The tariff and commerce conflict between the U.S. and China has claimed one in all its first victims, albeit an unlikely one. In response to the May 2 deadline, Retroid moved up the timeline for delivery the brand new Pocket Flip 2 and Pocket Classic. Preorders for the Flip 2 started delivery earlier this week, with Retroid ramping up shipments for the Pocket Classic simply yesterday.
Even with the Hongkong Post halting any shipments from China to the U.S., we assumed “no news was good news.” It seems that is not the case, as an announcement was made on X (and the Retroid Discord) that the Kiwi, Teal, and Berry colours is not going to arrive in time to be shipped. The announcement additionally explains that “All delivery companies is not going to settle for US-bound packages from China, beginning 4/25/25.”
Update on RP Classic delivery to US prospects: pic.twitter.com/nHCnnpq5OOApril 17, 2025
I wasn’t personally conscious of the 4/25 cutoff date for shipments between the 2 nations. However, it does not come as a lot of a shock given the hostile nature of the state of affairs. Nevertheless, this does not bode properly for anybody, not simply those that preordered the Retroid Pocket Classic. For now, the one recourse we’ve got is to contact Retroid and request a completely different shade, however who is aware of how lengthy it is going to be earlier than these provides dry up.
If something, it is a signal of issues to come back, which means that even when you have been prepared to pay the tariff charges for a product, that call has been taken out of your palms fully. Instead, the package deal will both not be accepted in any respect or can be returned to the sender if it manages to slide by way of the cracks.
Sure, it is simply a gaming handheld, which is confined to a area of interest anyway. But the larger query weighing on my thoughts now’s how this can have an effect on 2025 smartphone launches. Practically each telephone passes by way of China sooner or later, even when it is only for the manufacturing of sure elements earlier than going to a manufacturing facility in Vietnam, India, or elsewhere to be included within the meeting.
Currently, it does not seem that different nations are affected, indicating a good likelihood that this would possibly not impression upcoming machine releases. That will not be the case throughout the board, so it is attainable that some gadgets are delayed or even perhaps outright canceled. And when you do not assume telephone makers are involved about what might be on the horizon, look no additional than Apple.
Recently, a report surfaced claiming that Apple has flown “no less than 10 flights carrying iPhones and different merchandise” from China, in an effort to keep away from the tariff wars. According to The Wall Street Journal, there are “throngs of U.S. customers who’ve rushed to purchase new iPhones over the previous week, anticipating that new tariffs will immediate Apple to lift costs.”
Another report means that Apple is relocating the manufacturing of the iPhone 16e to Brazil, a nation not affected by the tariff disputes between the U.S. and China. While we’ve not seen comparable experiences about gadgets from Samsung or Google, we additionally would not be shocked in the event that they begin to seem within the coming weeks.
Shortly after Apple loaded up ten planes of merchandise, the Trump Administration introduced that “smartphones and different electronics elements can be exempt” from the tariffs. All of this got here after corporations like Razer and Framework halted shipments of sure gadgets to the U.S. Meanwhile, different corporations, similar to Lenovo with the forthcoming Legion Go S, and OnePlus with the Watch 3, raised costs in an try and “get forward” of the storm.
Meanwhile, nearly all of Android gaming handhelds are fully designed and manufactured in China. And upon launch, it is a DHL or 4PX cargo that may get transferred to USPS earlier than touchdown in your doorstep. And whereas Retroid is the one being presently affected, there are different gaming handhelds from the likes of AYANEO and OneXSugar which can be anticipated to be launched within the close to future.
Given that delivery companies will apparently not be accepting packages, it might spell catastrophe for a few of these corporations. Alternatively, it might imply that your package deal must make a cease in a completely different nation earlier than it may be delivered to your entrance door. The logistics of that concept alone are sufficient to present me the heebie-jeebies, so I do not even need to think about what it will truly be like.
The craziest half about the whole state of affairs is not the back-and-forth between the U.S. and China. It’s simply how fluid every part is, and that by this time tomorrow, one other irritating layer is peeled again. Hell, it might simply all be gone, and we return to the best way issues have been earlier than January. Sadly, I do not assume that is going to be within the playing cards.