Remember the Russian-made YotaPhone 2? It was one of the first smartphones to feature a rear-facing e-ink display and it managed to receive a lot of positive feedback, as users fancied they idea of an ’emergency display’, that requires few power. Still, it had one problem: since it was made by a company from Russia, it was pretty hard to get one. Thus, the Siam X7, a concept launched by an American start-up, was born.
Will it reach mass production?
The phone is now raising funds through a Kickstarter campaign, hoping that until the end of the month, the $50,000 goal will be reached. Just like the YotaPhone, the Siam X7 has a color front screen, with a full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, measuring 5.0 inches, while on the back it sports a 4.7″ e-ink display. Both sides are protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass.
Besides this, it’s powered by an octa-core 64-bit MediaTek processor, running at 1.3 GHz, able to support 4G connectivity. It also has dual SIM support, a rare feature in the United States, while the phone’s battery has a capacity of 2100 mAh. A bit low for a 5.0 phone, we’d say.
What makes the Siam X7 very interesting is the biometric earprint recognition, integrated in the 8 MP front-facing camera. Thanks to this, only the owner of the phone will be able to make or receive calls. The phone has a 16 MP main shooter on the back.
As for the e-ink display on the back, it requires very little power to run. It’s able to retain the last image shown on it, even after the phone’s battery dies, a very helpful feature when you’re travelling and need a map, for example.
Not the cheapest phone, though
The Siam X7 has a starting price of $420, if you’re a backer. Also, for $470, you will receive a special package, which, besides the phone, contains a pair of SMS Audio BioSport heart-rate-monitoring earbuds and a 32 GB microSD card slot.
Any first thoughts about this phone?
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