AYANEO’s pricey Windows handhelds are this close to a release

AYANEO is one of many handheld makers affected by the RAM crisis, and it was forced to temporarily suspend pre-orders of the hyper-premium NEXT 2 Windows handheld. The crisis has also affected its KONKR Fit handheld PC, as it missed an April shipping date. The manufacturer has now issued an update regarding these two devices.

AYANEO confirmed on IndieGogo that it started production of key components for the NEXT 2. The company added that it now aims to begin trial production of the handheld in early June with mass production in mid-June.

“According to the current progress, we believe that starting shipment in June remains achievable, and we will make every possible effort to meet this target,” the company explained.

The company stopped pre-orders in March, but says it still gets queries from people wanting to purchase the handheld. AYANEO says these users can contact customer service with their desired configuration and color, but the manufacturer says it can’t actually guarantee that these customers would get a device.

“We will continue communicating with our suppliers to evaluate whether additional production may become possible in the future, especially when the RMA & storage costs go down. If circumstances allow, we may notify some customers if additional order opportunities become available,” it added.

AYANEO also provided an update for its KONKR Fit Windows handheld on Discord. The handheld was scheduled to begin shipping in April, but the company now estimates that production will begin by the end of the month. This presumably means a June shipping window.

Either way, people who pre-ordered these handhelds are spending a pretty penny. The base NEXT 2 (1TB/32GB) has a recommended price of $1,999 and an early bird price of $1,799. Meanwhile, the KONKR Fit starts at $999.