The AYA Neo Next is a handheld gaming PC with an AMD Ryzen 7 5825U processor featuring Radeon Vega graphics, up to 32GB of LPDDR4x RAM, and up to 2TB of PCIe NVMe storage.
With a 7 inch IPS touchscreen display surrounded by game controllers, the Neo Next looks a lot like the original AYA Neo which shipped last year with AMD Ryzen 4000U processor options. But the processor isn’t the only thing that’s new in this year’s model.
The company has redesigned the controllers, added a fingerprint sensor to the power button, and added support for WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2. The new joysticks are user replaceable. And there’s an improved vibration motor for better haptic feedback.
AYA’s 2022 models will also be the first handheld gaming PCs available with up to 32GB of RAM thanks to an AYA Neo Next Pro configuration. The company says there will be four different pricing/configuration options available at launch:
- AYA Neo Next with 16GB RAM and 1TB storage for $1315 retail / $1265 at launch
- AYA Neo Next Advance with 16GB RAM and 2TB storage for $1465 retail / $1365 launch
- AYA Neo Next Advance Signature Edition with 16GB/2TB for $1465 / $1345 (only 300 units)
- AYA Neo Pro with 32GB RAM and 2TB storage for $1565 / $1465
The Pro model will also be a limited edition at launch, with only 500 units produced in the first batch. The company is also differentiating each model with a set of color options.
All told, the Neo Next and Neo Next Pro look like respectable upgrades over the original AYA Neo thanks to the move from Ryzen 4000U series chips with Zen 2 CPU cores to a Ryzen 7 5800U processor with a Zen 3 CPU. But both chips feature similar AMD Radeon Vega integrated graphics.
And that makes the timing of AYA’s announcement a little unfortunate, since it comes on the same day that AMD has unveiled its new Ryzen 6000 mobile processors with Zen 3+ CPU cores and RDNA 2 graphics which are expected to bring up to a 2X boost in graphics performance.
The AYA Neo also isn’t expected to begin shipping until the end of March, following a global crowdfunding campaign that will begin in February. That means that they’ll most likely begin shipping after the Valve Steam Deck handheld gaming PC with a custom AMD processor featuring RDNA 2 graphics has already begun shipping to customers.
AYA is aware that the Ryzen 7 5800U and 5825U chip are no longer state-of-the-art (even if the latter was just introduced), but they’re the best processors that this small Chinese company was able to obtain. The company says that as soon as it can release a model with a higher-performance Ryzen 6000 chip, it will.
Until then, potential customers might want to consider the system’s other strengths, including support for up to 32GB of RAM… assuming that’s something you want or need in a handheld.
Here’s an overview of specs for the AYA Neo Next models:
| AYA Neo Next | AYA Neo Next Advance | AYA Neo Next Pro | |
| Display | 7 inches 1280 x 800 pixels IPS LCD 5-point capacitive touch | 7 inches 1280 x 800 pixels IPS LCD 5-point capacitive touch | 7 inches 1280 x 800 pixels IPS LCD 5-point capacitive touch |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 5825U 2 GHz base / 4.5 GHz max | AMD Ryzen 7 5800U 1.9 GHz base / 4.4 GHz max | AMD Ryzen 7 5825U 2 GHz base / 4.5 GHz max |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon Vega 8 | AMD Radeon Vega 8 | AMD Radeon Vega 8 |
| RAM | 16GB LPDDR4x-4266 | 16GB LPDDR4x-4266 | 32GB LPDDR4x-4266 |
| Storage | 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 2280 | 2TB PCIe NVMe M.2 2280 | 2TB PCIe NVMe M.2 2280 |
| Controls | Hall Effect Sensor Joysticks Linear triggers Gaming & Windows buttons | Hall Effect Sensor Joysticks Linear triggers Gaming & Windows buttons | Hall Effect Sensor Joysticks Linear triggers Gaming & Windows buttons |
| Battery | 47 Wh | 47 Wh | 47 Wh |
| Security | Fingerprint sensor | Fingerprint sensor | Fingerprint sensor |
| Ports | 2 x USB Type-C 1 x 3.5mm audio | 2 x USB Type-C 1 x 3.5mm audio | 2 x USB Type-C 1 x 3.5mm audio |
| Colors | Pastel Blue Bright White Midnight Blue Jet Black | Grey | Space Silver Pastel Blue Bright White Midnight Blue Jet Black |
| Price | $1315 (retail) $1265 (crowdfunding) | $1465 (retail) $1365 (crowdfunding) $1345 (Signature Edition during crowdfunding) | $1565 (retail) $1465 (crowdfunding) |
Update: The Phawx has an in-depth look at the AYA NEO Next Advanced Signature Edition, including benchmarks, an examination of hardware build quality and improvements over the original AYA Neo, and gameplay.
I wonder what made Aya decide to release a new handheld now.
It’s not like their previous/current one is “old”. They barely just finished their IGG shipments. Did/do they not plan on selling the Neo via retail outlets now that the assembly process has been more streamlined (ie. use IGG to iron things out before mass production and continued sales)?
“The company says that as soon as it can release a model with a higher-performance Ryzen 6000 chip, it will.”
Maybe they plan on having continuous IGGs running back-to-back (assuming they’re like GPD who keeps on depending on crowd funding). Not sure if that’s a good business plan though.
Interesting to see how many people will actually fund this when it starts in February.
Despite what consumers say, sometimes it’s better for a company’s business to not be as open. Then again, with the new AMD APUs at the top of people’s mind, a lot of people would probably wait anyway even if Aya didn’t say this.
GPD and One Netbook can sit back and wait until this campaign ends, then in spring announce something with 6000 APU series or new Intel chips, that might make this or maybe even Steam Deck look bad.
Make the Steam Deck look BAD? Not bloody likely. None of those companies will come close to the price of a base Steamdeck. Also, people will trust Valve to make a solid product and offer at least decent customer service and support , which is something that we all know for a fact you won’t get from GPD. While these other devices may very well have more raw power than Valve’s upcoming device , it won’t matter if they price themselves out of the equation. Finally, I have come around to turning my nose up at established companies perpetually using crowdfunding platforms, especially IGG, to sell these devices. Ultimately it doesn’t matter for a lot of people as they just won’t care where they buy their $1000+ device from , but a lot of people will prefer simply being able to log into their steam account and placing their preorders. That last little bit is relatively minor in the grand scheme of things though . Ok, enough ranting for now.
I have to agree. I have the OneXPlayer 1S i7 coming next week, but I’m not cancelling my Steamdeck. The Steamdeck is going to be more portable, so that’s the one I will take around. I’m going to use my OneXPlayer like I did my Surface Pro and play some games on it too. But, it’s a heavy beast!
I also ordered the OXP from Amazon and added insurance on it. This way if there are issues after a few months, I’ll just use that. I only got it on Amazon because of the insurance. For the Steamdeck, I’m happy getting it from Valve.
It really makes you wonder if AMD is a proper partner for AYA because AMD kind of sabotage AYA announcement (if AYA didn’t know about the 6000 series chip, and even if AYA know about the 6000 series ship and not able to obtain it, then it is even worse). Because who will do that to their hardware partner, because this type of device is design for enthusiast, and they demand the latest hardware. I for one will not be buying this. It just doesn’t make sense.
They’re as much partners as a company that sells units in the single digit thousands can be, I guess. That is, they’re not on the priority list to get the new APUs with those kinds of sales figures.
I’m sure Aya knew about the new APUs long ago. Heck, a Joe Schmo Internet user like me knew about them and when they’ll likely be announced and released.
I’m not someone who knows how to run a business but I find it odd for them to announce a new handheld when everyone has/is starting to think of AMD’s 6000 APUs. It feels like it’d be better for them to keep selling the Neo 2021 until they can make a handheld that improves on both the form factor and CPU.
It just seems Aya isn’t considering much about typical consumer buying habits. Maybe if the IGG started last Fall but they were still in the middle of their last IGG and now it’s a bit too late to release a “last gen” device despite the major improvements in other areas.
“And that makes the timing of AYA’s announcement a little unfortunate, since it comes on the same day that AMD has unveiled its new Ryzen 6000 mobile processors with Zen 3+ CPU cores and RDNA 2 graphics which are expected to bring up to a 2X boost in graphics performance.”
Yeah, this really deflated the Aya announcement by a lot. The same exact day.
Are those prices the crowdfunding ones or will the crowdfunding and retail prices be the same?
Sorry, I missed the “retail” and “launch” words in the price list.
What’s crazy is that Aya postponed the announcement until today too. I thought that meant for sure they were going to be using the new stuff from AMD, there’s no way they’d set their announcement for the same day AMD announces Ryzen 6000 chips just to use last-gen parts… but I was wrong.
No Ryzen 6000… naturally.