At the beginning of this year, the Chinese handheld manufacturer AYANEO apologized to customers after attracting criticism for delayed orders, poor quality control, and sluggish after-sales service.
In response, it promised to improve its customer service in the future and to enhance the quality of its products moving forward, but has already run into yet another issue with one of its handhelds just a few weeks later, potentially undermining its attempts to win back the trust of customers (thanks, Android Authority).
The latest controversy relates to the battery included in AYANEO's Android-based Pocket S Mini, which went on pre-order at the end of last month, directly from the company's website.
Initially advertised as featuring a 6000mAh battery, it appears the battery included in the device doesn't match the intended specs, with AYANEO announcing that a "supply chain communication error" led to the handheld instead being fitted with a 4700mAh.
To compensate for this, AYANEO is offering two solutions to try to appease customers and make things right. The first is to offer those who have already pre-ordered the Pocket S Mini a free AYANEO Pocket AIR Mini (2GB RAM + 32 GB memory), along with their order. This is another Android handheld from AYANEO that normally retails at $89.99.
The second solution, meanwhile, is a full refund, which also includes a $20 USD coupon for the AYANEO store. This this applicable to orders placed before today (February 3rd).
The AYANEO Pocket S Mini is a Snapdragon G3x Gen 2-powered, 4:3-ratio LCD handheld, which runs on Android 14 and comes with Hall Effect joysticks and triggers. Early bird prices for the device started at $319 (8GB RAM, 128GB memory), with the 12GB/256GB model costing $399. The top-spec (16GB/512GB) is priced at $479.