Russian tech giant Yandex unveils first smartphone

Russian internet giant Yandex on Wednesday launched its first ever smartphone, ending several weeks of suspense for tech fans over the highly anticipated launch.

The company behind the most widely used search engine in Russia and the exSoviet region has recently diversified to defend its market share against Google, creating popular phone apps to order taxis and takeaway food.

The new smartphone, called Yandex. Phone, will go on sale on Thursday in Russia and also online. It will cost 17,990 rubles ($269) and will work with the Android system.

While the design was created by Yandex, the phone is made in China.

Yandex’s various apps for payment, music, maps, taxi and food are pre-installed on the phone, which will also use a smart speaker called Alice (Alisa in Russian), which is similar to Amazon’s Alexa.

“We built Yandex.Phone to offer Russian users a smartphone that is equipped with all the localized tools that help users better navigate their daily routines,” Yandex official Fyodor Yezhov was quoted as saying in a press release.

“Within the smartphone, the Yandex apps are presented in the form of an ecosystem with Alice at its centre. It’s not necessary to open individual apps to solve a task – just ask Alice.”

The phone signals a major new phase in Yandex’s development and is designed to rival giants like Apple, Samsung and Huawei. (AFP)