Hisense A2: a phone with an e-ink display on the back

Hisense has been making a few capable yet well-priced smartphones over the last few years, such as the Infinity Pure 1 and the more recent KO handset.

Now, it seems like the firm is gearing up for a rather interesting device in the form of the Hisense A2, Phone Radar reports.

The publication reports that the new phone has passed TENAA certification (China’s Icasa equivalent). So what are we getting then?

The standout feature is the 5.17-inch, 960×540 e-ink display on the back of the phone, being slightly smaller than the 5.7-inch full HD main screen on the front. For the uninitiated, e-ink displays consume much less power than a standard screen. In fact, turning off the phone doesn’t mean the e-ink display is useless either, as it can still display an image or page.

The Hisense A2 is just the latest smartphone with an e-ink display – here’s hoping it leaves China

Otherwise, you’re looking at a budget-minded Snapdragon 430 chip, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of expandable storage, a 5MP selfie shooter and a 16MP main camera. In a cool touch, Phone Radar claims that you can take selfies with the main camera too, being displayed on the e-ink screen as well.

Other notable specs include a 3100mAh battery and a Xperia-style side-mounted fingerprint scanner.

There’s been no word on a launch date for the phone or if it’ll be available outside of China, but you’ll want to check the likes of Gearbest periodically for a possible listing.

It’s not the first time that we’ve seen a smartphone with an e-ink display either, as Russia’s YotaPhone and YotaPhone 2 were notable examples. We’ve also seen China’s Oukitel U6 tote an e-ink display recently.

Featured image: TENAA