Did you know that Russia planned to release its own smartphone brand? Yota Phone models, originally released during the early 2010s, was a push by the Russian brand to reach out to more users around the world.
And it also did reach out to a major number of users, primarily with the brand’s unique take on how smartphones should be. Let us learn more of this smartphone manufacturer below:
Pushing Smartphone Innovation to the Farthest Borders
The Yota smartphone brand actually made waves in the tech and smartphone industries. A mobile broadband group in Russia, with a smartphone manufacturing section, this group planned to create innovative mobile devices for everyone to enjoy.
The company’s smartphone releases actually were innovative for its time, with sleek aesthetics and unique features that would have disrupted the smart tech industries. In fact, a unique and iconic feature that Yota was pushing for its smartphone models is the double-display and Kindle type of interface design.
Additionally, the Yota company did push for technological advancement and evolution, with its many excellent events and marketing promos to include all sorts of sectors into their network.
Sadly though, Yota declared bankruptcy in 2019. It would have been nice to get more smartphone models from a cutting-edge group such as this Russian tech group!
A List of Some Excellent Yota Phone Models Released
Check out what this Russian group’s memorable smartphone models are:
Released in 2013 (but announced almost a year prior), the YotaPhone proved to be an excellent smartphone choice mainly for its unique appearance and the amazing tech found within. For its time though, the YotaPhone was a good deal, considering that it had a 2 GB RAM (32 GB storage) capacity. Also, this smartphone had a respectable 13 MP camera, perfect for shutterbugs who want to get those nice selfies.
The YotaPhone ran on Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, and used Android 4.2.2 as its base OS. Most importantly, the YotaPhone is considered as the prototype release of what the Yota brand was strongly pushing among consumers: the dual display design!
The main screen, which was 4.3 inches (and with a resolution of 720 x 1280 px), was partnered with an amazing grayscale capacitive touchscreen. Similar to a Kindle, the always-on secondary screen makes use of E-ink tech for a unique viewing experience.
Yota also made sure that the secondary screen is a standalone feature – instead of a simple mirror from the main screen, the E-ink screen is capable of being used for specific apps and features. And since it has the Kindle effect, the constantly on screen didn’t hurt one’s eyes at all! If anything, a major concern of having a dual screen smartphone is its power-guzzling effect. You’d always want to have a charger handy to make the most out of the YotaPhone!
More About YotaPhone on gsmarena.com
Released about a year from its predecessor, the YotaPhone2 is a definite upgrade that made sure to improve on the original’s shortcomings. And for a 2014 smartphone, it did come with outstanding features that matches (and even excels) its contemporaries. A 2500 mAh battery is paired with the Snapdragon 801 processor of this smartphone, a nice combination to help power the many features of this device.
Although memory capacity is the same, set at 2 GB RAM and 32 GB storage, the YotaPhone2 excelled in terms of proper power distribution. Addressing the power-guzzling liability of the original YotaPhone, this release made sure that app usage and using the secondary E-ink screen is seamless as possible.
In terms of OS, the YotaPhone2 initially ran on Android 4.4.3, with versions going on all the way to 6. Screen improved with a curved design, but the camera, unfortunately, suffered with this release. At only 8 MP, you’d need to constantly edit each shot taken with this smartphone!
More About YotaPhone 2 on gsmarena.com
The brand’s last design, released in 2017, was actually a really good smartphone. Running on Android 7.1.1 with a Snapdragon 625 processor, the YotaPhone3 also excelled when it came to storage and memory capacity. At 4 GB RAM and a 64 GB to 128 GB expandable storage capacity, this phone was expected to be a beast when it comes to performance and app usage.
The 3200 mAh Li-Po battery of the YotaPhone3 also helped in managing the power consumption expected from the spectacular features of this smartphone (namely, the secondary E-ink screen).
Additionally, the camera improved (albeight slightly) when compared to the previous release. The YotaPhone3’s camera was of a 12 MP rating, enough to capture clear pictures for shutterbugs to enjoy. However, it has been noted that this model works better with its own camera app – using other photo apps may result to the device freezing.
For security, this smartphone introduced a fingerprint sensor access to safeguard any potential hacks and the like. It should be noted that this particular model was developed in collaboration with a Chinese firm – some models of the YotaPhone3 integrates a Chinese UI, which did bother users who can’t seem to navigate through the device. Additionally, this model was unfortunately released when Yota declared bankruptcy – leaving users in the dark!
More About YotaPhone 3 on gsmarena.com
All About the Yota Bankruptcy
As much as Yota promised a great future, it took a lawsuit to bring this Russian smartphone manufacturer down. According to reports, Yota wasn’t able to pay for the initial bulk of smartphone orders it processed with the firm’s device manufacturer, Hi-P Singapore. This failure in settling the payment resulted in Hi-P Singapore suing Yota for $126 million, which in turn made the Russian brand having no choice but to fold.
Yota: Could Have Been Amazing
Looking back to the smartphones this brand was able to release, Yota could have been a great brand in the industry. By introducing key tech concepts in a simple and approachable manner, this Russian smartphone manufacturer could have been a household name if things were handled differently. Still, the models Yota made are wonderful reminders on what smartphone ingenuity is – lucky are those to have owned a Yota smartphone!
| YotaPhone 3 | YotaPhone |
| YotaPhone 2 |
Image source: gsmarena.com
