The Energizer phone with enormous battery fails to reach crowdfunding goal

The Energizer phone from Avenir Telecom with the gigantic 18,000mAh battery has proven that getting press doesn’t translate to sales. The P18K Pop got tons of mileage at Mobile World Congress for that comically-large battery and its equally comically-large size (think the thickness of three iPhones). But that press didn’t mean people wanted to get it. The phone’s crowdfunding campaign asked for £927,873 to hit its target (around CA$1.6 million) and only reached one percent of its target. It only got 11 backers, who contributed a total of £11,602 (around CA$20,000). The perks ranged from one P18K unit at £425 (around CA$740) to a three-pack at £1,227 (around CA$2,100). It was supposed to deliver the phones in October, but it’s highly unlikely that they will do that now. As Engadget points out, the huge target might mean that this could just be a marketing stunt, because asking for that much money for this really hefty phone seems like too much of an ask.