Even though Yota Devices managed to raise over $300,000 in its Indiegogo campaign, the company announced it will not release its dual-screened wonder, the YotaPhone 2, in North America, according to an email sent to the campaign’s backers.
In the email, Yota Devices managing director of the Americas and head of global alliances Matthew Kelly revealed that production and delivery delays with the YotaPhone 2’s manufacturer were the reasons behind the handset’s canceled launch. Due to the delay, the manufacturer would have finished production of the YotaPhone 2 sometime in 2016, when Yota Devices will already look to release the phone’s successor. As such, the company decided to cancel the North American launch of the phone altogether.
“I am very hopeful for the future, as much of the decision making for canceling YotaPhone 2 in North America was around the fact that our manufacturers ‘new’ delivery schedule would have put us too close to our plans for YotaPhone 3 in 2016,” Kelly told Digital Trends.
Because of the cancellation, Indiegogo backers are given the choice of either receiving the international version of the YotaPhone 2 or a refund. If backers opt for the international variant of the phone, they will be limited to HSPA+ for GSM carriers, including AT&T and T-Mobile. For those not interested in the international YotaPhone 2, Yota Devices will send backers a direct reimbursement instead of refunding their credit cards. Kelly, one of three people who managed the phone’s Indiegogo campaign, will individually reach out to backers in the next week to confirm what choice they will make.
It’s not all bad news, though, as the North American team remains committed to bringing the next iteration of the YotaPhone to North America in 2016. At that time, Kelly hopes that Yota Devices will partner with a manufacturer that can deliver on the scalability front, which seems to be an Achilles’ heel for many small companies hoping to have their products in as many hands as possible.
When we reviewed the phone in June, we not only liked the concept of an e-ink display on the back, but we liked how Yota Devices executed the concept. Hopefully, the YotaPhone 3 won’t encounter the same issues that its predecessor did when it launches in North America next year.