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That's not the Eye of Sauron on your phone. It's the Yezz Sfera's 360-degree action cam (hands-on)

The first smartphone with action cameras on both front and back isn't ready yet, but we got a demo here at CES in Las Vegas.

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Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
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The round ball rising from both sides of the big, thick Yezz Sfera is the first sign that this isn't your typical Android phone. Yezz, a Miami-based phone maker, stuffed action cameras that take 360-degree photos and video on both sides of the handset, a first for the industry.

Unfortunately, there weren't any complete models to see here at CES in Las Vegas, but Yezz did show off prototypes for the Sfera, which it announced ahead of the show and which is already on presale for $300 -- but it'll typically cost $350, or about £240 and AU$500. It'll sell in the US only for now, and arrives April 30.

The phone is a hard plastic slab of a device that appears sturdy enough to take some spills, and its backing comes with a recess that mounts onto a standard action cam holder.

Yezz has done some work on the software side to help you work with the 360-degree videos you create (you can always take standard shots, too).

  • View in simple VR headset
  • Split-screen mode shows image capture from both front and rear cameras
  • Preview photos and video in a gallery
  • Share with friends or post to social media

The Sfera excites me because it's different and new, and because it could find a niche market with outdoor enthusiasts who could satisfy their action cam needs buy buying two devices for the price of one. I'm looking forward to seeing a full working model next month at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

Check out the 360-camera on the Yezz Sfera (pictures)

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Hardware specs:

  • 5.5-inch 1080p HD display
  • Android 6.0 Marshmallow
  • 5-megapixel front and back fish-eye cameras
  • 32GB internal storage, 3GB RAM
  • 64GB microSD card support
  • 2.0GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio processor
  • 3,000mAH battery