Dual-screen Smartphone With E-Ink Display Launches

The YotaPhone became a reality today as Russian firm Yota Devices announced that the world’s first “always-on,” dual-screen phone would begin shipping out to retailers In Austria, France, Spain, Russia and Germany later this month. First announced in December 2012, the YotaPhone is a candy bar smartphone with a 4.3-inch HD display on the front and an e-ink screen on the back.

Since e-ink displays, which power devices like Amazon’s Kindle and the Barnes & Noble Nook reader, draw extremely little power, the monochrome display on YotaPhone’s backside can indeed be “always on” with a relatively negligible impact on battery life. Whether that technology is particularly useful in the real world remains to be seen, but Yota already has a pretty clear use case in mind.

“The typical user picks up and activates their smartphone more than 150 times a day,” Yota Devices CEO Vlad Martynov said in a press statement. “Why? Because users worry that messages or information they need or want are hidden behind their phone’s black screen.  This is a huge distraction and can impede meaningful interaction with our friends, families and colleagues.”

It’s unclear how a second screen would encourage users to pick up their phones less, or why an e-ink display on the back is more efficient than the notifications that already appear on most people’s phones, but if nothing else, YotaPhone’s ability to double as an e-reader, albeit a rather small one, is innovative… ish.

“Once we determined that an electronic paper display would work as a second screen, an array of new and improved user experiences became obvious,” said Martynov.  “For example, YotaPhone combines a smartphone and e-reader into one device for those who enjoy reading on-the-go.  You can save images and information on the second screen, and it stays there, even if you lose battery power.  You can save anything on the always-on display from a map to a boarding pass.  Information, like a missed call or meeting reminder, stays on the always-on screen until it is no longer needed.”

YotaPhone will ship running Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. You can pre-order here, but we’d suggest holding off until reviews become available for the new hardware.

YotaPhone Specs:

Operating System: Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2

Chipset: 1.7 GHz Krait

Front Display: 4.3” 720x1280 LCD

Back Display: 4.3” 360x640 EPD

Internal Storage: 32GB

RAM: 2GB

Dimensions: 133.6 x 67 x 9.99mm

Weight: 146g

Network Compatibility: LTE 800/1800/2600 MHz, UMTS 900/1800/2100 MHz, GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz

Battery: 1800mAh