AYANEO NEXT 2 Pre-Orders Suspended as RAM and Storage Costs Make $1999+ Handheld Unprofitable

AYANEO has suspended new pre-orders for its ambitious NEXT 2 handheld gaming PC, citing unsustainable costs driven by rising RAM and storage prices. The company announced that continuing to sell the device at current prices is no longer financially viable, though existing backers who have already placed orders will still receive their devices as scheduled.

The NEXT 2 was positioned as one of the most powerful handheld gaming PCs ever created, featuring up to an AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor with 40-core RDNA 3.5 integrated graphics, a 9.06-inch 2400 x 1504 OLED display with refresh rates up to 165Hz, and a massive 116 Wh battery. When AYANEO launched its crowdfunding campaign earlier this year, Early Bird rewards started at $1799 with retail prices beginning at $1999 for the base model.

However, even these premium prices weren't enough to offset the skyrocketing costs of key components. AYANEO stated that "the total cost of the product has far exceeded our selling price" due to market conditions, forcing the company to halt all new pre-orders across Indiegogo and other sales channels.

The timing couldn't be worse for potential buyers. Industry analysts don't expect RAM and storage prices to return to reasonable levels this year, and AYANEO has indicated that sales may only resume if component costs decrease significantly in the future. The company could theoretically raise prices further, but that would make an already-expensive device even less accessible to consumers.

This situation reflects broader challenges in the PC industry, where manufacturers have been forced to implement multiple price hikes as component costs continue climbing. For AYANEO, the NEXT 2's ambitious specifications—including options for up to 128GB LPDDR5x-8000 RAM and 2TB PCIe NVMe storage—made it particularly vulnerable to these market fluctuations.

Existing backers have no need to worry, as AYANEO has confirmed that production is continuing for those who have already placed orders. The estimated ship date remains June 2026, meaning customers who acted early will still receive their devices as promised.

For those who missed the pre-order window, here's what the NEXT 2 offered:

Display: 9.06-inch OLED, 2400 x 1504 resolution, 60/90/120/144/165Hz refresh rates, 1100 nits peak brightness

Processor Options:

• AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395: 16 Zen 5 cores, 40-core RDNA 3.5 GPU, 50 TOPS NPU
• AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 385: 8 Zen 5 cores, 32-core RDNA 3.5 GPU, 50 TOPS NPU

Memory & Storage: 32GB/64GB/128GB LPDDR5x-8000 RAM, 1TB/2TB PCIe NVMe storage

Battery: 116 Wh built-in (non-removable)

Game Controllers: TMR joysticks with adjustable torque, Hall triggers, dual trackpads, dual-mode trigger locks, floating 8-way D-pad, four rear macro buttons, linear and rotor-style haptics

Ports: 2x USB Type-C, 3.5mm audio, microSD 4.0 card reader

Other Features: Dual fans, fingerprint sensor in power button, dimensions of 341.7 x 146.2 x 26.2mm, weight of 1.462 kg

The pricing structure showed just how premium this device was:

Early Bird Prices:

• Ryzen AI Max+ 395/128GB/2TB: $3499
• Ryzen AI Max+ 395/64GB/1TB: $2299
• Ryzen AI Max+ 385/32GB/1TB: $1799

Retail Prices:

• Ryzen AI Max+ 395/128GB/2TB: $4299
• Ryzen AI Max+ 395/64GB/1TB: $2699
• Ryzen AI Max+ 385/32GB/1TB: $1999

This suspension highlights the precarious economics of high-end handheld gaming devices, where cutting-edge specifications come with equally cutting-edge price tags that leave little room for error when component costs fluctuate. While AYANEO hasn't ruled out future sales if market conditions improve, potential buyers may need to wait months or even years before the NEXT 2 becomes available again at any price point.