1080p OLED + an HD e-ink screen for multi days of battery, depending on usage.
At launch it was over £600, finally taking off when £440 mid July 2015.
It has no competitors so £229 looks a serious bargain for those into reading or able to modify their usage to get the ultra battery life via the 2nd black and white e-ink screen. http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/03/yotaphone-2-review/
". There's no two ways about it: The YotaPhone 2 is an extremely expensive, niche proposition. Yota's under no illusions about that, though, admitting that its newest handset isn't going to appeal to everyone. Those who it will appeal to, however, are people with loose budgets that find the YotaPhone 2 a compelling and fresh alternative to what's already out there."
Rumour has it that, the now Hong Kong owned Yotafone will release Yotafone 3 in July, in partnership with ZTE.
woldranger
26 Apr 163#1
Very much a niche product. It's a bit of a gimmick in my opinion, as I'm sure at least one of the large manufacturers would've taken a punt on this as an idea. But it may appeal to some people and I'm all for new things working their way onto our phones.
The hardware itself is nothing special in today's market, especially at this price point.
Latest comments (71)
a2tmfk
22 Dec 16#71
it was 96 quid last week from gear best. albeit I had to pay 25 quid customs. 229 seems very expensive
landwomble
6 May 16#69
Can you control what is displayed on the rear screen? Would be great to put the Kindle app on the rear, for example
brookysm to landwomble
6 May 16#70
Yes you can swap what's on the AMOLED Screen to the back screen in a flick of your finger, it's really quite impressive.
brookysm
6 May 161#68
Yes delivered this Aft. Went from stuck in Germany to Parcelforce to delviery in about 12 hours.
brookysm
6 May 16#66
Finally arrived and I have to say I'm very impressed! Love the e-reader back screen and the AMOLED Screen is pretty good too. Decent volume from the speaker, seems snappy enough and the shape even with the optional bumper I ordered fit in the hand very well.
Just a shame the missus likes it too and has taken it off me already so my play time with it was short lived....
Rich_T
6 May 16#67
Have you had yours yet? mine seems to be stuck in Germany!
LadyEleanor
3 May 16#63
Read the smallprint.
I am sure it used to say 'if we can get the funds out of the seller account'.
Now I think it says something 'we may refund you, whatever we decide you are bound by our decision'.
Who knows if it means the same, though with that new wording it sounds like it could be positive spin for the exact same.
brookysm to LadyEleanor
3 May 16#65
And you think Visa automatically issue refunds do you?...
They give you protection as long as you've qualified under the rules.
Anyway the phones are on their way now so it's irrelevant.
Rich_T
3 May 16#64
Had dispatch info, says 1-2 days delivery, coming from Austria. Not sure what LadyEleanor is going on about....
LadyEleanor
30 Apr 16#60
Oops, credit cards would have been better.
I think Paypal simply try to obtain your money back outside of ebay. Which is often no use if it is a 'going under' scam. I wonder/bet they use some bedroom based person agent, still licking them envelopes. Hope so.
Same here, will post any updates if I get emails from them.
brookysm
29 Apr 161#58
Nope, jack. Got the confirmation email saying the order was accepted n then nothing. Paid via PayPal so covered in case it all goes tits up.
brookysm
29 Apr 16#56
So much for 3 day delivery!
Anyone got theirs yet?
Rich_T to brookysm
29 Apr 16#57
Had a order conformation on the 26th but no other emails! you had any more than that?
shardie886
27 Apr 16#55
Looks like a great idea but a bit of a gimmick
nigelbutler
26 Apr 16#20
Get a Homtom or a Doogee or a Cubot
You'll save money when people still take the Mickey at the unknown brand
haritori to nigelbutler
26 Apr 162#41
Sounds like your making words up :smile:
omgpleasespamme to nigelbutler
27 Apr 161#54
If you want to pick a handset based on name alone then be my guest. For a lot of the rest of us functionality plays an important part. I was going to say most but then it's impossible to tell how many people bought an Apple phone because the functionality was enough for them.
LadyEleanor
27 Apr 16#53
Yes,reading reviews , slow typists are fine but fast typists can get that problem.
I wonder if Lollipop fixed it.
It is a great idea, but Yota 3 needs to be 5.5"+ size.
whatmattdoes
27 Apr 16#52
I actually bought one of these last year - the e-ink is surprisingly useful and apart from the obvious (ebooks, reading in sunlight etc) you can operate the phone as normal using this side, which massively extends the battery life (albeit with animations taking a hit).
However, I ended up returning it as I had massive issues with the camera not focussing. There is also the well documented issue with the typing glitches (reading taps as swipes).
Overall, great idea - let down by the hardware. The software is great though - very close to stock Android (no bloatware). If they can catch up with the specs of the higher end phones of today, I'd be interested in a Yotaphone 3. I had heard months ago however, that the 3 wouldn't run Android, although don't know if this has been confirmed / denied recently.
Johnny_5
27 Apr 16#51
Always liked this concept but still, for the hardware its average. If the Yotafone 3 sticks with the same idea, + newer components + <£300 then I would def consider it.
martin1372
26 Apr 161#50
Here you go. This will also keep the apple lovers happy
So, the battery might last a week in e-ink mode. And that YotaSnap looks useful for e-tickets, reservations and such like.
nigelbutler
26 Apr 161#42
I was looking at a Homtom ht7... Looks quite nice but the name!
They have some very odd names...
woldranger
26 Apr 163#1
Very much a niche product. It's a bit of a gimmick in my opinion, as I'm sure at least one of the large manufacturers would've taken a punt on this as an idea. But it may appeal to some people and I'm all for new things working their way onto our phones.
The hardware itself is nothing special in today's market, especially at this price point.
jdbigguy to woldranger
26 Apr 162#11
"Gimmick" That's what all the major vacuum manufacturers said about Dyson when it first came out. So I wouldn't put to much faith in them.
mike_freegan to woldranger
26 Apr 161#22
I don't think it's a gimmick. The e-Ink screen will be great for people who commute, assuming you can read ebooks on it?
MadeInBeats to woldranger
26 Apr 16#40
Gimmick? This is awesome. I've been waiting for this type of screen for years... especially in tablets. Would buy this in a heartbeat for around £150.
spannerzone
26 Apr 161#39
Does this item also suck?
:stuck_out_tongue:
captainbeaky
26 Apr 16#38
Putting an e-ink display in a phone is not a new idea. The old Motorola "Motofone" F3 had one but it was rubbish.
mekomeko
26 Apr 16#37
I considered buying it as I do lots of eBook
reading but don't always carry my ereader. now that price went down im even more tempted.
LadyEleanor
26 Apr 16#36
Seems the buyout fell through, the latest announcement now being for a 30% stake, for the rights to the Asian market maybe.
Yeah not a bad looking phone. Liking the curves and the colour. I guess these functions will be similar to the always on display on the Samsung S7,
tnm1975
26 Apr 161#34
Looks brilliant. lack of os updates puts me off though. love the concept and so long as you can sync kindle etc on the eink then could have it's uses.
brookysm
26 Apr 16#33
The 801is a decent processor, 32gb a decent amount of storage. Far better than most of the tat that comes out of China currently. Bought one to have a play with n then give it to the missus, 48 hour battery life will be handy given the number of times she forgets to charge her phone.....
woldranger
26 Apr 16#32
I read up a lot on this when it was released - it's been out in China for ages and was available in the states ages before here - and the general consensus was that the rear screen was handy for conserving battery when checking the time, notifications etc, but was way too small to use as an ereader. The reviewers liked the idea but the application, when added to a high cost phone with mid range specs just didn't work.
For my part, if you could get this on a small tablet without having to shell out flagship prices (that's how this was priced when released) then it would be really handy as an ereader.
LadyEleanor
26 Apr 163#8
Rumour has it that, the now Hong Kong owned Yotafone will release Yotafone 3 in July, in partnership with ZTE.
cikki100 to LadyEleanor
26 Apr 163#10
can't wait :confused:
tissot22 to LadyEleanor
26 Apr 161#31
It is supposed to be a Russian phone. Russians were very proud of making such innovative hiteck product :smiley: though I think it is the Russian concept/idea the rest is Asia (including Hong Kong) designed and made.
aLV426
26 Apr 16#30
I'm gonna give you heat for posting the deal!
For me it's an extra screen to scratch and I don't really see the benefits (If I want to read a book, I read a book, if I want to read something via e-ink I'd want a bigger screen)
scottyb
26 Apr 161#29
It's a good price, I paid around £400. I switched from Nexus 5 to the Yota2 but it was so laggy, especially the home screen and launching apps. The e-ink screen was great, but not backlit - i realise i sound stupid but after using the kindle paperwhite for a while i'd forgotten that backlight is not a standard on all e-ink screens. Doh! but the slow/lagginess is why i sold and went back to nexus 5.
brookysm
26 Apr 16#28
Great saving but it was massively overpriced to start with.
drasim
26 Apr 16#27
I'm not sure you'll get better spec for half the price? The CPU alone is over 2x powerful than the mediatek octa-cores
clancolin
26 Apr 16#26
Surely the major selling points are that there is only one device to humph about and the e-ink is readable in bright sunlight? I have yet to see a smartphone with a screen that is legible on a sunny day, and as I like to read e-books on the train I would love to have one of these. Unfortunately, I've only just bought the latest dustproof and waterproof Nook, so I will be taking "two bottles into the shower" for a while yet. :smirk:
wenttoabetterplace
26 Apr 161#2
Take away the e-ink display (about £10 worth of hardware, if that), and you are left with a decidedly average device. Just how they ever expected to get £600 is beyond me!
Even at this price point, it seems mighty expensive.
MrPuddington to wenttoabetterplace
26 Apr 16#25
Not even average, given that for half the price you get bigger and better phablets.
I really want this device, but now it is nearly obsolete, and the price is still too high. Make it the size of a phablet, the price of a medium phablet plus a kindle, and you have a proposition.
dyanisis1978
26 Apr 161#18
Jellybean :confused:
BigYoSpeck to dyanisis1978
26 Apr 161#24
It comes with Kitkat and did get an update to lollipop 5.0 which is disappointing for a flagship device to only get one update. It's the reason I'm on the fence for it, I love the concept but springing over £200 for something that's already one release behind and with no more likely is just a bit much.
zain2k11
26 Apr 16#23
Is it right when it says android jellybean???
louiselouise
26 Apr 16#21
It's an interesting idea - I read a ton of books on my tablet and phone and the e-ink capability would be kinder on my eyes (I tend to change my ebook apps to black background/white font to reduce the glare) :smiley:
parasitemol
26 Apr 16#19
What are the odds. Quoting a well known vacuum cleaner fact to an expert in vacuums. :smile:
skromnia
26 Apr 16#15
That should have been the start price.
parasitemol to skromnia
26 Apr 16#17
When it was released this had flagship for its time specs and an additional cost of the e-ink display. I don't think this should have been the price upon release but it should have been somewhere around this price for a while now.
Hot deal imo.
woldranger
26 Apr 161#16
Err, I don't think I manufacture vacuum's, so I'm not sure about this comparison. Who's putting faith in what?
ST3123
26 Apr 162#14
Anyone comment on how this fares as an e-reader via the eink screen?, is the 5" display not a little on the small size for comfortable reading? I actually like the concept of this but I'd prefer to see it in a 5.5" or even 6" form factory for more comfortable reading, maybe that's something they will do on the new model....
drasim
26 Apr 16#13
Voting hot - similar internals to a Xperia Z2 and ideal for those who want an always-on screen / e-reader.
shalton
26 Apr 161#12
via the link it says £440.
Sorry, when you click on the £440 it brings another page up at £229
BigYoSpeck
26 Apr 16#9
I've always liked the concept, it was crazy at it's original price, but more tempting at this level.
It is cheaper on ebay though.
LadyEleanor
26 Apr 16#7
Pic updated, thanks.
LadyEleanor
26 Apr 16#6
It is certainly not for the masses, yet if you are not, and read you might find a use.
LadyEleanor
26 Apr 16#4
If you read books on the commute or manly use messaging and email, there is nothing else to compete out there.
Why get ripped off paying double/triple when unavailable elsewhere e-ink is a large part of the use for you?
Opening post
At launch it was over £600, finally taking off when £440 mid July 2015.
It has no competitors so £229 looks a serious bargain for those into reading or able to modify their usage to get the ultra battery life via the 2nd black and white e-ink screen.
http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/03/yotaphone-2-review/
". There's no two ways about it: The YotaPhone 2 is an extremely expensive, niche proposition. Yota's under no illusions about that, though, admitting that its newest handset isn't going to appeal to everyone. Those who it will appeal to, however, are people with loose budgets that find the YotaPhone 2 a compelling and fresh alternative to what's already out there."
Top comments
Yotaphone 2 black
The hardware itself is nothing special in today's market, especially at this price point.
Latest comments (71)
Just a shame the missus likes it too and has taken it off me already so my play time with it was short lived....
I am sure it used to say 'if we can get the funds out of the seller account'.
Now I think it says something 'we may refund you, whatever we decide you are bound by our decision'.
Who knows if it means the same, though with that new wording it sounds like it could be positive spin for the exact same.
They give you protection as long as you've qualified under the rules.
Anyway the phones are on their way now so it's irrelevant.
I think Paypal simply try to obtain your money back outside of ebay. Which is often no use if it is a 'going under' scam. I wonder/bet they use some bedroom based person agent, still licking them envelopes. Hope so.
https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/paypal-safety-and-security
Anyone got theirs yet?
You'll save money when people still take the Mickey at the unknown brand
I wonder if Lollipop fixed it.
It is a great idea, but Yota 3 needs to be 5.5"+ size.
However, I ended up returning it as I had massive issues with the camera not focussing. There is also the well documented issue with the typing glitches (reading taps as swipes).
Overall, great idea - let down by the hardware. The software is great though - very close to stock Android (no bloatware). If they can catch up with the specs of the higher end phones of today, I'd be interested in a Yotaphone 3. I had heard months ago however, that the 3 wouldn't run Android, although don't know if this has been confirmed / denied recently.
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/popslate-2-smart-second-screen-for-iphone/x/8963811#/
So, the battery might last a week in e-ink mode. And that YotaSnap looks useful for e-tickets, reservations and such like.
They have some very odd names...
The hardware itself is nothing special in today's market, especially at this price point.
:stuck_out_tongue:
reading but don't always carry my ereader. now that price went down im even more tempted.
Yotaphone 2 black
For my part, if you could get this on a small tablet without having to shell out flagship prices (that's how this was priced when released) then it would be really handy as an ereader.
For me it's an extra screen to scratch and I don't really see the benefits (If I want to read a book, I read a book, if I want to read something via e-ink I'd want a bigger screen)
Even at this price point, it seems mighty expensive.
I really want this device, but now it is nearly obsolete, and the price is still too high. Make it the size of a phablet, the price of a medium phablet plus a kindle, and you have a proposition.
Hot deal imo.
Sorry, when you click on the £440 it brings another page up at £229
It is cheaper on ebay though.
Why get ripped off paying double/triple when unavailable elsewhere e-ink is a large part of the use for you?