Yotaphone 2 drops to £440 as it gets Android 5.0 upgrade
Yota also announces a new white version of the Yotaphone 2 and brings Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Gmail to the rear E-Ink screen
We were big fans of Yota’s dual-screened Yotaphone 2 when it launched last year, not least because its rear always-on E-Ink screen gave it incredible stamina when it came to battery life. However, one of our main complaints was that it was a tad expensive. Happily, Yota has today announced a price drop for the Yotaphone 2 to £440 (it was previously £555), as well as a new limited edition white model and a free OTA update to Android 5.0.
The white model even has a white E-Ink display, too, and Yota’s continual updates to the rear display mean you can now populate it with full-screen Facebook, Twitter and Instagram widgets so you can keep up to date with social media without putting too much of a strain on your phone’s battery. The email widget has also been updated to let you use your Gmail account from the E-Ink screen.
Likewise, Yota has made several changes to its own suite of always-on apps, including YotaNotes, which lets you display and tick off to-do lists, and YotaEnergy, which now displays more information about how much battery life you can expect from your phone based on your day-to-day usage.
Meanwhile, MusixMatch is Yota’s answer to Shazam, as it will listen and identify songs with a simple tap of the widget. YotaSports also lets you keep up to date with the latest sports news thanks to its partnership with Eurosport, and its new text commentary feature will make sure you’re always on top of any major developments during a game.
Yota’s added a new e-reading app, too, called BookMate. This subscription service gives you access to over 300,000 premium book titles from Harper Collins, Bloomsbury, Faber and Oxford University Press, and has been specifically tailored for the Yotaphone 2’s E-Ink display. Likewise, YotaFitness makes its debut on Android 5.0, and this will count the number of steps you take and let you set daily goals without the need for a smartwatch.
To accompany the launch of the white Yotaphone 2, Yota has also announced a portable wireless power bank. This will cost £35 and has an extra 4,000mAh battery inside, so it should provide plenty of juice when you’re on the move. Both products are available now through the Yota Store.
