Russia's first ever smartphone went on sale Wednesday, according to the New York Times. It's delightfully European and decently expensive.

The Yotaphon could pass for an American smartphone from the front -- even if its frame seems to consume just slightly more space than your average device -- but not from the back, where it contains a separate, e-ink screen similar to that of the Kindle.

"Before Yotaphone, this space was useless," said chief executive of Yota Devices, Vladislav Martynov, in reference to phone's second screen. Some may debate the notion that empty space is wasted space; tech addicts don't care. As the front acts as the monitor for typical phone operations (and saves its battery when not engaged), the back provides non-stop updates from Facebook, Twitter, and other information sources. Similar to the new Toq smartwatch, its user will only need to look at the screen rather than press a button and type in a password. Martynove claims the dual screen actually saves battery life by preventing users from constantly disrupting their screens from sleep mode to monitor updates, the NY Times reported.

Developed by the Russian start-up, Yota Devices (the website creatively uses a mouse's scroll), the Yotaphone sells for $675 in Europe and $600 in Russia -- still cheaper than the iPhone 5s, according to the NY Times. The screen is larger than the 5s but smaller than the Galaxy S4. It operates on Android and is Europe's attempt to break into the handset market, currently dominated by the United States and Asia. Nokia was the largest cell phone manufacturer in Europe, but it's in the process of being bought by Microsoft for over $7 billion.

"I'm sure the people whom we call the trendsetters will absolutely love the idea," said Michael Tuch, of the mobile retailer, Svyaznoy, which will sell the Yotaphone in Russia. "The first device is a good way of showing something new. What we're looking for are actually the next devices, which I'm sure Yota has in their pockets."

The double-sided phone is being sold throughout the world in Austria, France, Germany, and Spain, but not the United States. No plans have been announced to bring it stateside, according to the NY Times.