YotaPhone 2 Release Date News: Dual-Screen is Not Coming to the US
Bad news for those in the U.S. who want to get their hands on the first-ever dual screen smartphone – the phone's manufacturer Yota Devices recently informed those who provided support on Indiegogo that the phone is not coming to US shores as originally planned.
According to a report on The Verge, the company shared the news through an email, saying that it is no longer pushing through with its plans to launch the YotaPhone 2 in the U.S. The email was sent to those who contributed to the crowdfunding campaign that was launched in early July and ended last July 26. It cited the reason behind the cancellation: "due to unforeseen delays including both production and delivery of the North American variant of YotaPhone 2 from our manufacturer" and "the logistics were insurmountable and the device would simply arrive too late."
The concept of the new device is a pioneering one in the current smartphone industry. It is the first dual screen smartphone, equipped with an AMOLED screen and another one, called an E Ink screen. The secondary screen is similar to that found on an Amazon Kindle. Unlike the LCD screen however, it consumes less power but is able to display important notifications such as time, weather and other social network notifications. According to a Tech Times report, if one opts to use the E Ink screen only, the phone's battery can last up to five days.
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The Indiegogo campaign raised almost $300,000 within almost a month, and a backer has to pledge at least $500 in order to get their own device. This recent news however changes things a bit especially for backers living in the US.
The company is offering two options for backers. The first option they can choose is to accept an International Version of the YotaPhone 2 which however does not come equipped with LTE connectivity and only comes with HSPA+ support (e.g. 3G and 4G support only). This means that connectivity will be slower than what is commonly available in the US. The second option is to ask for a refund of the amount that they pledged, but according to the report, details on how this will be done is still being worked out by the company.
