In May, Yota Devices started a crowdfunding campaign in North America, to help the company finance the launch of its second-generation handset there. Like its predecessor, the YotaPhone 2 (which we reviewed here) sports an unusual dual-display design - on the front, there"s a conventional LCD screen, but on the rear, there"s a secondary, battery-friendly e-ink display that consumes only a fraction of the power.
The campaign to raise funds for the North America launch, hosted on Indiegogo, broke through its $50,000 goal in less than 24 hours, and eventually grew to a total of just under $300,000. But despite raising more than enough money, Yota has confirmed that its North America launch has been cancelled.
In an email sent to backers of the campaign, a copy of which was published by The Verge, Yota explained that "the reason for our cancelled launch is due to unforeseen delays including both production and delivery of the North American variant of YotaPhone 2 from our manufacturer". The company added that "the logistics were insurmountable and the device would simply arrive too late".
Yota is now offering backers a choice. Anyone who still wants the device can take delivery of the international version of the YotaPhone 2 - but this variant does not have support for 4G LTE bands in the US. Alternatively, buyers can request a full refund (including any shipping fees that they paid); information about this is available on the original Indiegogo campaign page.
Source: The Verge