasks and can handle every 3D game, only QFHD videos are not supported. Another drawback of the 1.7 GHz SoC is the comparatively high energy consumption. Even high-end devices from Samsung or LG are more frugal, which results in the meager battery runtimes. The Yotaphone is currently available for around 550 Euros (~$752). The concept of the smartphone is certainly very interesting, but the price is very high. 

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In Review: Yota Devices Yotaphone
In Review: Yota Devices Yotaphone

Specifications

Yota Devices Yotaphone (Yotaphone Series)
Processor
Graphics adapter
Memory
2048 MB 
Display
4.30 inch 16:9, 1280 x 720 pixel, capacitive, Main screen: LCD; E-Reader Display: EPD, Main screen: 16.7 mio. colors; E-Reader Display: 16-level grayscale, glossy: yes
Storage
32 GB eMMC Flash, 32 GB 
, 26.54 GB free
Connections
1 USB 2.0, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm stereo jack, Sensors: Accelerometer, Compass, Brightness sensor
Networking
802.11a/b/g/n (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.0, LTE (800/1800/2600 MHz), UMTS (900/1800/2100 MHz)
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 9.99 x 67 x 133.6 ( = 0.39 x 2.64 x 5.26 in)
Battery
, 1800 mAh
Operating System
Android 4.2
Camera
Webcam: Main camera: 13 MP; Front camera: 1 MP
Additional features
Speakers: Mono speaker, Keyboard: Touchscreen (virtual keyboard), unknown Months Warranty
Weight
146 g ( = 5.15 oz / 0.32 pounds), Power Supply: 62 g ( = 2.19 oz / 0.14 pounds)
Price
499 Euro

 

The Yotaphone combines two displays...
The Yotaphone combines two displays...
...in one device. The main screen...
...in one device. The main screen...
...is at the front and an E-Ink display...
...is at the front and an E-Ink display...
...is at the back.
...is at the back.
The smartphone also has two good camera modules.
The smartphone also has two good camera modules.
The case is, despite the missing back cover, very sturdy...
The case is, despite the missing back cover, very sturdy...
...and leaves a high-quality impression.
...and leaves a high-quality impression.
A matter of taste is the gradation at the top.
A matter of taste is the gradation at the top.
Turn the Yotaphone and...
Turn the Yotaphone and...
...you can see the E-Ink display with a 16-level grayscale.
...you can see the E-Ink display with a 16-level grayscale.
The display only uses energy when the content...
The display only uses energy when the content...
...is refreshed and it is also visible under direct sunlight.
...is refreshed and it is also visible under direct sunlight.
The black box is very stylish and reveals...
The black box is very stylish and reveals...
...the accessories when you unfold it.
...the accessories when you unfold it.
The virtual keyboard does not occupy a lot of space in portrait mode.
The virtual keyboard does not occupy a lot of space in portrait mode.
It occupies more space in landscape mode.
It occupies more space in landscape mode.
A tutorial explains the use of the two displays and...
A tutorial explains the use of the two displays and...
...you can make adjustments in the settings.
...you can make adjustments in the settings.
You can use 32 GB of storage (not expandable).
You can use 32 GB of storage (not expandable).
The dual-core SoC provides sufficient performance and the...
The dual-core SoC provides sufficient performance and the...
...other hardware specs, including 2 GB memory...
...other hardware specs, including 2 GB memory...
...suggest a powerful hardware combination.
...suggest a powerful hardware combination.
The Yotaphone is an impressive piece of technology, but the price is very high and...
The Yotaphone is an impressive piece of technology, but the price is very high and...
...there are some points of criticism.
...there are some points of criticism.

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Pros

+Two displays
+High brightness of the main screen
+Overall performance
+Good camera performance
 

Cons

-Price
-High energy consumption
-Unstable WLAN
-Temperatures under load
-Design

Shortcut

What we like

The performance of the SoC is on a high level and is sufficient for all tasks. Latest 3D games and Full HD videos are no problem for the Yotaphone.

What we miss

The battery runtimes are meager and you cannot replace the battery either. The problem with the WLAN connection is annoying and there is still no statement from the manufacturer if and when there will be an update.

What surprises us

Operating the two displays is very easy and the tutorial is very useful. The build quality is surprisingly good and leaves a sturdy impression, despite the missing back cover.

The competition

Motorola Moto G

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini

Samsung Galaxy S4

Google Nexus 5

LG G2

Apple iPhone 5C

Rating

Yota Devices Yotaphone - 02/03/2014 v3(old)
Daniel Schuster

Chassis
89%
Keyboard
42%
Pointing Device
86%
Connectivity
33%
Weight
100%
Battery
93%
Display
82%
Games Performance
37%
Application Performance
53%
Temperature
83%
Noise
100%
Add Points
75%
Average
73%
85%
Smartphone - Weighted Average
Daniel Schuster, 2014-02-12 (Update: 2018-05-15)