Yota Devices has made the YotaPhone handset available in the UK on Wednesday, after debuting the smartphone in 2013.

The YotaPhone takes a different approach to the traditional smartphone, by featuring a 4.3-inch LCD on the front and 4.3-inch e-paper display on the back. The e-paper display is always-on so you can receive notifications at a glance.

The YotaPhone is available on Yota Devices' website for £419. That's full price for the smartphone - you won't be locked to a contract, and can use any SIM from UK carriers. 

READ: Hands-on: YotaPhone review

Specifications for the handset include a dual-core 1.7GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, 2GB of RAM and an 1800mAh battery, plus the handset will be running on Android 4.2.2 software. Yota claims the e-paper display helps the smartphone achieve 7 to 10 times more battery life, because you won't be constantly powering on the main display, which draws more power.

"The typical user picks up and activates their smartphone more than 150 times a day," Vlad Martynov, CEO of Yota Devices, explains. "Why? Because users worry that messages or information they need or want are hidden behind their phone’s black screen. This is a huge distraction and can impede meaningful interaction with our friends, families and colleagues."

The e-paper display doesn't run full Android apps like the main AMOLED display. However, Yota has made an SDK available for developers so they can take advantage of drawing less power, and serving up notifications to users. 

Anyone plan on picking up the YotaPhone? Be advised: the company just announced a much more stylish YotaPhone 2, due out in late-2014.