The first-generation YotaPhone was a Russian-developed Android smartphone launched in December 2013 with a conventional color LCD on the front and a monochrome electronic-paper (E Ink) display on the back. The rear screen was designed to keep selected information visible and make the phone useful for reading and quick glances without repeatedly waking its main display. Contemporary coverage called it a pioneering dual-screen phone; that description is more precise than claiming it was definitively Russia’s first smartphone of any kind.
What was the YotaPhone?
Yota Devices developed the YotaPhone as a “phone with two screens”: a regular front display for Android and a low-power electronic-paper display on the rear. The company outlined the design and specifications in an August 2013 development post. The first generation went on sale in Russia in December 2013, with launch coverage describing it as an always-on or dual-screen smartphone.
The phrase “Russia’s first smartphone” needs qualification. The available contemporary sources establish that YotaPhone was a Russian-developed handset and that launch descriptions promoted its two-screen design; they do not establish that no earlier smartphone was made in Russia. Its distinctive claim was integrating an e-paper screen into the phone itself.
How the two displays were different
| Display | Position and technology | Size and resolution | Intended role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main display | Front, color LCD | 4.3 inches; 720 × 1280 | Conventional Android interface and interactive apps |
| Secondary display | Back, monochrome electronic-paper display (EPD) | 4.3 inches; 360 × 640 | Selected information, reading, and glanceable content |
The figures are from Yota Devices’ development specifications. Electronic paper was meant to preserve a visible image without operating like a conventional illuminated LCD. Yota Devices said the rear display could reduce how often users needed to activate the main screen; that was the company’s design rationale, not an independently measured result.
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What could you do with the e-ink screen?
Yota Devices promoted the rear screen for reading and for keeping useful items in view, including missed calls, meeting reminders, images, maps, and boarding passes. Its launch material also said saved imagery could remain visible if the phone ran out of power. These were vendor-described capabilities and benefits, not independently tested findings.
At launch, a gesture could copy a screenshot from the front display to the rear. TechCrunch reported that only a small selection of apps had been optimized for the second screen, including an organizer, social-feed or RSS reader, and language-learning tool. Yota Devices named Bookmate for reading, ABBYY Lingvo for language learning and dictionary use, Vedomosti for newspaper reading, and MapsWithMe for maps.
Rank #2
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First-generation YotaPhone specifications
| Specification | First-generation detail |
|---|---|
| Operating system | Android 4.2.2 |
| Processor | Dual-core 1.7 GHz Qualcomm Krait |
| Memory | 2 GB RAM |
| Storage | 32 GB eMMC |
| Battery | 1,800 mAh |
| Rear camera | 12 MP in Yota Devices’ development specifications; Notebookcheck’s December 2013 launch report listed 13 MP |
| Front camera | 1 MP in Yota Devices’ development specifications |
The camera figures show a discrepancy between the company’s development post and a contemporary launch report, so neither rear-camera number should be treated as undisputed. Notebookcheck also repeated Yota Devices’ claim of up to 68 hours using only the rear display and its claim of seven to ten times the reading endurance of other smartphones. Those launch claims were not accompanied by an independently specified comparative test in the cited coverage.
Launch date, markets, and price
YotaPhone launched in Russia in December 2013 and was also made available in Austria, France, Spain, and Germany, according to contemporaneous TechCrunch coverage and a Notebookcheck report reproducing Yota Devices’ launch release.
Rank #3
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| Launch market | Reported launch price |
|---|---|
| Russia | 19,990 rubles |
| European markets | €499 |
These were December 2013 launch prices, not current values, and should not be compared as if they were converted at the same exchange rate. The launch release said expansion to 20 markets across the CIS, Europe, and the Middle East was planned by the end of the first quarter of 2014; an announced plan does not establish that the full rollout occurred.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the phone attracted attention—and questions
The rear e-paper display made the YotaPhone visually different from ordinary smartphones of its period, but the idea was not entirely without precedent: phone cases with electronic-paper displays already offered similar functionality. In a December 2013 report, The Moscow Times quoted a mobile-review.com editor making that distinction: Yota’s innovation was building the second display into the handset. The same report recorded a developer’s doubt about whether consumers would adopt the concept.
Rank #4
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Those contemporary reactions show that the phone was seen as unusual, not that it achieved mass adoption. The sources cited here do not provide independently verified long-term sales, market-share, or adoption figures for the first-generation model. Yota Devices also named E Ink for adapting display technology, Corning for shaped Gorilla Glass 3, and Singapore OEM Hi-P for the chassis.
Quick Recap
Best Value
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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