In another blow to the startup smartphone industry, the smartphone vendor Wileyfox announced it has gone into administration in a post on Reddit. Best known for the Cyanogen OS and pure Android-based budget devices which, while not offering flagship specifications, did offer phones with specifications above what was typically expected of the price range. As of now, the website appears to be up and running although an announcement should be added soon according to the Reddit page.
Customers who purchased Wileyfox phones may find it difficult to receive support and unfortunately, warranties and repairs may not be honoured. A (now former) Wileyfox employee is offering limited support on the Reddit page and according to a Dutch website and Google translate, the company is undergoing restructuring and may, therefore, continue to operate.
The Wileyfox Swift 2 X, which launched over a year ago and came with flagship-level features such as a fingerprint scanner, Quick Charge 3.0 and a USB Type-C port. The Swift 2 X received good reviews, despite its higher than usual price tag and a middling processor for the price point. Perhaps a lack of sales led to a significant price cut 11 months after release, making the purchase more palatable. However, it appears that this may not have been enough to woo customers given the recent announcement.
Wileyfox also announced a Windows 10 Mobile phone, the Wileyfox pro, which appears to be unreleased. The Pro was touted to sport entry-level specifications and the fact that the device was running an OS which was already losing support from Microsoft itself, possibly led to the decision to cancel the phone. Although no announcement regarding its cancellation has been made as of yet, the phone, which was supposed to be released on December 18th, currently has a 2-5 month waiting time for purchase on Amazon and no customer reviews.