YotaPhone Dual-Screen Device Launched In UK

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By Segun  Oniyide

The world’s first “always-on” dual-screen phone has been launched in the UK A smartphone combining a traditional screen and e-paper display – marketed as the world’s first – goes on sale.

YotaPhone is a traditional smartphone on one side of the device, and on the other an electronic paper display – similar to a Kindle tablet, The Russian company behind the phone believes this second display will make the handset stand out from the crowd and save battery power.

9b06b-epd-lcd-epd-1-1-522x293The dual-screen means users do not need to “wake” the phone to see messages, According to the firm, the e-paper screen requires less energy to display information and automatically displays new notifications.

This means users do not need to “wake” the phone to view messages as they would on traditional devices , the company claims the handset has seven to 10 times the battery life of other smartphones because of its e-reader mode.

Yota Devices CEO Vlad Martynov said: “The typical user picks up and activates their smartphone screen more than 150 times a day, Why? Because users worry that messages or information they need or want are hidden behind their phone’s black screen.”

The smartphone’s e-paper mode will also display information even after the phone’s battery has run out of power.

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No date has yet been set for the UK arrival of a second larger screen model, Maps or telephone numbers can be saved to the screen and will remain visible until no longer needed.

The mobile phone operates on Android with a 4.3-inch LCD display and also features a 13 megapixel camera and dual-core 1.7GHz Qualcomm processor, with a price tag of £419.

YotaPhone was first unveiled at the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas in 2013, but has only now made its way to the UK.

A second model with a larger screen was debuted earlier this year at Mobile World Congress and is expected to launch in Russia and the Middle East in late 2014. There is no announcement yet of an arrival date in the UK.