XDA Developers and Fxtec smartphone goes belly up as switch from the Snapdragon 835 to the Snapdragon 662 causing a six-month shipment delay

In October, XDA Developers proudly announced that it had 'made a phone and it's only available for 6 weeks'. The device in question was the F(x)tec Pro1-X, which XDA Developers and F(x)tec had created together. The ensuing Indiegogo campaign generated over US$1 million in crowdfunding, with pledges starting at US$499 for a Super Early Bird model.

Last month, F(x)tec got the first batch of Pro1-X devices out the door, but it is not hit a significant roadblock in fulfilling other orders. Apparently, F(x)tec was unable to secure enough Snapdragon 835 chipsets to meet the volume of orders that have been placed, with Qualcomm having now phased-out the SoC out of production. The Snapdragon 835 was already three-generations old when F(x)tec and XDA Developers announced the Pro1-X, so the 2017 SoC was already on borrowed time, in our opinion.

F(x)tec has replaced the Snapdragon 835 with the newer Snapdragon 662, which has angered numerous people. According to our database, the Snapdragon 662 offers approximately 79% of the performance of the Snapdragon 835, which is quite the reduction. The Snapdragon 662 runs more efficiently than the Snapdragon 835 though, among other advantages.

Nonetheless, the change has angered numerous people, not least because the estimated shipping date has slipped from March to August 2021. Unsurprisingly, many people are requesting refunds too, which may put the project at risk.

Purchase the OnePlus 8T on Amazon