Yotaphone lands in the UK with not one, but two displays

YotaPhone lands in the UK with not one, but two displays
Two is always better than one, right?

The Yotaphone has arrived in the UK, but this is no ordinary smartphone. Not only does it sport a 4.3-inch display on its front, it also boasts an 4.3-inch e-Ink display on its rear.

Billed as the first "always-on" smartphone, the Yotaphone sports a relatively modest array of specs including a 1.7GHz dual-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, 13MP camera and a 1800mAh battery.

It's that black and white e-Ink display which is the main feature here, allowing you to read books comfortably while consuming very little power. Yota claims that the Yotaphone's battery life is 7 to 10 times better than rivals when reading books.

The e-ink display isn't touch sensitive though, with simple controls hidden below the screen in a bar which you can swipe across to turn pages, flick to the next news article or scroll through your new notifications.

Price and battery life

At £419 SIM-free, the Russian-built Yotaphone isn't exactly cheap and the company admits that with moderate to heavy use of the colour screen on the front the phone's battery won't last a whole day.

That said though, if you're more conservative with your usage then the Yotaphone can last more than a day, with notifications, news and updates popping up on the rear screen and using very little power.

As a sweetener, anyone who purchases the first-generation Yotaphone will be eligible for a discount on the second-gen Yotaphone which is expected to launch later this year.

The second generation sports a fully touchscreen e-Ink display, a better located rear camera, larger battery and more slender design.

John McCann
Global Managing Editor

John joined TechRadar over a decade ago as Staff Writer for Phones, and over the years has built up a vast knowledge of the tech industry. He's interviewed CEOs from some of the world's biggest tech firms, visited their HQs and has appeared on live TV and radio, including Sky News, BBC News, BBC World News, Al Jazeera, LBC and BBC Radio 4. Originally specializing in phones, tablets and wearables, John is now TechRadar's resident automotive expert, reviewing the latest and greatest EVs and PHEVs on the market. John also looks after the day-to-day running of the site.