Yota Devices has developed the YotaPhone — the first Russian smartphone which will be released all over Europe and Asia next year.
Yota CEO Vlad Martynov said that the company is planning on selling the phone in 20 countries next year, according to Reuters. The innovative device has a double-sided screen and it has already been released in Russia, Austria, France, Germany and Spain. Analysts predict that the YotaPhone will fail to compete with Apple’s (AAPL
) iPhone or Samsung’s (SSNLF) Galaxy, but the product’s unique design could prove them wrong.
The YotaPhone has a backlit liquid crystal display (LCD) screen on one side and an electronic paper display on the other side. The LCD screen side works as a regular phone that can be used for calls and the electronic paper screen has all the features of a smartphone including text messaging, access to social media and working as an e-book.
Martynov declined to predict YotaPhone sales but the product has already received about 10,000 pre-orders through its online store. “If we really hit the mark, we’ll be happy because in two or three years everyone will be copying us,” Martynov said.
The device will be sold for 19,900 roubles ($600) in Russia, 499 euros ($690) in Europe and $600 in the United Arab Emirates. Yota has no immediate plans to release the phone in the U.S. market.