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YotaPhone 2 comes to U.S., but not at a retailer near you
YotaPhone has announced that it will launch its duel-screen YotaPhone 2 in the U.S. this spring. It is however not arriving via traditional retail channels, but rather via a campaign on crowd-funding site Indiegogo. (via Phone Scoop)
The company unveiled the YotaPhone 2 in December and it was immediately released in 20 European countries and slated for arrival in China and the rest of Asia-Pacific in early 2015. At the time the company had no firm release date for the U.S.
For those unfamiliar with the YotaPhone, it is an Android smartphone with a second e-ink display on the rear.
The phone consumes far less energy than similar-specced devices (sans the second screen) and can run for up to five consecutive days in ‘read’ mode on a single charge. This is largely due to the second e-ink display consuming far less power in comparison to traditional screens. The user simply selects which information to display on the e-ink display instead of the front AMOLED display.
The YotaPhone 2 features a 5-inch AMOLED Full HD 1920×1080 display on the front and a 4.7-inch e-ink display on the rear. It runs Android 4.4, KitKat with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 2.2 GHz quad-core processor and packs 32GB internal storage, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash and a 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera.
YotaPhone is working on a software upgrade to Android 5.0 (Lollipop) and is confident of having it ready by the time devices start shipping to the U.S. Included in the software upgrade is a 2.0 version of its API for third-party app support on the e-ink display.
The handset is compatible with both T-Mobile and AT&T in the U.S. and includes LTE support. It is expected to sell for $600.
As is standard for Indiegogo and other crowd-funding sites, YotaPhone will offer incentives for early backers. YotaPhone has not said what those incentives may be, but rumor has it that they may include a bumper case for the phone or even a discount.
The company’s distribution plans post-Indiegogo includes availability via third-party retailers such as Best Buy.
By late summer, the company plans to release a white version of the YotaPhone 2. It will sport a white back and sides while keeping the black face.
The Indiegogo campaign kicks off in April and those interested can sign up to be notified on YotaPhone’s website.
Image via YotaPhone
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