New phone with dual screen. Interface, dual screen control – ergonomics

The second Russian device with two screens - high-quality work on bugs

An unusual smartphone developed by the Russian company Yota Devices with a unique concept of using two screens in its second incarnation has undergone much more significant changes than one might expect. The device has technically and externally changed so much that from an interesting idea implemented on a fairly modest technical level(which for the most part was the first smartphone in the series), the result was a completely self-sufficient, complete and, most importantly, truly interesting and modern solution.

The domestic development, as before, attracts the closest attention of the top officials of the state: the Russian President even presented the second Yotaphone model as a gift to the Chairman of the People's Republic of China. In addition, the device has already managed to collect many awards, including at such significant international exhibitions as MWC and CES. Perhaps such widespread attention from officials to this Russian product played a cruel joke on it: domestic users are suspicious of everything that is promoted and promoted from above. In addition, Yotaphone 2 was also overly expensive even by standards Russian market smartphone, which also affected sales in the best possible way. And yet, if we ignore politics and price and consider Yotaphone 2 only as a smartphone with technical side, then we will see a truly interesting, complete product that meets all modern requirements, enriched with unique functions that others do not have. Naturally, the second device in the series was not without its shortcomings, but it is already quite worthy of attention, even if for certain reasons it is doomed to not very high sales.

Video review

First, we suggest watching our video review of the Yotaphone 2 smartphone:

Now let's take a look at the characteristics of the new product.

Main characteristics of Yotaphone 2

	Yotaphone 2	Yotaphone	Google Nexus 5	Lenovo Vibe X2	Sony Xperia Z3
Screen	5″, AMOLED	4.3″, IPS	4.95″, IPS	5″, IPS	5.2″, IPS
Permission	1920×1080, 440 ppi	1280×720, 341 ppi	1920×1080, 445 ppi	1920×1080, 440 ppi	1920×1080, 423 ppi
SoC		Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro (2 Krait cores @1.7 GHz)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (4 cores Krait 400 @2.26 GHz)	Mediatek MT6595m (4x Cortex-A17 @2.0 GHz + 4x Cortex-A7 @1.3 GHz)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (4 cores Krait 400 @2.5 GHz)
GPU	Adreno 330	Adreno 320	Adreno 330	PowerVR G6200	Adreno 330
RAM	2 GB	2 GB	2 GB	2 GB	3 GB
Flash memory	32 GB	32 GB	16/32 GB	32 GB	16 GB
Memory card support	—	—	—	—	microSD
operating system	Google Android 4.4	Google Android 4.2	Google Android 4.4	Google Android 4.4	Google Android 4.4
Battery	non-removable, 2500 mAh	non-removable, 1800 mAh	non-removable, 2300 mAh	non-removable, 2300 mAh	non-removable, 3100 mAh
Cameras	rear (8 MP; video 1080p), front (2.1 MP)	rear (13 MP; video - 1080p), front (1 MP)	rear (8 MP; video - 1080p), front (1.3 MP)	rear (13 MP; video 1080p), front (5 MP)	rear (20.7 MP; 4K video), front (2.2 MP)
Dimensions and weight	145×69×9.0 mm, 145 g	134×67×10.0 mm, 146 g	138×69×8.6 mm, 130 g	140×69×7.3 mm, 120 g	146×72×7.3 mm, 152 g
average price	T-11743876	T-10603033	T-10564187	T-11168521	T-11028534
Yotaphone 2 offers	L-11743876-10

• SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974Pro-AA), 4 cores Krait 400 @2.26 GHz
• GPU Adreno 330
• operating room Android system 4.4.3
• Touchscreen AMOLED 5″, 1920×1080, 440 ppi
• EPD display 4.7″ (E-Ink), 960×540, 16 shades of gray, touch
• Random access memory (RAM) 2 GB, internal memory 32 GB
• SIM card format: Nano-SIM (1)
• Memory card support: no
• Communication GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• Communication WCDMA: 850/900/1900/2100 MHz
• Data transmission LTE Cat4 (MIMO): FDD-LTE (3, 7, 20)
• Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5 GHz), Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot
• Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
• USB 2.0, OTG, Mobility DisplayPort (SlimPort)
• GPS (A-GPS), Glonass, BDS
• 8 MP camera, autofocus, LED flash, 1080p video
• Camera 2.1 MP (front), fixed. focus, video 1080p
• Accelerometer, proximity and light sensors, gyroscope, electronic compass
• Qi wireless charging support
• Battery 2500 mAh, non-removable
• Dimensions 145×69×8.95 mm
• Weight 145 g

Appearance and ease of use

In appearance, the new product is completely different from its ancestor: while the first Yotaphone had a clearly visible angular body structure with sharp corners and straight edges, the second model in the series, on the contrary, received a striking streamlined design. Not only does the device have a strongly curved back wall and rounded side edges, but the top and bottom ends also have a noticeable radius of curvature, which, coupled with the very strongly rounded side edges, creates the overall image of a sea pebble or a bar of soap well-turned on all sides.

The device turned out to be very slippery: everyone who picks up the Yotaphone 2 for the first time immediately notices the very unreliable grip of the case with the palm. To a large extent, this is facilitated by the very slippery and smooth to the touch, although matte and rough-looking surface of the back wall. By the way, you need to immediately decide which side of the smartphone is considered the front and which the back, but even though the device has displays on both sides, disagreements usually do not arise here. Among other things (the color AMOLED screen is, by definition, the main one), you can focus on the location of the earpiece: there is only one in the device and it is located on the side of the color display. Therefore, this side of the smartphone is the front.

Both sides are completely covered with protective glass Corning Gorilla Glass 3, but externally these surfaces are completely different. The front panel is smooth and transparent, although slightly tinted, and the back panel is matte and whitish, as if it had been walked over with fine sandpaper, but it is absolutely smooth to the touch - even more so than the glass of the front panel. The back panel has a noticeable bend and, in general, does not look like real glass at all. However, it is precisely this that is the most slippery of all the elements of the body - it even seems that it was deliberately given special properties for the best sliding.

As for size and weight, in this regard the parameters of Yotaphone 2 can be safely called optimal. Due to its streamlined shape, low weight and relatively small overall dimensions, the device fits comfortably in the palm of your hand, as well as in a pocket of any size. However, for obvious reasons, lovers of various “cases” will be disappointed here: it is difficult to imagine a case for a smartphone in which both surfaces are active screens. So this smartphone is not allowed to go into a handbag with keys and other various belongings: the display glass can get scratched and cannot be covered with a case. However, this may be an option protective cover, made in the form of an envelope (sock), from which the device must be removed each time for any manipulation. There are different carrying options, but this is exactly the case when a smartphone is most requested in the front pocket of trousers and fits perfectly there.

It is worth noting that, as conceived by the creators, the display on the back of the smartphone, made using E-Ink technology, should not be covered with anything at all. Here it is called a screen that is “always on”, has a lot of different information panels and is designed to always be visible. This additional display can constantly display a wide variety of information, from weather, time, calendar, etc. widgets prepared by the developers to any of your own pictures or even a frozen page from a book where reading was stopped. From the outside, it must be admitted that it does not always look aesthetically pleasing, but someone, on the contrary, may like an additional chance to attract the attention of others. After all, anyone will notice if a person talking on the phone has a back side something is written, drawn, or even moves on the device.

On this second screen, the owner can do absolutely everything that he usually does on the main display - even play games and watch movies. For obvious reasons, no one will do this, but the fact remains: due to a fairly fast update (120 ms), the electronic ink screen here is capable of adequately displaying any kind of image, only, naturally, in black and white (with 16 shades ) and without backlight.

The eye of the main 8-megapixel camera is located here on the back side of Yotaphone 2, and is placed in its “rightful” place in the upper part above the additional screen. Let us remember that for the first Yotaphone, the windows of the main camera and flash were for some reason inconveniently lowered to the lower part, under the screen, which is why the lens was constantly blocked by fingers; this was unusual. Here the arrangement is in complete order, all elements are in their usual places. The single-section flash can be used as a flashlight using the appropriate application; the flashlight activation button is conveniently displayed in the quick access menu.

Control of the system and applications is given to three familiar virtual buttons on the screen: this time the developers did not bother with the touch strip that they invented for the first Yotaphone model. It turned out to be a completely unsuccessful control; in the second model this was taken into account and the strip was removed. It is worth noting that a number virtual buttons does not take up useful screen space in applications, being drawn directly on top of the main image.

In the course of our description, it should already become clear the amount of “work on bugs” that the developers did for the release of the second incarnation of their brainchild, and all the changes, it should be noted, only benefited it.

The SIM card slot, as before, was placed directly in the button that can be removed from the side, only this time it was the volume key. The button also needs to be removed by pressing the secret lock with the supplied key or any paper clip that comes to hand. Only one SIM card can be installed in the device, Nano-SIM format, and again there is no slot for a memory card. True, the amount of built-in memory allows you to feel quite at ease: out of 32 GB, about 25 GB are reserved for the needs of the user himself. In addition, the smartphone supports connecting external flash drives (and other USB devices) to the Micro-USB port via an OTG adapter.

Both mechanical keys are located on the same right side, and they are too close to each other - in a hurry you can press the wrong one. By the way, the keys are practically impossible to feel blindly - they protrude so little beyond the body. In a word, there are complaints about the mechanical controls of Yotaphone 2, and serious ones. It is far from the best option to force the user to constantly look where he is clicking, this should be done automatically, but in in this case It will take a long time to get used to the location of the keys.

Both universal connectors have found their place in their usual places: an audio output for headphones with a diameter of 3.5 mm is embedded in the top end, Micro-USB supporting OTG mode- to the lower one. On both sides of the Micro-USB connector there are symmetrical grilles for sound output, but in reality the sound comes out only through one of them (this is easy to check by covering them one by one with your finger). Accordingly, Yotaphone 2 does not have stereo speakers, and the second grille is just a prop (or, at best, a conversational microphone is hidden behind it).

The outputs and connectors of the Yotaphone 2 are not covered with covers or plugs, and the smartphone is not protected from water and dust. There is no strap mount on its body either. As for the color options of the case, at the start of sales only black is presented, but later they promise to release a white version on the market.

Main (color) screen

Yotaphone 2 is equipped with an AMOLED touch matrix with PenTile technology, protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The screen dimensions are 62x110 mm, 5-inch diagonal, resolution - 1920x1080 pixels (Full HD). Accordingly, the dot density reaches 440 ppi - this is a very high, although not a record figure.

The thickness of the side frames from the edge of the screen to the edge of the body is about 3 mm, the top and bottom are about 17 mm. The side frames are narrow, the developers managed to fit a large five-inch display into fairly comfortable dimensions of the case. True, the frame height of 17 mm at the top and bottom of the screen is not so small, but this is visually offset by noticeably beveled edges and rounded corners of the case.

The display brightness can be adjusted manually, or you can use automatic adjustment. Multi-touch technology here allows you to process 8 simultaneous touches. When you bring the smartphone to your ear, the screen is locked using a proximity sensor. Such common additional functions, such as activation by double tapping on the glass or operation with gloves, is not provided here.

A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the sample under study.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are comparable to the screen properties of Google Nexus 7 (2013) (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the switched off screens (on the left - Nexus 7, on the right - Yotaphone 2, then they can be distinguished by size):

The screen of Yotaphone 2 is just as dark (brightness according to photographs is 114) and does not have a pronounced tint. Note that the reflection from bright objects in the Yotaphone 2 screen has a pale bluish halo without a pronounced directionality. The ghosting of reflected objects in the Yotaphone 2 screen is very weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen. Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass/air type) with very different refractive indices, screens without an air gap look better in conditions of strong external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. On the outer surface of the Yotaphone 2 screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (effective, no worse than that of the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much easier and appear at a lower speed than in the case of regular glass.

When the white field was displayed in full screen and with manual brightness control, its maximum value was 310 cd/m², the minimum was 3.7 cd/m². You also need to take into account the fact that in this case, the smaller the white area on the screen, the brighter it is, that is, the actual maximum brightness of the white areas will almost always be higher than the specified value. As a result, readability during the day in the sun should be at a fairly good level (there was no opportunity to test it). The reduced brightness level allows you to use the device even in complete darkness without any problems. There is automatic brightness adjustment based on the light sensor (it is located to the right of the front speaker slot). In automatic mode, as external lighting conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. In complete darkness, the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 16 cd/m² (normal), in an artificially lit office (approximately 400 lux) it sets it to 126 cd/m² (just right), in a very bright environment (corresponding to lighting on a clear day outdoors , but without direct sunlight- 20,000 lux or a little more) increases almost to the maximum - up to 300 cd/m² (which is what is needed). As a result, the auto-brightness function works adequately.

Only at low brightness levels there is modulation with a frequency of 240 Hz. The figure below shows the dependence of brightness (vertical axis) on time (horizontal axis) for several brightness values:

It can be seen that at maximum and average brightness the modulation amplitude is minimal, and its frequency is 60 Hz (screen refresh rate), as a result there is no visible flicker. However, with a strong decrease in brightness, modulation appears with a frequency of 240 Hz and a large relative amplitude. Therefore, at low brightness, the presence of modulation can already be seen in a test for the presence of a stroboscopic effect or simply with rapid eye movement. Depending on individual sensitivity, this flickering may cause increased fatigue.

This screen uses an AMOLED matrix - active matrix organic light-emitting diodes. A full-color image is created using subpixels of three colors - red (R), green (G) and blue (B), but there are twice as many green subpixels, which can be referred to as RGBG. This is confirmed by a fragment of a microphotograph:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

In the fragment above you can count 4 green subpixels, 2 red (4 halves) and 2 blue (1 whole and 4 quarters), and by repeating these fragments, you can lay out the entire screen without breaks or overlap. For such matrices Samsung company introduced the name PenTile RGBG. The manufacturer calculates the screen resolution based on the green subpixels; based on the other two, it will be two times lower. The location and shape of the subpixels in this option is similar to the option in the case of the screen of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and some other newer Samsung devices (and not only) with AMOLED screens. This version of PenTile RGBG is better than the old one with red squares, blue rectangles and stripes of green subpixels. However, some unevenness of contrast borders and other artifacts are still present. However, due to the very high resolution, they have a minimal impact on image quality.

The screen has excellent viewing angles, and although White color when deviated even at small angles, it acquires a slight blue-green tint, but the black color remains simply black at any angle. It is so black that the contrast setting is simply not applicable in this case. When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the white field is excellent. For comparison, here are photographs in which identical images are displayed on the screens of Yotaphone 2 and the second comparison participant, while the brightness of the screens is initially set to approximately 200 cd/m², and the color balance on the camera is forced to switch to 6500 K. White field:

We note the excellent uniformity of brightness and color tone white field. And a test picture:

The color balance of the screens varies slightly, and the colors on the Yotaphone 2 are oversaturated and unnatural. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen. White field:

The brightness at an angle for both screens has noticeably decreased (to avoid strong darkening, the shutter speed has been increased compared to the previous two photographs), but in the case of Yotaphone 2 the drop in brightness is much less pronounced. As a result, with formally the same brightness, the Yotaphone 2 screen visually looks much brighter (compared to LCD screens), since you often have to look at the screen of a mobile device from at least a slight angle. And a test picture:

It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens, and the brightness of Yotaphone 2 at an angle is noticeably higher.

Switching the state of the matrix elements is performed almost instantly, but at the front of switching on (and less often, switching off) there may be a step with a width of 16.7 ms (which corresponds to a screen refresh rate of 60 Hz). For example, this is what the dependence of brightness on time looks like when moving from dark gray to gray and back:

In some conditions, the presence of such a step can lead to plumes trailing moving objects, but in normal use these artifacts are difficult to see. Quite the contrary - dynamic scenes in films on OLED screens are distinguished by high clarity and even some “jerky” movements.

The gamma curve, constructed using 32 points with equal intervals based on the numerical value of the shade of gray, did not reveal a blockage either in the shadows or in the highlights. The exponent of the approximating power function is 2.46, which is higher than the standard value of 2.2, while the real gamma curve deviates greatly from the power law:

Let us recall that in the case of OLED screens, the brightness of image fragments dynamically changes in accordance with the nature of the displayed image - it decreases for generally light images. As a result, the resulting dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) most likely does not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential display of shades of gray on almost the entire screen.

The color gamut is very wide:

The component spectra (that is, the spectra of pure red, green and blue) are very well separated:

Note that on screens with a wide color gamut, without appropriate correction, the colors of regular images optimized for sRGB devices appear unnaturally saturated. The grayscale balance is good. The color temperature is close to the standard 6500 K, and the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) remains below 10 units over most of the gray scale, which is considered a good indicator for a consumer device. At the same time, color temperature and ΔE change little from hue to hue - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of color balance:

(In most cases, the darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since color balance there is not of great importance, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large. However, an imbalance of the darkest shades in this case cannot be excluded.)

Let's summarize. The screen has a fairly high maximum brightness and has excellent anti-glare properties, so the device can most likely be used outdoors even on a sunny summer day without any problems. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. It is permissible to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works quite adequately. The advantages of the screen include a good oleophobic coating and a color balance close to standard. At the same time, let us remind you about the general advantages of OLED screens: true black color (if nothing is reflected in the screen), good uniformity of the white field, noticeably less than that of LCDs, and a drop in image brightness when viewed at an angle. The disadvantages include screen flickering, which appears at low brightness. For users who are particularly sensitive to flicker, this may cause increased fatigue. Negative properties include an excessively wide color gamut, which makes ordinary images look unnatural. However, overall the screen quality is high.

EPD Screen (E-Ink)

The second, additional screen, located on the back of the device, is made using electronic ink technology (E-Ink), has physical dimensions of 58x103 mm (4.7-inch diagonal) and a resolution of 960x540 pixels, capable of transmitting 16 shades of gray. The screen, unlike the previous Yotaphone model, is fully touchscreen, high speed updates (120 ms), and on it, as mentioned above, absolutely all the same information can be displayed as on the main one. So, on the electronic ink screen you can display, for example, the camera viewfinder, which is convenient when taking selfies, and even the interface phone application when dialing a number. True, if you don't use a headset or speakerphone, then during a conversation the device will still have to be turned over, since the speaker is located on the other side. Successful attempts to display images on a second screen while watching videos and even launching games are captured.

As for the quality of the screen itself, in particular the contrast of the image it produces, certain complaints arise here: the black color here is not saturated enough, and font characters are displayed loosely and slightly blurred. Perhaps the image quality is also affected by the thickness of Gorilla Glass, which is more reliable in terms of protection. For comparison, you can take live screenshots of the Yotaphone 2 next to the E-Ink Pearl HD screen of the Onyx Boox i63ML e-reader.

Sound

Yotaphone 2 sounds quite decent. The device has only one main speaker, but it produces a fairly loud, dense sound, rich in the entire spectrum of frequencies, with a noticeable admixture of bass. At the maximum volume level the sound is not distorted, wheezing or extraneous noise The speaker does not make any noise. The smartphone sounds really nice, the way an expensive premium device should sound. This, of course, is not yet at the level of market leaders such as Oppo and HTC, but in comparison with the total mass of modern smartphones, it’s still not bad. IN conversational dynamics the voice of a familiar interlocutor, timbre and intonation remain recognizable, the conversation is quite comfortable.

To play music, there is only a standard Google Music player with a minimum number of settings in the form of preset equalizer values.

An FM radio with the ability to record live programs is included as standard with the smartphone; for it to work, you need to connect headphones as a external antenna. Write down telephone conversations The smartphone cannot communicate with the line using standard means.

On the other hand, you can use simple manipulations to transfer the camera interface to the second screen, and take selfies with a much higher quality rear camera with autofocus and even a flash, watching own image on a black and white E-Ink screen. It won't be as easy or quick: you'll have to launch the camera interface on the main screen first and then transfer it to the EPD display, but the resulting photo quality may be worth the little extra effort.

The main rear camera is equipped with an 8-megapixel module with autofocus and a single LED flash (the previous Yotaphone model used a 13-megapixel module). There is no optical stabilization here, just as there is no ability to shoot 4K video or at 60 fps. The camera's capabilities are quite simple, although in good lighting it takes quite tolerable quality pictures and shoots good video in maximum resolution 1080r.

The camera control menu here is exactly the same as it looks in the proprietary interface of the new version of Android 5.0, despite the fact that the smartphone itself runs on more old version 4.4. The interface design is laconic and simple in structure: with a side swipe, you can call context menu with a choice of options and shooting modes, and all settings are combined into a single scroll-like drop-down list, called up by clicking on the gear-shaped icon located in the lower corner.

The camera can shoot video in the maximum Full HD resolution (1920×1080, 30 fps). An example of a test video is presented below.

• Video No. 1 (59 MB, 1920×1080, 30 fps)

	Despite bad light, sharpness is good.
	Noise is practically invisible, but the image is blurry, which does not speak well of the program, which “did not want” to raise the light sensitivity a little more.
	Not very sharp photos in low light are normal for the camera.
	But it is quite capable of producing sharp images under the same conditions and even with greater light sensitivity. This means you should try not to shake your smartphone when taking pictures.
	The text is well done.
	The flash improves the situation slightly.
	The camera copes well with macro photography.
	Flash is quite capable of helping in this scenario.
	The camera copes well with dark shadows, but light shadows reveal imperfections in noise reduction.
	In some places you can notice a slight soapiness, but overall the sharpness is good.
	Good sharpness across the frame and in the plans.

We also tested the camera on a laboratory bench using our method.

Over your second Yota smartphone Devices obviously decided to do some serious work. It's no secret that smartphone components are made by different manufacturers, especially in this case. Therefore, it’s not at all a problem to find a good module for the camera that has already proven itself. Fortunately, there are quite a few 8 megapixel ones now, you just need to look for them.

The camera was definitely lucky with the sensor. Similar sensors (and possibly from the same manufacturer) were installed in some samsung tablets, Lenovo, iPad Air 2, and even the iPhone 5s have a similar sensor (and not necessarily the same one). Apparently, the search good module manufacturer and limited himself when creating the camera, because software very similar to the standard one for Android 5.0. However, this does not make the camera play, although it could take a long time to be perfected (for example, the noise reduction is noticeably rough in light shadows). In general, the camera produces very decent results of a flagship level, although without any special features (for which we love cameras from Apple, Nokia, Sony). As a result, it is well suited for both artistic and documentary photography, and already in the third Yotaphone I would like to see improved software for the camera so that it somehow stands out from the rest.

Telephone and communications

The smartphone operates as standard in modern 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks, and also has support for fourth generation networks FDD LTE Cat4 at the frequencies used Russian operators. In practice with a SIM card domestic operator Megafon smartphone confidently recognizes and works in 4G networks. The network capabilities of the smartphone are decent: there is support for both bands (2.4/5 GHz) Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, as well as Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC. Wi-Fi Direct and Wi-Fi Display are supported; as a standard, you can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth channels. It supports outputting images to an external display using SlimPort (Mobility DisplayPort), and it is possible to connect flash drives via an OTG adapter. The navigation module works with both GPS and the domestic Glonass system, and there are also satellites of the Chinese Beidou system (BDS). The operating speed of the module is not satisfactory; in the area of ​​uncertain reception the module behaves with dignity. Also a device equipped with a magnetic field sensor, on the basis of which the magnetic compass of navigation programs operates.

OS and software

The device uses the Google Android software platform version 4.4.3 as a system with its own proprietary interface, which the smartphone manufacturer did not influence in any way. Drawing of icons, menu structure and layout of sections, appearance notification menu and quick access to main functions - everything remains as intended by the creators of Google Android OS itself. That is, for example, in the menu of recently opened programs there is no way to close all programs at once with one click - you need to delete each of the icons manually. None of the creators of their own alternative user interface I would never leave it as it is, there is always a “close all” type button added.

It is worth noting that, just as in the case of pure Android, the Yotaphone 2 firmware did not even contain such vital required application, How file manager. But the developers preinstalled, for example, the ABBY Lingvo program, which immediately began offering to buy additional paid dictionaries, in addition to the free ones, which also need to be downloaded and installed first. The E-Ink screen comes with several pre-installed games such as checkers, chess and sudoku. A proprietary program for searching and reading e-books called Yota Reader allows you to use it with any of the screens; with its help you can open your own books loaded into the device’s memory, including in FB2 format.

The manufacturer's only intervention in the proprietary menu is the addition of a specific section in the settings dedicated to the second screen on electronic ink. The YotaHub section contains settings for YotaCover covers, as well as YotaPanel information panels, which will be constantly displayed on the rear E-Ink screen, which remains always on. For covers, you can choose ready-made options or create any of your own pictures, as well as use updated information from social networks; for this, there are already prepared options for such covers.

YotaPanel are more informative and interactive panels displayed alternately on the rear display. You can install up to four of them there at a time and scroll through them while using the smartphone. Such a panel is a typesetting one: first you need to select a template, then connect each of the individual modules into it, selecting and assembling in a single panel any modules you like from the mass of proposed options. Thus, information about the weather, calendar entries, playing melody, book being read, battery charge level, etc. can be simultaneously displayed and changed in real time on one panel. and so on.

The mechanics of switching from one screen to another are simple: just hold down the Home key and then press one of the three round buttons that appear (the one on the far left), and the image from the main screen will switch to the secondary one, and vice versa. When you press the power and lock button, the screen that the user is currently working on is locked. The smartphone remembers which screen the user was using before pressing the lock button. When unlocking occurs, the device automatically activates the screen that is facing the user, so that accidental or erroneous clicks do not occur. To learn the basics of working with a smartphone, and in particular with two screens, the menu contains detailed instructions.

Performance

The Yotaphone 2 hardware platform is based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 single-chip system (SoC), the chip used in most of last year's flagships, such as Sony Xperia Z1, Samsung Galaxy S4, Google Nexus 5 and others. The central processor here has 4 Krait 400 cores operating at a frequency of 2.26 GHz. The device has 2 GB of RAM and storage accessible to the user for uploading your own files is about 25 GB of the nominal 32 GB. The processor is supported in graphics processing by the Adreno 330 video accelerator. The amount of internal memory cannot be increased by microSD cards, the smartphone does not support memory cards. But you can connect external flash drives to the Micro-USB port using a special adapter in OTG mode.

According to the results of testing in benchmarks, the second Yotaphone smartphone, just like the first one, demonstrated quite decent, but certainly not top-end, performance, just at the level of last year’s flagships. There were no records, which is not surprising; newer modern SoCs, such as Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 and MediaTek MT6595, produce much higher numbers in benchmarks. However, this does not prevent the hero of the review from coping with any tasks assigned to him, including the most demanding games. The hardware capabilities of Yotaphone 2 will be relevant for a long time; there is still a power reserve.

Testing in latest versions comprehensive tests AnTuTu and GeekBench 3:

For convenience, we have compiled all the results we obtained when testing the smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks into tables. The table usually adds several other devices from different segments, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry figures). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison it is impossible to present the results from different versions benchmarks, so many worthy and current models- due to the fact that they once went through an “obstacle course” on previous versions of test programs.

Testing the graphics subsystem in gaming tests 3DMark, GFXBenchmark and Bonsai Benchmark:

When testing in 3DMark, the most powerful smartphones now have the ability to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps).

	Yotaphone 2	Lenovo Vibe X2 (Mediatek MT6595m/ PowerVR G6200)	Meizu MX4 (Mediatek MT6595/PowerVR G6200)	Google Nexus 5 (Snapdragon 800/ Adreno 330)	Sony Xperia Z3 (Snapdragon 801/ Adreno 330)
3DMark Ice Storm Extreme (more is better)	9852	8566	Maxed out!	Maxed out!	Maxed out!
3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited (more is better)	14780	14067	16691	17300	18496
GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Onscreen)	23 fps	17.0 fps	21.7 fps	24 fps	29.4 fps
GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Offscreen)	22 fps	17.8 fps	23.2 fps	22 fps	27.8 fps
Bonsai Benchmark	3362 (48 fps)	3549 (51 fps)	4033 (58 fps)	3546 (51 fps)	3820 (54 fps)

Browser cross-platform tests:

As for benchmarks for assessing the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowance for the fact that their results significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so the comparison can only be truly correct on the same OS and browsers, and this is possible during testing not always. For Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.

Playing video

To test omnivorousness when playing video (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, for example subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Web. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern options using processor cores alone. Also, you shouldn’t expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it.

According to the test results, the subject was not equipped with all the necessary decoders, in this case audio, which are necessary for full playback of most of the most common files on the network. Previously, this issue was partially resolved by installing the popular third-party player MX Player. True, now, due to licensing problems, support for the AC3 sound codec, used in the vast majority of video content on the Internet, has been removed, so users may lose sound when viewing their files. In principle, you can independently search for a custom codec for this player on the Internet, and then download it to your smartphone and install it as an alternative. However, for an inexperienced user such manipulations are complex and very inconvenient. Alternatively, you can simply install and use another player from the many available in the Google Play online store. For example, VLC for Android beta without any problems and additional settings immediately plays all our test files.

Format	Container, video, sound	VLC for Android	MX Video Player	Standard video player
DVDRip	AVI, XviD 720×400 2200 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL SD	AVI, XviD 720×400 1400 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL HD	MKV, H.264 1280×720 3000 Kbps, AC3	plays normally		The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹
BDRip 720p	MKV, H.264 1280×720 4000 Kbps, AC3	plays normally	The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹	The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹
BDRip 1080p	MKV, H.264 1920×1080 8000 Kbps, AC3	plays normally	The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹	The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹

Further testing of video playback was performed Alexey Kudryavtsev.

This smartphone supports SlimPort (or Mobility DisplayPort) adapters that connect to the micro-USB connector and provide video (and audio) transmission to external display devices. To test it we used a monitor ViewSonic VX2363Smhl, supporting direct MHL connection (in version 2.0) using a passive adapter cable from micro-USB to HDMI. When using this monitor and the SlimPort adapter we had, output was carried out at a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels at 60 frames per second. When the smartphone is landscape-oriented, the image is displayed on the smartphone and monitor screens if possible in landscape orientation, while the image on the monitor is inscribed within the boundaries of the screen and is an exact copy of the smartphone screen. When the smartphone is in portrait orientation, the image is displayed on the monitor screen in portrait orientation, while the image on the monitor is inscribed in height, and wide black fields are displayed on the left and right of the monitor screen.

Sound is output via HDMI and is of good quality. In this case, multimedia sounds are not output through the loudspeaker of the smartphone itself, and the volume is not adjusted using the buttons on the smartphone body, but is turned off. The smartphone connected to the SlimPort adapter is charged, and the adapter must be connected to a power source via its micro-USB connector.

The video output deserves special description. To begin with, using a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Method for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)”), we checked how the video is displayed on the screen of the smartphone itself. Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output of frames of video files with various parameters: Variable resolutions were 1280 by 720 (720p), 1920 by 1080 (1080p), and 3840 by 2160 (4K) pixels and frame rates of 24, 25, 30, 50, and 60 fps. In this test, we used the MX Player video player in Hardware+ mode. The results of this (block entitled “Smartphone Screen”) and the next test are summarized in the table:

Red marks indicate possible problems with playback of the corresponding files.

According to the criterion of frame output, the quality of playback of video files on the screen of the smartphone itself is very high, since frames (or groups of frames) can be output with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without skipping frames. However, uniform alternation of frames is a relatively unstable state, since some external and internal background processes lead to periodic failure of the correct alternation of intervals between frames. When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 (1080p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen, one to one in pixels, that is, in the original resolution. On the test worlds, the features of PenTile appear - the vertical world through the pixel looks like a grid, while the horizontal world with stripes through the pixel has a typical greenish tint. The brightness range displayed on the screen corresponds to the standard range of 16-235 - all gradations of shades are displayed in shadows and highlights.

With a monitor connected via SlimPort, when playing video, the monitor displays an exact copy of the smartphone screen. When playing video files with Full HD resolution (1920 by 1080 pixels) on the monitor screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen, maintaining true proportions, and the resolution corresponds to Full HD resolution:

The brightness range displayed on the monitor is equal to the standard range of 16-235, that is, all gradations of shades are displayed in shadows and highlights. The results of the monitor output tests are shown in the table above in the “SlimPort (monitor output)” block. The output quality is very good.

It turns out that the connection to external monitors, TVs and projectors, carried out using the SlimPort adapter, can be used for games, watching movies (including in Full HD resolution), displaying web pages and other activities that benefit from multiplying the screen size.

Battery life

Yotaphone 2 received a larger battery than its predecessor - it is quite decent by modern standards 2500 mAh. According to the testing results, the device demonstrated a decent level of autonomy; in this regard, there are no complaints about the smartphone. With average consumption in normal operating mode, the smartphone will easily work for more than two full days. The manufacturers themselves promise up to 17 days of standby time and up to 26 hours of talk time (3G). It is also worth mentioning here the possibility of using the proprietary YotaEnergy energy saving mode, which is rich in settings. The mode can be set to automatic switching on when a certain battery charge level is reached.

	Battery capacity	Reading mode	Video mode	3D Game Mode
Yotaphone 2	2500 mAh	12:00 pm	9:30 a.m.	3 hours 15 minutes
Lenovo Vibe X2	2300 mAh	13:00	6:00 am	3 hours 15 minutes
Meizu MX4	3100 mAh	12:00 pm	8 hours 40 minutes	3 hours 45 minutes
TCL Idol X+	2500 mAh	12:30 pm	7:20 am	3:00 am
Sony Xperia Z3	3100 mAh	20:00	10:00 am	4 hours 50 minutes
HTC One M8	2600 mAh	22:10	13:20	3 hours 20 minutes
Samsung Galaxy S5	2800 mAh	17:20	12:30 pm	4 hours 30 minutes
TCL Idol X+	2500 mAh	12:30 pm	7:20 am	3:00 am
Lenovo Vibe Z	3050 mAh	11:45 am	8:00 am	3 hours 30 minutes

Continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a standard, light theme) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd/m²) lasted until the battery was completely discharged for about 12 hours, and when continuously watching videos in high quality (720p) with the same brightness level through home network The Wi-Fi device lasted 9.5 hours. In 3D gaming mode, the smartphone worked for more than 3 hours. With the main screen turned off and in e-book reading mode on the E-Ink screen, the smartphone can work for about 66 hours. Fully charging the device's battery takes more than 3 hours.

Bottom line

Almost everything has changed in Yotaphone 2, from the appearance to the hardware. The very concept of using two screens, one of which is an economical solution using electronic ink (E-Ink), has remained unchanged, but technologically this solution has been so much redesigned and improved that it has turned from an interesting but unusable idea into a truly convenient and useful tool. In addition, most of the errors and shortcomings that the previous model had were corrected in the second Yotaphone, which is perhaps even more important than the improved characteristics.

Due to some annoying shortcomings, such as the inability to control the second screen using touches, an inconvenient touch control strip, poor placement of the main camera, etc., using the first Yotaphone device in everyday life was not very comfortable. The benefit of the second screen was offset by the inconvenience of its use; as a result, the most noticeable and expressive function of the device remained practically unused. In Yotaphone 2, the second screen received touch control, convenient and completely redesigned mechanics for interacting with applications, switching between two displays became much more comfortable, and working with them became intuitive. The remaining characteristics also do not cause dissatisfaction: the hardware and performance of the device are quite modern, although not the most top-end, the AMOLED screen is not bad, the ergonomics do not cause irritation, the camera, sound, battery life are quite satisfactory.

The only and most serious drawback of the Yota Devices product is its very high price, which prevents an essentially good smartphone from becoming truly in demand on the market. Its price of almost 40 thousand rubles can be compared with a lot. Take, for example, the prices in Russian retail for the most popular modern flagship smartphones: LG G3 Duos - 35 thousand rubles, Samsung Galaxy S5 Duos - 30 thousand rubles, Sony Xperia Z3 Dual - 36 thousand rubles, and this list goes on and on. Against this background, it will be difficult for a much more expensive device from a little-known brand without a reliable pedigree, a brand that cannot compete in popularity with well-known global brands, to count on high sales. If the price of Yotaphone 2 thousand was ten lower, everything could have been different, but this, unfortunately, did not happen. Perhaps the next generation of the family will be able to gain greater popularity and ensure wider sales, but for now Yotaphone 2 remains, for the most part, an interesting device for reviews and discussions, but you will hardly see this smartphone in the hands of others on the street.

Fortunately for phone lovers and lovers of fresh ideas, such fears were in vain. Russian engineers from Yota Devices company overcame many technical obstacles that stood in their way. The fruit of their efforts will go on sale in Europe today through a specialized online store at a price of 499 euros ($675). Admittedly, if you focus solely on the specifications, the new product will seem too expensive: a 720p LCD screen, a mid-range Snapdragon S4 Pro processor. But once you think about how unique this thing is, how everything changes.
YotaPhone promotional photos:

The first thing you'll notice when looking at the YotaPhone is that it's not as big as you might expect. The screen size is relatively modest - 4.3 inches, but comfortable. The additional display certainly adds weight to the device, which reaches 146 grams. The thickness of the phone is 9.9 mm. The E Ink side of the display is slightly convex.

In the video below you can learn about the practical benefits of the second screen and see the smartphone in action:

There is no removable cover. The matte plastic, pleasant to the touch, has no openings or keys, except for one. This is a combined on/off button. and a SIM card slot in the top right corner if you're looking from the LCD side. This tray cleverly opens when you press on it. There is also a 3.5 mm headphone jack in the upper left corner and a Micro USB port at the bottom. The seams around the glass coating of Gorilla Glass displays have received significantly improved security compared to the prototype that was presented last year. Overall, the device turned out well.

YotaPhone: specifications

operating system	Android Jelli Bean 4.2.2
CPU	Dual-core 1.7 GHz Krait
Form factor	Monoblock with two screens
Dimensions	133.6 x 67 x 9.99 mm
Weight	146 g
Color	black and white
Main screen	4.3-inch capacitive LCD screen with 1280 x 720 resolution
Additional (rear screen)	E-lnk screen with a diagonal of 4.3 inches, resolution 360 x 640 EPD, 16 levels of gray, capacitive touch zone
Connection	LTE 800/1800/2600 MHz, UMTS 900/1800/1900 MHz
Camera	main 13-megapixel with autofocus, LED flash; front camera 1MP
Memory	2 GB random access memory, 32 GB built-in eMMS
Connections	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS
Video	1080p 30fps H.263, H.262 AVC, MPEG-4, WebM
Audio	MP3, AAC, eAAC, eAAC+, AMR, MIDI, WAV
Battery	180 mAh
And	accelerometer, compass, gyroscope, FM radio, special applications

When you turn on the device, you will immediately notice that both displays are of decent quality. The LCD side has decent viewing angles and the E Ink side has acceptable contrast. One way or another, the phone's designers managed to dissipate the heat from Qualcomm processor Snapdragon so that it does not interfere with the E Ink E particles.

The phone comes with a short but informative manual, covering basic navigation methods and tips on how to scroll through information on the E Ink side. Navigation is done via a touchpad under each display, which takes some practice. Similar gestures can be used on either side of the phone.

Information can be easily transferred from one screen to another. The device offers custom applications, some of which come preloaded on the phone, including a clock, notepad, and calendar.

For a more detailed review, you need to dig deeper into the phone and thoroughly test it over the course of a few days. But now we can say that gadget very encouraging.

CEO Yota Devices, Vlad Martynov, says that the second generation will be produced at much best price, since there are already agreements with suppliers and there will be an opportunity to increase momentum.

As for pricing, the head of the company also said that about 20 percent of the YotaPhone price is associated with the additional display and associated costs such as installing nine antennas that suppress interference from E Ink particles. According to preliminary estimates, another 20 percent is due to the fact that Yota has not yet had sufficient influence in negotiations on favorable prices for smartphone components from manufacturers such as Qualcomm.

Smartphones with dual screens are something new on the gadget market. If you remember, previously dual screens were only available on push-button flip phones. Its main functions were to notify about missed calls with messages or show the current time. But technology is constantly evolving, and there are certainly no fewer functions. What does a double screen hide behind on a smartphone in 2017? We will talk about this in detail in our rating. best smartphones with two screens.

YotaPhone 2

If you're willing to pay top dollar for something extremely unique and intriguing, the YotaPhone 2 is right choice. This smartphone is famous for its dual screens that can be used for different purposes. The main screen of the smartphone shows a large 5-inch AMOLED display with Full HD (1080x1920 pixels) and a pixel density of 441 ppi. But what really attracts attention is the rear E-ink touch display with qHD resolution (540x960 pixels). Both screens are covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 3.0 to ensure high scratch resistance. The rear screen is ideal for functions such as reading books because it is made with e-ink. This way, you can save battery power for other entertainment. But there is one significant drawback - two screens cannot work simultaneously: finger touches are delayed and only then switch to the other screen.

Main characteristics:

• Screen: 5 inches with a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels, E-Ink screen – 4.7 inches with a resolution of 960×540;
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 and Adreno 330 video accelerator;
• Memory: 32 GB of internal memory and 2 GB of RAM;
• Android 4.4;
• Camera: 8 and 2.1 MP;
• Battery: 2500 mAh;

Pros:

1. Dual screen;
2. Useful E-ink display;
3. High performance;
4. Excellent battery life;

Minuses:

1. No SD card slot;
2. Medium cameras;

LG X View K500DS

This smart Android smartphone feels great in the hand and performs well, but its unusual secondary screen and front camera clearly make it stand out from the crowd, which is why it's among the best smartphones out there. Of course, the second display is more compact and less sharp. It sits directly on top of the main display and has a 1.76-inch display with a resolution of 520x80 pixels. It's always on, constantly showing you the time, date, battery level, and any relevant notification icons from your apps. This secondary display becomes slightly dimmer when the smartphone is in sleep mode, conserving battery power. The smartphone also comes with an 8 MP camera, which is higher than usual in LG devices. The pictures come out quite rich and bright. Mobile phone Works great on 4G networks and has a loud speaker that produces good sound.

Main characteristics:

• Screen: 4.93 inches with a resolution of 1280×720 pixels, secondary display – 1.76 inches with a resolution of 520×80;
• Processor: Qualcomm MSM8916 and Adreno 306 video accelerator;
• Android 6.0;
• Camera: 13 and 8 MP;
• Battery: 2300 mAh;

Pros:

1. Great cameras;
2. Large expandable memory;
3. Dual screen;

Minuses:

1. Medium battery;
2. Single-symbol;

Highscreen Ice 2

Another excellent smartphone that captivates with its appearance and therefore falls into the ranking of the best smartphones with two screens for 2017. The design is no different at the front, but something new appears at the back - a small additional screen the size of old calculators. One of the most important functions of this screen is to display the current time, weather and other notifications from applications. The smartphone has a main 4.7-inch screen with a display density of 312 ppi with wide viewing angles. On the side edges there are two slots for SIM cards. Despite 16 GB internal memory, the phone supports an SD card slot that supports cards up to 256GB in size.

Main characteristics:

• Screen: 4.7 inches with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels, additional screen with a 22x3 mm matrix;
• Processor: MediaTek MT6592 and Mali-450MP4 video accelerator;
• Memory: 16 GB of internal memory and 2 GB of RAM;
• Android 4.4;
• Camera: 13 and 2 MP;
• Battery: 2500 mAh;

Pros:

1. Availability of an additional screen;
2. Excellent performance;
3. Good cameras;
4. Powerful battery;

Minuses:

1. Outdated software version;

YotaPhone 3

A new product from YotaPhone, it has already gained popularity online. The smartphone has good cameras and crisp AMOLED displays, and the phone's performance is excellent thanks to the large amount of RAM. You can buy this device with a double screen for around 30 thousand rubles. First of all, the cell phone is equipped with the latest Android version– 7.0 and has a dual screen, like its predecessor, differing only more powerful characteristics. The 12 megapixel selfie camera is ideal for quality video calls. The smartphone draws its power from a large 3200 mAh lithium-ion battery, which allows the smartphone to operate for long hours.

Main characteristics:

• Screen: 5.5 inches with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, E-Ink screen – 5.2 inches;
• Processor: Snapdragon 625 and Adreno 506 video accelerator;
• Memory: 64 GB of internal memory and 4 GB of RAM;
• Android 7.0;
• Camera: 13 and 12 MP;
• Battery: 3200 mAh;

Pros:

1. Unique design;
2. Powerful configuration;
3. Dual screen;
4. Fingerprint sensor;

Minuses:

1. Non-expandable memory;
2. Non-removable battery;

Conclusion

This concludes our TOP. Dual screens in smartphones are gaining popularity with great momentum. Many widgets connected to the Internet began to display updated information on an additional display without turning on the main screen. This is very convenient for the modern user. If you have a desire to buy such a smartphone, we recommend that you look again at the rating of the best smartphones with two screens for 2017 in order to accurately decide on your choice.

Young users who think the idea of ​​equipping a phone with a second screen as innovative are mistaken. Even primitive “clamshells”, which were at the height of fashion a good ten years ago, were equipped with auxiliary LED displays. Additional screens displayed the most important information - thanks to this, the user of the clamshell did not have to flip the lid every time to, for example, see the time.

It seemed that the concept of two screens had “sunk into oblivion” along with the “folding phones” themselves. However, she was “resurrected” Russian company YotaPhone in 2012, demonstrating its revolutionary gadget with an additional E-Ink display. This article will tell you how modern Yotafons differ from the debut model, and will also present other current smartphones with two screens.

• Main screen: diagonal 5 inches, FullHD resolution
• Additional screen: diagonal 4.7 inches, resolution 960×540
• Memory(operational / built-in) : 2 GB / 32 GB
• Camera: 8 megapixels
• Battery: 2,500 mAh

Price: from 14,900 rubles

YotaPhone 2 is not new; this Russian smartphone was presented at the MWC exhibition at the beginning of 2014 - where, by the way, it made a splash. The device became a real pride and a classic example of the domestic smartphone industry - even famous politicians did not hesitate to advertise it.

Like the first generation model, YotaPhone 2, in addition to the main FullHD screen, also has an E-Ink display of almost the same size - it is located on the rear surface. The user can use the additional screen not only to read books (although this is the most obvious way to use it), but also to control the basic functions of the mobile device. This is the key difference between the second Yotafon and its “predecessor” - in the first generation gadget, the auxiliary display was not fully touch-sensitive. There was only a strip that you could swipe to turn the pages of the e-book.

The design and functionality have also changed. YotaPhone 2 looks more attractive than the first model thanks to its rounded body, free of sharp corners. The ergonomics of the device are excellent: a smartphone with two screens is neither heavy nor thick; in weight and dimensions it is comparable to classmates. The device received technical equipment at the level of 2014 flagships: the manufacturer provided it, in particular, with wireless charging, a protected AMOLED display, modules and LTE, and even an audio player capable of playing FLAC files.

A detailed comparison of YotaPhone and YotaPhone 2 was made by the website www.maxabout.com. The results were presented by the portal in the form of infographics:

Image: maxabout.com

The second Yotafon would have been a bestseller in Russia, if not for one “but”: the price of the gadget turned out to be “biting”. They asked for more than 32 thousand rubles for the device. Of course, for that kind of money, Russians preferred to buy Samsung Galaxy S5 and others flagship models famous manufacturers.

By 2017, the cost of YotaPhone 2 had dropped many times, which was facilitated by the appearance of the next generation device.

Advantages:

• Attractive design and good ergonomics.
• Touch E-Ink screen.
• Support for YotaEnergy, a proprietary energy saving function.
• Supports wireless charging technology.

Flaws:

• The smartphone does not look like a new product - it was released back in 2014.
• The gadget does not have a slot for a memory card.

YotaPhone 3

• Main screen: diagonal 5.5 inches, FullHD resolution
• Additional screen: diagonal 5.2 inches, E-Ink technology
• 4 GB / 64 – 128 GB
• 13 Mpix / 12 Mpix
• Battery: 3,200 mAh

Price: 29,990 – 34,990 rubles (according to expert forecasts)

YotaPhone 3 has not yet been officially presented in Russia - that’s why there is no certainty about the price. But a gadget with two displays has already been shown to Chinese users. Users from the Middle Kingdom will be able to pre-order from September 5 at a price of 2,398 yuan (about 21,500 rubles at the current exchange rate). The implementation of YOTA3 - as YotaPhone 3 is called in Asia - will be carried out by the JD.com trading platform.

The YotaPhone developers again made a radical design change - the third model looks nothing like the second. More on the first one - it was decided to abandon the rounded body and return to a rectangular shape. The gadget has an interesting sensor on the back panel - thanks to this sensor, the smartphone accurately determines which of the 2 screens the user wants to unlock. The fingerprint sensor, mandatory for modern flagships, is also present here - it is located on the front edge under the main display.

Surely the new Yotafon will compete with the best tablets for reading books, because the gadget will be sold with several pre-installed applications for book lovers – including iReader and China Reading.

YotaPhone 3 has a lot of other advantages compared to its “predecessor” - the screen is larger and the cameras are better - but this is understandable: more than 3 years have passed since the release of the second model, and all these years progress has not stood still. Technically, the third Yotafon is equipped no worse than modern flagships, however, it also has a rather impressive price. Russian users will be able to get acquainted with the new device only towards the end of the year.

Advantages:

• Own “OS” YotaOS 3.0 (on Android based 7.1.1).
• Cameras with high resolution and good light sensitivity.
• Support for popular services for reading e-books.
• Lots of memory for storing data.

Flaws:

• Impressive cost - especially for a know-name product, which Russian retailers consider YotaPhone 3 to be.
• The gadget is not yet for sale in Russia.

Where can I buy: Domestic Yota fans can be advised to wait for the start of pre-orders and order the device from the Chinese online store JD.com.

LG V20

• Main screen: diagonal 5.7 inches, resolution 2560×1440.
• Additional screen: diagonal 2.1 inches, resolution 160×1040
• Memory (RAM/built-in): 4 GB / 64 GB
• Camera (rear/front): 16 + 8 Mpix / 5 Mpix
• Battery: 3,200 mAh

Price: from 22,720 rubles

Conclusion

Contrary to popular belief, YotaPhone is not the only company that produces smartphones with dual displays. There are enough two-screen models on the market, but only a few of them reach Russia. Domestic users could find V series smartphones from LG with small color displays on display, but the respectable Doogee T3 and clamshell VKworld T2 Plus were not officially sold in Russia. One can only envy Chinese users: they can admire the most original gadgets in person - and even the Russian-made YotaPhone 3 smartphone is shown to them before the Russians themselves.

One of the most interesting trends in the smartphone market is the use of two screens. Of course, smartphones with two screens do not appear too often, but quite regularly.

For such smartphones, the second screen is usually more economical and is used constantly, while the main screen of the smartphone is turned off. An additional screen can display information about the current date, time, missed calls or notifications from applications.

In this article we will look at smartphones with two screens that are relevant at the end of 2017 and beginning of 2018. We hope that our review will help you decide which smartphone with two screens is right for you and whether you need it at all.

Meizu Pro 7 and Meizu Pro 7 Plus

Meizu Pro 7 and Meizu Pro 7 Plus are the most advanced and top-end smartphones with two screens that are on the smartphone market at the moment. In fact, this is the only flagship smartphone of 2017 that received a second screen.

On the back of the Pro 7 and Pro 7 Plus smartphones there is a small SuperAMOLED screen with a diagonal of 1.9 inches and 240 x 536 pixels. It may seem that the resolution is very low, but at such a diagonal it creates a pixel density of 309 ppi. This screen can display information about the current time, weather, incoming calls, SMS messages, steps taken, alarms and much more. Moreover, this screen can be used when taking photographs, meaning that you can now take selfies not only on front camera smartphone, but also on the back, which allows you to get a much higher quality image.

IN Meizu settings Pro 7 and Meizu Pro 7 Plus have a separate section where you can configure everything related to the second screen of your smartphone. Here you can select what data should be displayed on this screen, set the wallpaper, etc.

As for the other characteristics, the Meizu Pro 7 has the following: operating system Android,

• Operating system: Android;
• SIM card type: nano SIM;
• Number of SIM cards: 2;
• Dimensions: 70.72×147.62×7.3 mm;
• Weight: 163 g.
• Diagonal: 5.2 inches.
• Image size: 1920×1080;
• Pixels per inch (PPI): 424;
• Rear camera: dual 12/12 MP;
• Processor: 8 core MediaTek Helio P25 (MT6757T);
• RAM capacity: 4 GB;
• Battery capacity: 3000 mAh;

The Meizu Pro 7 Plus model, which is also equipped with two screens, has a large main screen (5.7 inches), high resolution(2560×1440), a more powerful processor (10-core MediaTek Helio X30), more RAM (6 GB) and a more capacious battery (3500 mAh). Otherwise, Meizu Pro 7 and Meizu Pro 7 Plus are the same.

LG is a dual-screen smartphone from LG. It was introduced in 2016, but is still relevant and available for sale. The second screen of the LG X view smartphone is a small “strip” attached to the main screen at the top of the smartphone.

The small screen is constantly on and displays a variety of information. For example, the current date and time, battery level, application notifications, missed calls and SMS messages. Also organized through the second screen fast access to the most popular smartphone settings. In particular, the second screen can display Wi-Fi settings, Bluetooth, sound, etc. In addition, the user can create their own menus for the second screen and place shortcuts to the most necessary programs there. In general, the smartphone has a lot of possibilities for using two screens.

Rest specifications LG X view include:

• OS version: Android 6.0;
• Number of SIM cards: 2;
• Dimensions: 71.8×142.6×7.1 mm;
• Weight: 120 g.
• Diagonal: 4.93 inches.
• Image size: 1280×720;
• Pixels per inch (PPI): 298;
• Rear camera: 13 MP;
• Front camera: yes, 8 million pixels.
• Processor: 4-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 MSM8916, 1200 MHz;
• RAM capacity: 2 GB;
• Battery capacity: 2300 mAh;

It should be noted that the LG X view is not the first smartphone with two screens from LG. Previously, LG released the LG V10 and LG V20, which also had two screens. But at the end of 2017, these models practically disappeared from sale.

U Ultra is a dual-screen smartphone from HTC. As in the LG X view, the secondary screen is a small strip located above the main screen.

The second screen of HTC U Ultra has a diagonal of 2.05 inches and a resolution of 160x1040 pixels. This screen does not work when the smartphone is locked. But, as soon as you pick up the smartphone, the screen wakes up and begins to display a variety of information. This can display the current time, weather, battery status, notification and more. You can also display shortcuts to frequently used applications on the second screen.

Other HTC U Ultra specifications include:

• OS version: Android 7.0
• SIM card type: nano SIM
• Number of SIM cards: 2
• Dimensions: 79.79×162.41×7.99 mm
• Weight: 170 g
• Diagonal: 5.7 inches.
• Image size: 2560×1440
• Pixels per inch (PPI): 515
• Rear camera: 12 MP
• Front camera: yes, 16 million pixels.
• Processor: 4-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 MSM 8996 Pro, 2150 MHz
• RAM capacity: 4 GB
• Battery capacity: 3000 mAh