If a smartphone with an e-ink screen plastered on one side and a normal color display on the other is your thing, listen up: the first-generation YotaPhone has launched in Malaysia on October 10.
A launch event was held Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. The phone costs MYR1,699 (US$521) and can only be bought through this website. Malaysia is the first country in Asia to sell the phone. It was previously only available in Russia and a few other select countries.
The phone is reportedly making its way into India as well, but we’ve not gotten an official word from the phone maker yet.
YotaPhone is definitely one of the most unique gadgets out there. Essentially half smartphone and half ebook reader, the device theoretically lets users conserve battery and read literature without the glare from the screen. Reviews for the phone have so far been middling, however. Engadget’s review of reviews put the device at 5.9 out of 10. Sharif Sakr writes:
The YotaPhone isn’t yet ready to deliver on its dual-screen promise due to various issues ranging from poor build quality to short battery life and, most importantly, an inability to make use of its rear e-ink panel except in a very limited selection of pre-installed apps. Without support for our favorite e-book and magazine platforms, or for Spotify and other streaming apps, or transport updates and Google Now (which we’re told is coming soon), there just isn’t much reason for us to flip the phone over.
The phone costs EUR499 (US$675) in Europe, making it similarly priced with the HTC One Mini and Sony Xperia Z1. A high-end phone this is not. And with the YotaPhone 2 arriving soon, we can expect the company to slash the price for the first device.
See more: 15 new Asian smartphone makers hoping to crush Samsung and Apple
Editing by J.T. Quigley
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