Shipping Woes for Retroid’s Pocket Flip 2 and Pocket Classic
The tariff and trade war between the U.S. and China has claimed one of its first victims, albeit an unlikely one. In response to the May 2 deadline, Retroid moved up the timeline for shipping the new Pocket Flip 2 and Pocket Classic. Preorders for the Flip 2 began shipping earlier this week, with Retroid ramping up shipments for the Pocket Classic just yesterday.
Even with the Hongkong Post halting any shipments from China to the U.S., we assumed “no news was good news.” It turns out that’s not the case, as an announcement was made on X (and the Retroid Discord) that the Kiwi, Teal, and Berry colors will not arrive in time to be shipped. The announcement also explains that “All shipping agencies will not accept US-bound packages from China, starting 4/25/25.”
Update on RP Classic shipping to US customers: pic.twitter.com/nHCnnpq5OOApril 17, 2025
Contact Retroid and request a different color, but who knows how long it will be before those supplies dry up.
The bigger question weighing on my mind now is how this will affect 2025 smartphone launches. Practically every phone passes through China at some point, even if it’s just for the manufacturing of certain components before going to a factory in Vietnam, India, or elsewhere to be included in the assembly.
Apple’s Strategic Moves Amid Tariff Wars
Recently, a report surfaced claiming that Apple has flown “at least 10 flights carrying iPhones and other products” from China, in an effort to avoid the tariff wars. According to The Wall Street Journal, there are “throngs of U.S. consumers who have rushed to buy new iPhones over the past week, expecting that new tariffs will prompt Apple to raise prices.”
Another report suggests that Apple is relocating the manufacturing of the iPhone 16e to Brazil, a country not affected by the tariff disputes between the U.S. and China. While we haven’t seen similar reports about devices from Samsung or Google, we also wouldn’t be surprised if they start to appear in the coming weeks.
Implications for Smartphone Industry
Shortly after Apple loaded up ten planes of products, the Trump Administration announced that “smartphones and other electronics components will be exempt” from the tariffs. All of this came after companies like Razer and Framework halted shipments of certain devices to the U.S. Meanwhile, other companies, such as Lenovo with the forthcoming Legion Go S, and OnePlus with the Watch 3, raised prices in an attempt to “get ahead” of the storm.
Given that shipping agencies will apparently no longer be accepting packages, it could spell disaster for some companies in the smartphone industry. Alternatively, it may mean that packages need to make a stop in a different country before being delivered. The logistics of that idea alone are enough to give one the heebie-jeebies.
The fluidity of the situation is the craziest part, with frustrating layers being peeled back constantly. It’s uncertain what the future holds, but it seems unlikely that things will go back to the way they were before January.
