In December of 2014 Yotaphone took the veil off the YotaPhone 2, an impressive upgrade to the original that took the concept of dual-screen e-ink/LCD to new heights. During its announcement, the company promised the phone would eventually make its way to the US. While it took its sweet time, Yota Devices finally looked to be making good on the promise when it launched its U.S. Indiegogo campaign in May. Now in an unfavorable turn of events, Yota has canceled the U.S. launch of the YotaPhone 2 after all.
Today the company sent out messages to its Indiegogo backers revealing that they are canceling release due to “unforeseen delays including both production and delivery of the North American variant of YotaPhone 2 from our manufacturer”. Furthermore, they go on to stress that the phones would end up showing up too late if they continued down this path and that it would interfere with the company’s 2016 plans as well.
For those that already paid to support the device, Yota is offering two options: one, they can be sent an international version that will work in the US on T-Mobile and AT&T, but only at HSPA+ speeds. Second, they can request a refund, though YotaPhone says the timeline for the refund is still being sorted out. That means you shouldn’t expect that refund any time soon, though it is also hard to say how quickly Yota will be sending out international units for those that decided to go down that route.
Considering the company managed to attract 566 funders and accumulate $298,058, making it clear there is at least some interest in this niche, it is more than a little disappointing to see Yota calling it quits. We understand that the phone’s specs are already falling behind the pack and that they are likely more interested in working towards a YotaPhone 3 this late in the game, but these kinds of moves don’t instill much confidence from consumers.
What do you think of Yota’s decision to cancel the YotaPhone 2 launch in the US? For those that backed, will you be requesting a refund or settling for an international model? Let us know what you think in the comments.