pocket game machine Pocket S, which surprisingly runs on Android – SMARTmania.cz

• In today’s Gadget of the Week, we take a look at the Ayaneo Pocket S phone-sized gaming console
• It offers a very powerful Snapdragon chipset, a 6″ display and a large battery
• At the same time, everyone has the opportunity to get a device at a discount before looking into a sharp sale

In the previous episodes of our Gadget of the Week series, we mainly focused on gadgets suitable for work, whether manual or office. But now we’re looking at a strictly recreational device – a power-packed handheld gaming console that runs – perhaps surprisingly – on Android.

Ayaneo Pocket S Handheld

The years 2023 and 2024 in the gaming segment clearly represent the rise of interest in handheld game consoles. After the success of the Nintendo Switch, Asus, Lenovo or MSI tried their own similar device. All mostly established brands producing, among other things, gaming computers or peripherals. Ayaneo is a slightly different case.

The Chinese start-up from Shenzhen has already brought 9 handheld game consoles to the market, the first generation already in 2021. It gradually succeeded in the crowdfunding campaign with all of them. He is also trying to succeed with his new venture – Pocket S. The goal is to offer a really powerful handheld, but while maintaining the size of a regular smartphone.

The dimensions speak for themselves: 213.9 x 85 x 14 millimeters and a nice weight of 350 grams. From the front, the console looks like a slightly oversized phone with a display and controls on the sides, the only distinguishing feature being the protruding triggers on the back. The structure itself is said to be made of metal, the front side also adds glass to the mix.

Control elements are placed on the body quite traditionally. To the left is an analog stick and a d-pad, to the right of the screen is a quartet of separate buttons and a second analog stick. Above, two bumpers and the already mentioned triggers. However, the connector equipment is quite poor – there is no audio jack, you have to make do with USB 3.2 type C, but headphones can also be connected to it. Otherwise via Bluetooth 5.3, there is also Wi-Fi 7 or a slot for a microSD card.

Performance through the roof

However, a very powerful gaming chipset, the Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 with an 8-core processor, was fitted into such a thin, in many respects compact body. If you’re not familiar with it, it actually offers a very similar core layout to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, but a slightly higher processor clock of 3.36 GHz (the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 has 3.2 GHz).

The graphics performance is managed by the Adreno A32 clocked at 1 GHz, which is roughly a 35% increase in performance compared to the aforementioned chipset found in classic flagship phones. The chipset is connected to an active cooling system to make the handheld usable even during longer gaming sessions. We should not forget the integrated memory: 1 TB of storage and 16 GB of RAM.

It may come as a surprise to some that the device runs on Android 13, which is overlaid with the AYASpace skin. The latter offers its own store with game titles and also a simple environment for controlling the handheld in landscape, which of course makes sense in the case of a gaming device.

As for the internal equipment, it is worth mentioning the 6000mAh battery with support for 18W charging. Unfortunately, the manufacturer does not mention how long it will keep the device running while playing demanding games. However, you can count on 4-5 hours of clean time.

Then there is the display, you could almost say the main element of the entire console. Fortunately, Ayaneo didn’t underestimate that either: we have a 6″ IPS LCD panel with a brightness of 400 nits and probably also a basic 60Hz refresh rate. There are two variants on sale: Full HD (1920 × 1080 pixels, 386 ppi) and Quad HD (2560 × 1440 pixels, 490 ppi).

Price and availability

The handheld Ayaneo Pocket S is currently fighting for favor on the IndieGoGo platform. A total of 746 applicants have already collected 3.5 million Hong Kong dollars (10.5 million crowns), while there are still 56 days left until the end of the crowdfunding campaign.

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You can get the console at a slight discount before the campaign ends. The variant with a Full HD display starts at 399 US dollars (9,500 crowns), the Quad HD version at 439 dollars (10,500 crowns). When the campaign on IndieGoGo closes, the basic version will be sold for $559 (13,200 crowns) and the model with a higher resolution for $589 (13,900 crowns). Shipping is included in the price and the first deliveries are planned for the end of May or the beginning of June.