While certainly a nice improvement over the 4S, the iPhone 5's 4-inch screen and panoramic camera are hardly breaking any new ground. The Samsung Galaxy S4 learned a few new parlor tricks, but for the most part it's just a faster and slightly larger S3. And for all its accolades, the HTC One's claim to fame is that it's not made of plastic.
To be perfectly frank, our smartphones haven't really changed all that much since the iPhone was released in 2007. Most of the major enhancements have happened under the hood -- new sensors, retina screens, etc. -- and anything new or interesting is either a rendering or a concept years away from reality.
And then there's YotaPhone. At first blush, the debut handset from router maker Yota Devices seems like just another piece of vaporware designed to generate buzz for the company.
"Having already established ourselves as a global player in LTE, our company decided to bring our experience and expertise to the smartphone market and create a new type of phone that would redefine the customer experience for the better," said Vlad Martynov, CEO of Yota Devices. "We asked ourselves why the industry is obsessed with specs -- bigger screens, more megapixels, lighter weight -- rather than improving the user experience."
Unlike the iPhone or HTC One, YotaPhone doesn't have an unmistakable form factor or an eye-catching design. Stacked against the competition, in fact, it seems like just another low-cost Android entry, a fairly thick, unstylish slab with a 4.3-inch display looking to grab a piece of the pie left behind by Apple and Samsung.
But YotaPhone isn't about aesthetics. Truth be told, it practically sacrifices form for function in the name of its vision.
"We knew there was a lot we didn't like about the smartphones we owned, most importantly the way we interact with our devices," Martynov said. "A primary example of this is short battery life, which we view as one of the biggest obstacles to creating a better experience with our phones. So we decided to create a device around the user experience and put technology to work for users."
So how did Yota create a better smartphone experience? It added a second screen.
I know, I rolled my eyes too when I first heard of it, but YotaPhone's rear display isn't just a gimmicky way to play Angry Birds and Angry Birds Star Wars at the same time. It's actually a well-thought-out feature designed to help your phone work better and last longer; instead of another battery-draining color display, Yota fitted the back of its phone with an energy-efficient, 4.3-inch electronic paper display.
It's kind of like a mashup between the Samsung Galaxy S2 and a Kindle.
"With the electronic paper display, you can have access to information continuously and effortlessly, without draining your battery power or having to wake up your phone," Martynov said. "The electronic paper display on YotaPhone is your personal space for: 1) effortless, always-on notifications; 2) comfortable reading and longer reading time; and 3) personalized images, information and interaction."
There's a tremendous interest these days in so-called smartwatches that handle simple tasks that we shouldn't need to unlock our phones for: weather, incoming texts, notifications, etc. YotaPhone basically apples this philosophy to its rear display, using it to collect all of the little things we're constantly turning out phones on to check.
"You receive real-time notices of calls, messages, battery life, time, weather or dozens of other options on the EPD," Martynov said. "The electronic paper display is always on, but in a less disturbing and relationship-friendly way. You can easily see notices, emails, tweets, and other information without picking up or activating your phone. Information such as stock prices, sports scores, tweets, and Facebook posting are updated continuously on the always-on EPD."
We've learned from using our Kindles that e-paper screens use barely any juice -- Amazon claims Kindles will hold their charge for two months with Wi-Fi turned off -- so the extra screen will actually extend battery life (up to 50 percent, Yota claims) by decreasing the number of times users need to turn on the main screen. The rear display can handle all sorts of interactions, from weather reports to move tickets. And whatever you send there will stay visible even after the battery stops being able to power the main screen.
"You can mirror any image onto the EPD, and that image stays visible, even if the battery dies. This is useful in so many ways -- your airplane boarding pass; a map of a new city or directions to your next destination."
Pricing hasn't been released for YotaPhone, but the company is currently shopping the device to carriers with the hopes of launching in the U.S. before Christmas. It's hard to say if it'll be a hit -- its weight (140 grams) and thickness (10mm) are a bit on the high side, especially if it's priced as a premium device -- but it's certainly a bold, risky entry for a first-timer.
And that's more than we've seen from Apple and Samsung in quite a while.
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