An unfortunate turn of events has lead to Yota Devices cancelling the North American launch of their innovative dual screen YotaPhone 2. For those unaware, the YotaPhone is an Android phone that features a standard display on one side and an eInk display on the other. The eInk display allows for books, e-mails, and other apps to be viewed on the eInk display, significantly extending battery life. I had the opportunity to play around with the new YotaPhone at CES 2015 and it was definitely a solid device.
Citing production problems with their manufacturer and delivery problems, Yota has decided to scrap the North American variant of the device despite a wildly successful Indiegogo campaign that saw them pass their funding goal in a matter of hours. In an e-mail to campaign backers the company said:
It’s with a very heavy heart that I have to share the news that we are cancelling our launch of YotaPhone 2 in North America. This has been a difficult decision for us as a company, and we’d like to offer our sincerest apologies to the many people who have supported us.
Now, backers of the project will not be left completely out in the dark. Yota has offered two possible options to rectify the situation. Backers can choose to either receive a full refund, or Yota has offered to send an international device instead. The international YotaPhone 2 does come with a few caveats: The only color option available is black, and the international version of the phone will work on U.S. GSM networks only, and only on speeds up to HSPA+. The eInk display and its battery savings may be enough for some to not even miss LTE.
Yota believes that they’ve gotten their production issues sorted for the upcoming YotaPhone 3, which they anticipate releasing in 2016.
Did you back the YotaPhone 2 on Indiegogo? Which option do you think you’d take? Let us know in the comments or on your favorite social media site.
[button link=”http://9to5google.com/2015/07/31/yotaphone-2-us-backers-cancelled/” icon=”fa-external-link” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]Source: 9 to 5 Google[/button]Last Updated on November 27, 2018.
