Many of us have already read about the Russian-based YotaPhone from Yota Devices, and further news about this dual-screen smartphone came today in the form a press release.
Yota Devices of Moscow, Russia has announced that they have selected Singapore Hi-P as its Original Design Manufacturer (ODM), and while few other manufacturers in the past have attempted their own dual-screen device, this one in particular is different. According to the press release, the YotaPhone is “the first dual-screen Android phone with a liquid crystal display on one side and an electronic paper display on the other.”
Hi-P, one of Asia’s fastest growing contract manufacturers, serves wireless communications and consumer electronics. Vlad Martynov, CEO of Yota Devices, sounds pleased with the deal, who said, “Bringing a unique product like YotaPhone to the market requires an experienced manufacturing partner with both qualitative and quantitative engineering skills and Hi-P excels in both,” “Hi-P has a proven track-record in high volume production of mobile devices with sophisticated design and advanced technology.”
This device was unveiled in December of 2012, and has been quietly circulating the internet since then. Yota Devices has previously sold connectivity devices such as modems and routers, and the mission in bringing in the YotaPhone is to focus first on the user experience, and then bring in the latest emerging technology to deliver that promise.
Sounds fair, right? We’ll have to see how it comes to be. But it is refreshing, though, to learn that a company wants to focus on software above hardware, since the hardware is about as good as it will get for the time being. Even technology from 2011 is still operable and fast on most devices, especially on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, so it’s a nice thought to let that part simmer until the software gets too big for the phone.
The specifications on this device aren’t that bad either, which features:
OS: Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
Display: 4.3 inches – 720p front, E Ink back
Processor: 1.5 GHz Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8960 dual core Krait
Memory: 1 GB
Storage: 32 GB
Camera: 12 megapixels
Network: 2G, 3G
Dimensions: 5.16 x 2.64 x 0.39 in
Weight: 4.94 oz
With all this on the plate, it seems to be an excellent device that may provide a blazing fast experience as found on devices such as the Galaxy S3, of which the US version offers the same processor. Even with the processor though, 1 GB of RAM seems a little short, or maybe I’m just spoiled, but I wouldn’t put all my eggs in one basket on this one just yet. YotaPhone will be displayed at Mobile World Congress (MWC) this year, and is expected to hit the shelves in Russia first, and then globally in the second half of 2013. Would you consider getting a YotaPhone?
[Source: YotaPhone]