Last week Yandex, the NASDAQ-listed Russian search giant, announced the release of its first branded smartphone, Yandex.Phone.
Priced at 17,990 rubles (around $270), this Chinese-made device weighs in a relatively modest range of smartphones. Still, it is overpriced according to mobile phone resellers, if considering its unimpressive design and speed.
But this device distinguishes itself by the large array of preinstalled Yandex apps, including certain prepaid services and the integration of an AI assistant.
From mail, to maps and navigator, to e-commerce, to taxi hailing, to train schedule and weather, the Yandex apps have become extremely popular in Russia and other Russian-speaking areas. Key to their success have been their high technological performance, ease of use and good adaptation to the local context.
Yandex went even further by integrating an intelligent assistant to its smartphone. Christened ‘Alice,’ this assistant was launched nearly one year ago; it made the news not only for its advanced features but also for its occasional awkwardness.
“For the first time, mobile users can use Russia’s most powerful intelligent assistant across all apps and services,” Yandex claims.
Thus, “Yandex.Phone learns more about its owner’s schedule as they use the phone, and the phone provides notifications based on what its user is doing.” Alice is there to help users everyday, suggesting for example “to dress warmly for cold weather tomorrow.”
Since launch on December 7, Yandex.Phone has been made available via the retail networks of Beeline, a major mobile operator, and of leading electronics goods retailers M.Video and Eldorado. It can also be bought online in Yandex’s in-house marketplace Beru, with free delivery across Russia.
Yandex.Phone appeared six months after the launch of Yandex’s first electronic device, a smart speaker dubbed ‘Yandex.Station.’
The most notable Russian smartphones to date have been the МТS 945, launched in 2011 by mobile operator MTS, and the YotaPhone, released in 2014 by YotaDevices. (Click here for details on the Russian smartphone market.)
Yandex.Phone features:
- 5.65-inch Full HD+ LCD screen with IPS
- OS: Android 8.1 with the Yandex.Launcher interface
- Octa-core Snapdragon processor
- Fingerprint sensor to unlock the phone by touch
- Gorilla Glass on the front
- Back with an aluminum frame
- Dual 16MP and 5MP rear cameras, 5MP front camera, both with flash
- 64GB of expandable storage.
