Looks like Ayaneo Next 2 is now even more expensive with an eye-watering $5,300 configuration

With the Next 2, Ayaneo set out to make an endgame handheld, but its journey has been quite unfortunate. Like a lot of new products, it started off as an Indiegogo campaign with successful funding, but sales were suspended due to excessively high production costs. The console was already quite expensive, but it looks like Ayaneo wants to bring it back, but at an even higher price point.

Back in March, Ayaneo shared that they were forced to suspend pre-orders for the Next 2 because of storage prices increasing to “several times higher than before the (Chinese New Year) holiday”. Since then, the team has been updating backers who had already pre-ordered about production timelines and delays. As of the July 17 update, mass production to fulfill those initial orders was set to begin this week.

Interestingly, the Ayaneo Next 2 has been listed on the company website, and one out of three configurations is available to order. However, the pricing is now even higher than before. During the campaign, the 32 GB + 1 TB model was priced at $1,999, the 64 GB + 1 TB variant was priced at $2,699, and the top-of-the-line 128 GB + 2 TB variant was listed for $4,299. At the time of publishing, the website has what seems to be updated pricing for the three models: $2,999, $3,699, and $5,299. Out of the three, only the $3,699 configuration is available for purchase.

That’s a $1,000 price increase across the board for a handheld that was already very expensive. Yes, the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 APU gives it a lot of power, and it is packed with top-tier specifications across the board, but does that justify a $5,299 price tag?

Ayaneo had clarified (in a previous update) that there were no plans for another production batch after this one. That said, the company had called it a temporary suspension with hopes to resume sales for the Next 2 if and when storage prices become more reasonable. It is unclear if Ayaneo now plans on selling directly through the website at these updated prices and if so, whether the other variants will soon become available as well.