August 21, 2023

First Russian Smartphone


First Russian Smartphone
The R-Fon, in all of its glory. Telegram, @appsimru

Introducing the R-Fon! Touted as the first Russian smartphone, and valued at 40,000 rubles ($426), it turns out it is actually a Chinese Linux phone worth 17,000 ($181) rubles.

Vladimir Zykov, head of the Russian Association of Professional Users of Social Networks and Messengers (APPSIM), broke the news by sharing images of the "innovation" on Telegram. Speaking to RIA Novosti, Zykov said that the forthcoming device from Rutek will cost up to 40,000 rubles and will be released in the coming year. Zykov acknowledged that production will depend on foreign components, but said the venture also employs an unprecedented level of domestic production. He underlined that the phone will proudly sport the "Made in Russia" label, marking a distinctive development in the realm of Russian technology.

“It is clear that some parts will not be made in Russia, but there have never been phones made in Russia with such localization,” Zykov said.

The details surrounding the supposed new Russian marvel were cross-checked by the Eurasian Economic Commission and their online database. Data within this registry reveal that the device's actual producer is Bopel Mobile Technology Co. Limited, its headquarters in Hong Kong.

Rutek’s registration of the phone reveals a strategic choice: not within the Russian borders, but in neighboring Kazakhstan. As pointed out by analysts at Mobiltelefon, this decision is believed to be a calculated move to evade possible sanctions.

"R-Fon," a clumsy transliteration of "R-phone," is slated to house a Media Tek Helio G99 processor and 6.7-inch display. The phone is expected to have a 50-megapixel primary camera, 8 gigabytes of RAM, 128 gigabytes of internal storage, and a robust 5000 mAh battery. Curiously, a smartphone boasting identical specifications, including a similar processor, is already available in the Russian market for a fraction of the cost of the R-Fon. For instance, the Chinese device Tecno Pova 5, with the sole distinction of a more capacious battery, retails for a modest 14,470 rubles ($150 USD), a fraction of the purported price of the "Russian phone."

You Might Also Like

iPhones Banned
  • June 27, 2023

iPhones Banned

Members of the government have been forbidden from bringing iPhones to cabinet meetings.
AI Will Watch You
  • February 13, 2023

AI Will Watch You

Russian authorities plan to use artificial intelligence to scour the interwebs for undesirable political information.
Yandexit
  • December 06, 2022

Yandexit

Russia's homegrown tech giant is collapsing under pressure from state censorship and the war in Ukraine.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
How Russia Got That Way

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955