Back when Retroid announced the Pocket Classic and other retro gaming handhelds powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon gaming chips, the company was doing so unaware of the looming US tariffs that President Trump would impose on goods being imported from China. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be long before the tariffs were announced, throwing everything revolving around international trade into chaos and uncertainty. Fast forward a little over a month, and now there’s a little bit of relief as the tariff percentages have come down a bit. Though not by nearly as much as they had initially.
Long story short, there are still tariffs on products like the Retroid Pocket Classic and other Retroid handhelds. There was a very brief decrease in the tariff amount on the morning of May 12, but that was quickly partially reversed.
Retroid Pocket tariffs will now be set at 54%
The whole situation was kind of a whirlwind of changes as it happened so fast. Luckily, things are starting to settle. Yesterday morning, the Trump administration announced that shipments of goods coming out of China would be reduced to a 30% tariff. Shipments of smaller goods were exempt from this reduction, so things like the Retroid Pocket would still be subject to the previous 120% fee.
However, closer to Monday evening, the 120% tariff was reduced to 54% for these smaller shipments with a value below $800. It’s closer to the 30% for other shipments, but still significantly higher. Which is still kind of a bummer for anyone in the US looking forward to these devices.
That being said, there is a silver lining if you choose to see it. The tariff on goods like retro handhelds was 120%. Now it’s 54%. Less than half of what it used to be. And that’s both a good and a bad thing. Sure, it’s still higher than the tariff for goods valued over $800. But it’s much lower than it used to be. That’s a good thing.
Tariffs will be covered for US customers for a few more weeks
Perhaps the biggest silver lining of all for US customers right now is that the tariffs aren’t a cost they have to shoulder just yet. Retroid says it’s still covering the tariffs until May 31. So, the cost will still be as initially intended for some consumers.
As Android Authority notes, however, Retroid is currently working through a backlog of orders. So, there will unfortunately be some consumers who end up having to pay the fee. It really all comes down to when the orders are fulfilled. It’s unfortunate, but it’s the world we live in now.
