News & Reviews:   Yotaphone 2

Highscreen has announced a new phone in the market called the Highscreen ICE 2 which features dual displays, much like the Yotaphone models. Although the brand is not famous internationally, it is owned by a well-known German company called Vobis Computers and has been operating in Russia for the past 5 years selling products like tablets, notebooks and other accessories. Unlike the Yotaphone 2, the ICE 2 features a tiny secondary display beside the rear camera which can deliver small pieces of information like incoming calls, text messages, notifications, weather updates and the time. Another highlight of the device is the notification light on the home button which can be configured with up to seven different colors for each app notification. Other tech specs include a 1.7 GHz octa-core Mediatek MT6592 processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage with MicroSD expansion, 4.7-inch 1280 x 720 pixel HD display, 13MP Sony rear camera and 2MP front camera. The device runs on Android 4.4 KitKat OS and comes with a 2550 mAh capacity battery onboard. The Highscreen ICE 2 dual screen smartphone will go on sale in Russia for $250 (RM962) in three colors – white, blue and grey. No details about Malaysia release dates or pricing so far.

Remember Yotaphone, the smartphone with two displays which was released in Malaysia way back in October? Now the second generation model of the device, called the Yotaphone 2 is all set to hit Malaysian markets. The dual screen device (a touchscreen on the front and e-ink display on the back) recently passed our SIRIM database which means that it will soon be available in the country. The Yotaphone 2 features tech specs that include a 2.2Ghz Snapdragon 801 Quad Core processor with 2GB RAM and 32GB of inbuilt storage. For the camera, you have an 8MP sensor at the back and a 2MP sensor on the front. Other tech specs include 4G LTE support, NFC and 2500mAh battery. The previous generation model was available for purchase in Malaysia for RM1699. However, we expect the Yotaphone 2 to retail at a much higher price tag, perhaps somewhere around RM3000 given the bump up in the tech specs.

We first covered the Yotaphone with it's energy efficient e-ink display on the back when it came out back in 2013 but this 4.3-inch display smartphone is finally here in Malaysia. Retailing at RM1699 the price tag is lower than it's initial pricing of RM2133 back in Russia but bear in mind that it isn't the latest Yotaphone version coming to Malaysia. Instead of the Yotaphone 2, Malaysia will be getting the Yotaphone 1 which has received a refresh of sorts with a 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor. Other tech specs and features include 2GB of RAM, 32GB storage, 4.3-inch display at 1280 x 720 pixel resolution, a 4.3-inch E-ink display at 640 x 360 pixel resolution, 13MP rear camera with LED flash, 1MP front camera and 1800 mAh battery. Check out more details and videos in this article.