YotaPhone 2 will be available from a carrier in the U.S.
The backside of the two-faced phone. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
At CES 2015 in Las Vegas this week, we got to take a look at the new YotaPhone 2, a unique smartphone from Russia that has a regular AMOLED display on its front, plus a secondary e-ink display on its back. The device is already on sale in the U.K., and YotaPhone has since confirmed that it is also coming to “one of the big four” carriers in the U.S.
While this may be the second device from YotaPhone, the company itself is still in its infancy, and it’s yet to establish itself as a significant name in the smartphone industry. Much like OnePlus, then, the company has been selling its devices direct to customers — with carrier support — in an effort to build up its brand.
You can already buy the YotaPhone 2 in the U.K., and YotaPhone has confirmed it will also be available SIM-free and unlocked in the U.S. But more significantly, it will also be offered by carriers in both the U.S. and Canada, according to the company’s U.S. operator, Matthew Kelly.
Kelly told attendees during an interview on the CES Live stage that he couldn’t name those carriers yet, but he says it will be “one of the big four” — that’s AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, or Verizon — in the U.S. That means you’ll be able to get the YotaPhone 2 at a subsidized price, on a two-year contract, for the first time.
The YotaPhone 2’s dual display setup isn’t its only selling point, either; it also has some pretty impressive specifications. It’s powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor clocked at 2.2GHz and 2GB of RAM, plus a large 2,500mAh battery that promises up to two days of use in between charges.
YotaPhone has also made improvements to its displays for this model; the front-facer is a 4.7-inch 1080p panel, while the e-ink screen measures the same size and has a sharper 960×540 resolution.
So, what is that e-ink display actually for? Well, it serves several purposes. In addition to improving the reading experience on a smartphone, it also makes your handset more comfortable to use outdoors in direct sunlight. It will also display incoming notifications so you don’t need to unlock your smartphone to see them.
Are you thinking about picking up the YotaPhone 2?
