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
I wasn't personally aware of the 4/25 cutoff date for shipments between the two countries. However, it doesn't come as much of a surprise given the hostile nature of the situation. Nevertheless, this doesn't bode well for anyone, not just those who preordered the Retroid Pocket Classic. For now, the only recourse we have is to contact Retroid and request a different color, but who knows how long it will be before those supplies dry up.
If anything, it's a sign of things to come, meaning that even if you were willing to pay the tariff fees for a product, that decision has been taken out of your hands entirely. Instead, the package will either not be accepted at all or will be returned to the sender if it manages to slip through the cracks.
Sure, it's just a gaming handheld, which is confined to a niche anyway. But 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.
Currently, it doesn't appear that other countries are affected, indicating a good chance that this won't impact upcoming device releases. That may not be the case across the board, so it's possible that some devices are delayed or perhaps even outright canceled. And if you don't think phone makers are concerned about what could be on the horizon, look no further than Apple.
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.
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.
Meanwhile, the majority of Android gaming handhelds are completely designed and manufactured in China. And upon release, it's a DHL or 4PX shipment that might get transferred to USPS before landing on your doorstep. And while Retroid is the one being currently affected, there are other gaming handhelds from the likes of AYANEO and OneXSugar that are expected to be released in the near future.
Given that shipping agencies will apparently no longer be accepting packages, it could spell disaster for some of these companies. Alternatively, it may mean that your package needs to make a stop in a different country before it can be delivered to your front door. The logistics of that idea alone are enough to give me the heebie-jeebies, so I don't even want to imagine what it would actually be like.
The craziest part about the entire situation isn't the back-and-forth between the U.S. and China. It's just how fluid everything is, and that by this time tomorrow, another frustrating layer is peeled back. Hell, it could just all be gone, and we go back to the way things were before January. Sadly, I don't think that's going to be in the cards.
