The YotaPhone story has many facets. They belong to both the political sphere and public relations at the state level. The device was discussed by many experts, but none of them could fail to note that the history of the device has some political feature, inextricably linked with it.
As you know, Yota Devices has a co-owner. This is a state-owned corporation called Rostec. Its leader is currently Sergei Chemezov. Back in 2010, he at one of the presentations showed what the YotaPhone will look like. Moreover, this presentation was held among the first persons of our state. From this moment on, the attention of government officials to the project becomes very intense. And it cannot be said that every year it weakened. At least it remained the same, and this is the position of skeptics. Realists, on the basis of facts, say that every year the attention paid to the project of the first Russian smartphone only increased.
Speaking of the case, the creation of YotaPhone is the very case in which the result is not only proportional to the funds invested in the project, but equal to it. There are no weakening coefficients, and in front of us is a really working product that will be suitable for use, and not just as another decoration for exhibitions. Such cases, judging by statistics, are actually rare.
Only a year passes, and the second generation of the YotaPhone smartphone is ready. In it, unlike the first trial (and nevertheless quite decently working) device, a whole range of the latest features is implemented. Technical equipment allows you to push the device to a new level, and also creates the ability to bookmark "technical chips" in it, which are inherent only to the second generation of YotaPhone.
And be that as it may, the original turning point was not the moment of the presentation. The hype of the tangent generation of the Russian smartphone YotaPhone 2, the reviews of which we will consider in this article, has intensified even earlier.
Design
The first generation of the device was characterized by some bending of the case. The developers considered this design in some way a game. In their opinion, it was worth the candle: so, as conceived by the engineers, the user of the device should automatically put the device in such a way that an additional screen appears at the top. Such an experiment in terms of design looked quite unusual. But at the same time, users complained about the angularity. In addition, the YotaPhone 2 phone, reviews of which evaluate its design at 4 points, did not fit the dimensions inherent in the flagships produced at the same time. This happened due to inappropriate screen sizes.
Of course, there were people who clearly liked this design. However, three quarters of YotaPhone users surveyed about the design spoke out indifferently, if not negatively. There was no tangible “highlight”, such that it “hooked” users, on the device. The second generation of the smartphone has changed for the better. About YotaPhone 2 reviews are much better than about the first model, and this is achieved, among other things, by changing the screen diagonal. The flagship became even larger, and this allowed him to join the competition with rivals in the segment with renewed vigor.
No matter how I would like to praise the device, but its design is not original. Even individual users may notice features inherent in many other models and companies. If you expand the black and white screen of the second-generation Yotaphone device to yourself, then the shape of the case is similar to the shape of the flagships of such a well-known company as HTC. If you turn the device to yourself with the main screen, then it can be compared with the Galaxy S3, and we will have every reason to do this. In general, it turns out just some kind of hodgepodge. With just a glance at the front panel to distinguish from a device running Android OS, we will not succeed YotaPhone 2. Reviews once again confirm this. But the situation simply changes radically when the device is rotated 180 degrees and if there is an additional screen, an additional face.
Just a few words just about this screen. It always works, and this is a significant plus, going to the piggy bank of the device. Currently, Yota Devices has not yet fully revealed the potential of the screen, since it is clearly not enough for this weight on the market. However, no one doubts that it will become a function that will attract many buyers to its side. Of course, over time, such an innovation will become fashionable and in demand, provided that the company pays appropriate attention to the development of technology.
Dimensions
In all three planes, the dimensions of the device are as follows: height is 144 mm, width is 69.5 mm, and thickness is 8.9 mm. The weight of the device is 145 grams.
Strength
A very good feature in this regard is given by YotaPhone 2 owner reviews about it. The smartphone case is made of matte plastic. Coverage of screens on both sides of the device - Corning Gorilla Glass. Immediately it is worth saying that the quality is quite good, the screen is durable. It is also coated with an oleophobic coating that effectively masks fingerprints.
Ease of use
Thanks to well-selected dimensions, the phone is quite comfortable in the hand. With comfort during operation, no problems should arise. In this regard, a lot of devices are left behind YotaPhone 2. Owner reviews suggest that the device does not strive to slip out of hands when used due to the applied coating. And this is really important.
A look on the edge
Under the main screen, you will not see any hardware keys. All of them are located directly on the screen, made in visual form. If you glance above the screen, on the frame, you can see the front camera there (by the way, it has a resolution of 2 megapixels). The main speaker is also located there. On the right are the volume keys. With the help of such improvised means as a needle, the volume rocker can be pulled out. And after that, the compartment for installing a nano-type SIM card is striking. Recall that the first device contained a cellular card behind the power button. The design of the device was in some ways simpler.
On the lower edge there is a speaker grill, as well as a hole for communication with a PC - a MicroUSB-type connector. At the top is the input for a wired headset standard 3.5 mm.
The Russian smartphone YotaPhone 2 (we will review the performance reviews a bit later) in terms of the rear screen (although the “back” is not quite a correct definition, since both of them are used by the phone’s buyers equally and quite intensively) has some features. So, exactly in the middle above the screen is a camera with a resolution of 8 megapixels. There is also a flash of the LED type. The design made it possible to correct the defect of the first generation YotaPhone, when a finger could easily block the camera lens.
Build quality
Build quality is what the Russian YotaPhone 2 smartphone really can boast of. Reviews say that in this regard the device gets a solid five. Although this is not the only criterion that stands out, the device is still important. It’s impossible to find fault: there are no gaps, the surfaces are perfectly fitted.
During operation, scratching (if this is not intentional damage) is very, very problematic. The only thing that may seem a little strange is the progress of the mechanism responsible for holding the cellular card. It's easy to hear: just shake your smartphone. But this has nothing to do with the overall design and its strength.
Performance
The Qualcomm family chipset was used as the basis for the design of the device, or more precisely, the Snapdragon 800 model. By today's standards, this is not the most powerful chipset, but when the device began to be developed, it was the best option.
The YotaPhone 2 smartphone, the design reviews of which were disassembled earlier, boasts 4 processor cores that operate at 2.25 GHz. Time passed, and the chipset was finalized, new variations were created, allowing some adjustments in terms of a balance of performance, in terms of optimizing power consumption. But for the smartphone, the chipset that is installed in it is enough. In no case can it be called inefficient.
Memory
Inside the device is 2 GB of RAM. If we talk about long-term memory, then only 32 GB of them are built into the YotaPhone 2 phone. Reviews say that only 25 of them are available to users. You can’t install a memory card, this design is not provided, alas.
YotaPhone 2: specifications, reviews
It should be noted that, in comparison with the first generation, the device has grown for the better. New filling, new screen sizes and dimensions of the smartphone - this is what the phone brought to the general public. At the same time, the price for it is clearly not one of the lowest. But even so, it continues to gain popularity both in its price segment and in the smartphone market in general. What do Western media reviews say about YotaPhone 2? In principle, they are not very different from the reviews of our experts. So, there is a favorable difference between the second generation of the device and the first, but by today's standards its technical equipment is not the best, that's for sure.