Russia’s Yandex launches its first Android phone

Russian search behemoth Yandex launched its first phone yesterday. The unimaginatively named Yandex.Phone runs Android and is designed around the company’s own apps, including a custom launcher.

The phone also supports the search company’s own Russian AI assistant, Alice. instead of Google Assistant ; Available on Android, iOS, and, Windows , Alice can assist users with maps, weather, music, calendar, and voice calls.

Under the hood, the device features run-of-the-mill specifications for a mid-range phone:

Screen : 5.65-inch FullHD+ LCD

Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 630

Rear camera : 16-megapixel + 5-megapixel

Front camera : 5-megapixel

RAM : 4GB

Internal memory : 64GB

Battery : 3,050 mAh

Software : Android Oreo 8.1 with Yandex launcher

The company boasted about deep integration of its services on the device, as well as its learning capabilities:

This is Yandex’s second hardware product after it launched an Alice AI-powered speaker in May . The company has been a long-standing rival of Google’s in Russia. In 2016, Yandex won an anti-monopoly lawsuit against Google , freeing Russian phone makers from mandatorily including the Mountain View company’s apps – like Search and Maps – in their Android devices.

The phone costs 17,990 rubles ($270) and will be available at Yandex’s flagship store in Moscow, as well as through carriers and online retailers from December 7.