Android meets Kindle in sleeker package

SINGAPORE — It is arguably among the most interesting smartphones in the market. The YotaPhone 2 functions both as a smartphone and an e-reader, complete with an e-ink display on the back of the phone.

When the first iteration was launched last year, it made waves, boasting two screens instead of one. But limitations on the functions of the secondary Kindle-like screen led to Russian smartphone maker Yota Devices announcing the release of the second version earlier this year.

The YotaPhone 2, looking sleeker with its curved edges than its boxy predecessor, now offers more uses on its secondary display, such as the ability to mirror the entire Android functionality — a boon when you want to conserve your battery life.

The phone, weighing in at 145g and measuring 144.9mm x 69.4mm x 8.95mm, comes with the Android 4.4.3 KitKat operating system. Under the hood, the device runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, quad-core 2.2Ghz with 2GB RAM. Starting up the phone is rather slow, but the device is responsive and intuitive to routine use.

The front screen consists of a premium-grade 5-inch AMOLED screen with a full high-definition (HD) resolution that fulfils expectations of sharpness and clarity outdoors.

On its back, where the fun begins, you get a 4.7 inch quad-HD (540 x 960) e-ink screen. Since it can mirror the functionality of the front screen, you can have many types of widgets on the secondary screen too, such as a clock, battery life indicator, music player, recent call list and notifications. The layout can be customised.

The most interesting widget, of course, is the native e-book reader, Yota Reader. It is undeniably enjoyable and refreshing to have a Kindle experience on your smartphone — no more squinting in bright sunlight while trying to read off your phone. However, it can be laggy. Fast readers, take note — swiping to the next page too quickly leaves imprints of the previous page, which hinders the reading experience. The device does a refresh of the screen after every few pages to remove the “ghosting effect”.

The best feature of the secondary screen, in our opinion, is that it allows the user to switch off the AMOLED screen entirely and transfer the user interface to the e-ink display. You can even access the camera to take pictures. As battery juice is drained only when a refresh is conducted, this option prolongs the battery life of the device.

And when you are done with this screen — which is always on — you can switch to a “wallpaper” mode. An image of your choosing fills the e-ink display. This is highly customisable and you can choose from plenty of options, including from your Instagram or Facebook feed.

Given its dual function as an e-reader, how long can the phone’s 2,500mAh battery last?

The official estimates given said you can go on reading mode for five days on a single charge, while basic smartphone functions with the YotaEnergy app — in-built battery-saver app — can give you “48 hours or more”.

There are several limitations to note: On the storage front, there is only 32GB of built-in space, with no microSD card slot available. The photos and videos taken using the phone are also not great. Although the 8-megapixel front camera does well in bright, sunlit conditions, pictures and videos taken in dim light show up very grainy. The end result for videos does not seem to match its claim of being able to record 1080 pixel videos at 30 frames per second.

With a price tag of S$899, the YotaPhone 2 is pricey, given its limitations. The phone serves a niche market, but its quirkiness and “cool” factor make it a phone worth considering.

It is available for purchase online only from the official website (http://yotaphone.com/sg-en/).