The YotaPhone 2 won’t be coming to the U.S. after all

While the YotaPhone 2 was still being hyped, it was revealed that the U.S.-based launch would only happen if an Indiegogo campaign was successful. Turns out, despite that successful campaign, it’s not going to happen anyway.

According to a report published by The Verge that cites an email sent to Indiegogo backers by Yota Devices, the reason behind canceling the YotaPhone 2′s U.S. launch has to do with issues connected to its manufacturing partners. That includes unforeseen delays in both “production and delivery of the North American variant of YotaPhone 2 from our manufacturer.” As such, the email adds that “the logistics were insurmountable and the device would simply arrive too late.” Interestingly enough, the delay was so significant that Yota Devices says the shipments to U.S. customers of the YotaPhone 2 would actually conflict with their plans for 2016, and U.S. customers would be receiving the YotaPhone 2 while other regions were already receiving better YotaPhones.

As a result of the change in plans, Yota Devices says there are two options:

  • For those who are avid fans of our hardware and innovation, we offer you the option to receive an International version of YotaPhone 2 (YD201) in Black only. For those backers living outside of North America, this is the exact phone we already planned to send you. For those living in the US, this phone will work with major GSM carriers including AT&T and T-Mobile. The unfortunate situation is that it will remain locked to HSPA+ (3G/3G+) bands and will not be active on 4G/LTE.
  • For those of you who are not interested in the International YotaPhone 2, you’ll have the option to request a refund. We’re still figuring out the logistics for this, but the refunds will not be charged back to your credit card. We will instead send a reimbursement to you directly.

At this point, Yota Devices is partnering with a new manufacturer, and its plans for the future will include the United States, too. Unfortunately that won’t include the YotaPhone 2, but some unknown handset(s) at some later date.

Did you back the YotaPhone 2 as a U.S.-based customer?


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