Dual-screen YotaPhone has manufacturing deal, product launch second half of 2013

It has been a couple years in the making, but it looks like the Russian designed YotaPhone will finally make it into production. The Yota Devices expects to have the dual-screen Android handset available to consumers in the second half of this year.

Yota Devices has signed a deal with Hi-P, based in Singapore. Hi-P has made equipment for Apple, BlackBerry and Amazon. Yota will also be opening an R&D facility and business development office in Singapore to help perfect the technology, scale it for production and maintain the established partnerships that have been built for this device, and future iterations of the YotaPhone.

The YotaPhone has the distinction of being a dual-screen device featuring a 4.3-inch HD color main screen, and a 4.3-inch e-Ink display on the back. The e-Ink display offers a number of interesting benefits for the device, it can enable battery conservation and it can obviously be used as an e-reader. The YotaPhone runs Android 4.2, but instead of the on-screen navigation buttons, a gesture area has been built into the device.

Russia will be the first market receiving the YotaPhone, dates and pricing have not been released, but previous reports indicate the company is aiming for a $500 price point. The device will come with your choice of 32GB or 64GB of storage. It also features a 12MP main camera, 2,100mAh battery and a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. The company also makes routers and LTE switchgear, so expect LTE support when this device makes its way to your neighborhood.

The YotaPhone will be making an appearance at MWC so we look forward to learning and seeing more of this device.

sources: Engadget