The AYANEO Pocket S is a handheld game console with a 6 inch display, support for up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, and Android 13 software featuring AYA’s custom launcher app and performance tuning utility. It’s also one of the first devices to feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 processor, a chip that was unveiled last year as a solution specifically made for gaming.
AYANEO has been talking about the Pocket S since last summer, but now the company has finalized the specs and begun taking pre-orders through an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign. The first units could ship to backers by mid-May.
The AYANEO Pocket S comes with a choice of two display options: 1920 x 1080 pixels or 2560 x 1440 pixels with Early Bird prices starting at $399 and $439 respectively during crowdfunding. It’ll cost you a bit more if you miss out on the Early Bird specials though, and suggested retail prices are significantly higher.
All models feature at least 12GB of LPDDR5x-8533 memory and 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage, but higher-priced configurations configurations feature 512GB or 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage and up to 16GB of RAM.
The biggest thing setting the AYA Neo Pocket S apart from any other handheld on the market is the processor, which is an octa-core processor with support for CPU speeds up to 3.36 GHz from its fastest core and Adreno A32 graphics with speeds up to 1 GHz. The chip can also run at up to a 15 watt TDP for sustained periods for better in-game performance and supports WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3.
In order to keep that processor running smoothly, the handheld has a cooling system that includes both a VC heat plate and a fan for active cooling.
Other features include a metal frame, game controllers with hall sensors for the linear triggers and analog sticks (which feature RGB backlighting), a 6-axis gyroscopic sensor and a 6,000 mAy battery.
The AYANEO Pocket S has a single USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, but it supports USB Power Delivery and DisplayPort Alt mode which means that you can use it to charge the device, pass video to an external display, or connect a USB hub or docking station to do both at the same time. The only other port is a microSD card reader: the handheld does not have a headphone jack.
Here’s an overview of key specs for the AYANEO Pocket S:
| AYANEO Pocket S (1080p) | AYANEO Pocket S (1440P) | |
| Display | 6 inches 1920 x 1080 pixels IPS LCD 368 ppi 400 nits | 6 inches 2560 x 1440 pixels IPS LCD 490 ppi 400 nits |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 8 CPU cores (1 x Kryo Prime Ultra, 4 x Ultra Kryo Prime, 3 x Kryo Silver) Prime Ultra core @ 3.36 GHz Adreno A32 GPU @ 1 GHz Up to 15W sustained performance | |
| RAM / Storage | 12GB LPDDR5x-8533 / 128GB UFS 3.1 16GB LPDDR5x-8533 / 512GB UFS 4.0 16GB LPDDR5x-8533 / 1TB UFS 4.0 | |
| Battery | 6000 mAh | |
| Ports | 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (w/USB-PD and DisplayPort Alt Mode) 1 x microSD card reader | |
| Wireless | WiFi 7 Bluetooth 5.3 | |
| Controllers & Sensors | Hall sensing joysticks Linear Hall triggers X-axis linear vibration motor 6-axis gyroscope | |
| Cooling | VC heat plate + fan | |
| Security | Fingerprint sensor (integrated with power button) | |
| Software | Android 13 AYAHome Launcher AYASpace Management app | |
| Dimensions | 214 x 85 x 14mm 8.4″ x 3.3″ x 0.6″ | |
| Weight | 350 grams 12.3 ounces | |
| Price (Early Bird / IGG standard / Retail) | 12GB/128GB: $399 / $479 / $559 16GB/512GB: $499 / $579 / $669 16GB/1TB: $559 / $639 / $729 16GB/1TB Unmarked Edition: $629 / $719 / $769 | 12GB/128GB: $439/ $509 / $589 16GB/512GB: $529 / $609 / $699 16GB/1TB: $$589 / $669 / $759 16GB/1TB Unmarked Edition: $659 / $749 / $799 |
| Availability (estimated) | Mid May, 2024 | Late June, 2024 |
AYANEO notes that the Pocket S is smaller and lighter-weight than a Nintendo Switch… but fails to mention that this handheld is actually a little larger and heavier than a Switch Lite. But it’s still a more compact device than many of the company’s products, most of which are Windows-powered handhelds with significantly higher price tags.
The Pocket S is only the second Android-powered device from the company. The first was the AYANEO Pocket Air, a cheaper model that launched last year and currently sells for $299 and up.
If this had a SIM card slot, and doubled as a phone with front and rear facing cameras, I would have bought it day one. I’ve been waiting for a spiritual successor to the Xperia Play, and this seemed so close but unfortunately they stopped just short of the goal (for me). For those saying emulation is the only use case for an Android gaming device, there’s also game streaming via Steam, XBOX, NVIDIA etc.
A SIM card is for cellular phone calls, and I don’t think a handheld with no SIM card is “just short” of a cell phone. Cellular technology is an entirely different and complex ecosystem, not just another feature or add-on.
It is curious though why none of these handhelds support VoIP phone calls.
Good grief those prices! Nice specs but those prices are just silly. And no headphone jack? Where are their brains, in the sand or in their bum? Still, it seems they have at least somewhat of an audience… Hard pass for me.
@AyaNeo
Give us this same design with a step down in SOC(Snapdragon Gen 2) spec, 6GB or 8GB of RAM, 64GB of storage with a drop in price, WITH a headphone jack(no headphone jack is a straight up dealbreaker for many), a microSD slot and you will sell A LOT more of these devices.
They’re out of their minds for these prices…
Move along folks….nothing to see here.
Since we’re talking about ARM and Android where you largely rely on the hardware maker to provide updates, how long can we expect Ayaneo to provide OS and security updates?
Outside of pirates, mobile OS gaming isn’t good. Spending $399 USD or worse, $799 USD is a waste of money.
Android? PASS. Just get an x86 gaming handheld. Plus, it’ll have a headphone jack.
Not everyone likes or prefers Windows. Considering that Android is the dominant OS on Earth(by a solid 35%+ margin), ignoring that market sector is not just silly, it’s blatantly foolish, bordering on brainless.
Android gaming is bad unless you’re a pirate playing games on emulators.
I guess all these game devs “ignoring that market sector” for years and continue to do so are all “just silly, “blatantly foolish” and “bordering on brainless“.
Define “Bad”. Such a term is very subjective and my personal experience says otherwise.
Just an FYI, emulation is NOT piracy. Stop being a sheep who buys the disinformation that Nintendo and their ilk are selling.
Android gaming sucks. Same for iOS (too bad Apple Arcade fizzled unless you use it to babysit your kids).
They’ll sell a 100 or so like all their devices they crap out every few weeks, maybe provide an update and then abandon it for a new shiny thing.
You’re probably familiar with the handheld community but emulators like mobox and winlator have come a long way to emulate windows games (no I’m not just talking about 20 year old or 2d games). It’s quite impressive tbh. Nintendo Switch emulation is also pretty impressive on Android
On the downside though, this Pocket S only has a 6000mah battery. Any demanding Windows game. even one within the last 20 years, you’ll still be lucky to get from 30 minutes to an hour of gaming time out of it per charge
I agree it doesn’t make sense to get this for x86 Windows games, but 30-60 minutes is probably an underestimate.
6000 mAh is pretty close to the 6470 mAh battery in the Steam Deck OLED. Or about 46 Wh, assuming 2 cells in series, as with the Deck and Qualcomm’s reference design for this SoC.
LCD backlight brightness will have a big impact, but I’d still expect this to get 2 hours at full-load.
Of course, it’s much less powerful than a Steam Deck, even before any performance penalty from running x86 games non-natively.
This probably emulates the Switch more efficiently. The Switch’s Tegra X1 was manufactured on TSMC 20nm, so this is probably more efficient than running games on the Switch itself.
Yes emulating windows environment on android for AAA gaming makes much sense 🤣
No headphone jack doesn’t work for many of my use cases where sound can’t be in public. Is this an oddity of this model only, or something that I have to look out for when shopping handhelds?
Headphone jack is a deal breaker. On that alone I’m gonna say no.
The Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go and MSI Claw all have headphone jacks. I didn’t bother checking all of Ayaneo’s models but their cheaper Pocket Air also has a headphone jack.
If for some reason you were interested in this model, USB-C or Bluetooth headphones might work?
An odd side note: the headphones Lenovo sells with the Legion Go look like they’re USB-C even though there’s a headphone jack. The Legion Go has a second USB-C port though, so at least you can charge it at the same time.
@SunnyB
Right there with you. The lack of a headphone jack is simply unacceptable.
I honestly wonder if the SoC integrates the DAC, and the integrated DAC doesn’t contain the circuits needed to switch between a headphone jack and internal speakers.
It’s been long enough since Apples courageous omission and everyone else copying it, mostly to completely ignored derision, that Qualcomm themselves may think they can get away with not having the option.
It looks like that’s not the case for this particular SoC as the reference g3x device appears to have one, but I don’t really see anything stopping Qualcomm from having done this already for phone SoCs.
Thanks for the comments in support. Equally important to me is the ability to easily switch between headphones and speakers at the touch of a key. I have been looking very hard and find it interesting that none of these handheld devices seem to support that feature. I can’t help but wonder if there is a reason for Qualcomm to refuse to provide that feature – keep a clear line of demarcation with its cellphone business?
I was wondering about this, too, as the Razer Edge 5G also does not have a headphone jack on the tablet itself. It DOES have one on the controller, but at that point it’s essentially a USB adapter.