Ayaneo Pocket Air Review: A good starting point

Over the previous couple of years, there’s been fairly an uptick within the variety of units devoted to on-the-go gaming. Maybe the Steam Deck is partially responsible for this, however as a substitute of being powered by Home windows or SteamOS, there are a bunch of Android gaming handhelds.

Ayaneo is one in all these firms main the best way, taking its expertise from Home windows handhelds and making an attempt to make waves within the Android handheld area. The Pocket Air is Ayaneo’s first foray into Android gaming handhelds, providing a singular absorb extra methods than one.

Ayaneo Pocket Air: Worth and availability

The Ayaneo Pocket Air was initially announced in August 2023 earlier than it was formally launched in September 2023. Initially, it was out there by means of an Indiegogo marketing campaign, coming in a number of completely different configurations. Now, the Pocket Air could be bought straight from the Ayaneo web site.

When introduced, three completely different configurations had been out there, beginning with the 6GB/128GB mannequin for $299 and maxing out with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. At the moment, the 8GB/256GB variant has been offered out for a while, however the 12GB/512GB model could be had for $399.

Ayaneo Pocket Air: What I like

It is not just like the Pocket Air was the primary gaming handheld to hit the scene, however one thing that has helped it stand out is the 5.5-inch OLED show. This, paired with the retro-inspired colorway, makes for an intriguing handheld gaming answer.

Protecting with the design, there are slight bump-outs on the left and proper sides, providing some respectable ergonomics. It pales compared to the likes of the Steam Deck or Lenovo Legion Go, however no less than it isn’t one other Pimax Portal or Nintendo Swap scenario.

Moreover that, the Pocket Air has all the buttons you’d count on from a gaming handheld, with a number of extras. First, the 2 buttons within the backside proper nook function as shortcuts. The bigger of the 2 prompts a panel that slides in from the fitting, the place you may rapidly view and alter efficiency or fan profiles on the fly. In the meantime, the smaller button merely takes you again to AyaSpace, the corporate’s proprietary launcher.

Final, however definitely not least, there are a few additional tips that the Pocket Air has up its sleeve. For one, the facility button doubles as a fingerprint scanner, which is nice for leaping again right into a sport rapidly with out coming into a PIN or drawing a sample.

My favourite “trick” of the Pocket Air comes by way of the pull-out tray on the underside. Not solely is there a microSD card slot, which is essential if in case you have a large library of video games, however when you flip the pull-out microSD card tray over, you may see a cutout for a tiny card. That is proper; you may pop a SIM card into the Pocket Air and play video games actually wherever with out being tethered to Wi-Fi.

As for efficiency, MediaTek’s Dimensity 1200 can deal with just about something that you just throw at it. This contains the likes of PS2, GameCube, and even some Swap video games, particularly when you go for one of many higher-end fashions which can be geared up with extra RAM.

Do not count on to emulate Tears of the Kingdom right here, however for lighter-weight titles, the Dimensity 1200 barely breaks a sweat. It is also value stating that due to the huge fan cutout and energetic cooling system, I by no means as soon as felt the Pocket Air get too sizzling to carry.

Ayaneo Pocket Air: What I do not like

I beforehand talked about that it is potential to emulate Swap video games on the Pocket Air. Whereas that’s technically true, the Dimensity 1200 simply is not highly effective sufficient for higher-end Swap titles. Compounding the restrictions of MediaTek’s chip is the shortage of third-party driver assist.

Whereas MediaTek chips are extra reasonably priced in comparison with Qualcomm, the latter remains to be most well-liked on account of higher group assist. MediaTek processors are pretty “locked down” on this regard, making it tougher for customized drivers to be created that assist the assorted chips.

Frankly, it is a bit disappointing to see, particularly when you think about that some MediaTek processors outperform Qualcomm equivalents in “uncooked” energy. Nevertheless, if the facility cannot be optimized correctly, then these efficiency variations aren’t out there and should not be included in your decision-making.

All of that being mentioned, there is a fairly good probability that you just aren’t going to attempt to push the Pocket Air to absolutely the limits. Nevertheless, it is nonetheless one thing to bear in mind so that you higher perceive what’s potential.

Whereas it in all probability will not be a dealbreaker for individuals who plan to play retro video games, it’s disappointing to see the refresh fee capped at 60Hz. On the very least, I feel the Pocket Air ought to have featured a 90Hz refresh fee, even when the corporate did not (or could not) match the likes of the Razer Edge.

One of many issues with the Pocket Air at launch was that you just could not remap on-screen controls to the built-in controller. Fortunately, this has been remedied by way of subsequent software program updates. Nevertheless, I am nonetheless not the most important fan of the AyaSpace launcher and interface. Fortunately, there are a number of options that work fairly effectively, together with ES-DE, Beacon, and Daijisho.

Lastly, I’ve come to seek out that the D-Pad on the Pocket Air is only a bit too mushy for my style. It is nearly just like the Pocket Air and Pimax Portal are at exact opposite ends of the spectrum.

The issue is that with a mushy D-Pad, there have been instances after I’m enjoying Apotris or older Tetris video games, and the items are one or two slots off from the place I used to be attempting to position them. This is not a problem throughout the early ranges, however it’s undoubtedly irritating when the items are flying down and one incorrect transfer ends a run prematurely.

Ayaneo Pocket Air: The competitors

Evidently Ayaneo is making an attempt to take over the Android gaming handheld area, and it began with the Pocket Air. Since then, the corporate has introduced the Pocket S, together with the Pocket DMG and Pocket Micro. Nevertheless, at this value level, Ayaneo’s stiffest competitors comes within the type of the AYN Odin 2 and Odin 2 Mini.

The Odin 2 and Odin 2 Mini are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, making it extra highly effective than the Dimensity 1200. As talked about beforehand, this additionally means that there’s higher driver assist for emulators. Then once more, neither the Odin 2 nor Odin 2 Mini are geared up with an OLED show, giving the Pocket Air a fairly clear benefit.

There’s additionally the Pocket S, which was introduced final 12 months and is one in all a handful of units to be powered by the Snapdragon G3x Gen 2. Nevertheless, it will not take lengthy so that you can see that the Pocket S gives a extra premium design. With that comes the next price ticket, beginning at $589 for the bottom mannequin.

Ayaneo Pocket Air: Do you have to purchase it?

You can purchase this if:

• You are in search of a very good and highly effective starter Android gaming handheld. 
• You desire a handheld with an OLED display screen. 
• You do not wish to spring for a Steam Deck or ROG Ally X.
• You desire a handheld with LTE connectivity and expandable storage. 

You should not purchase this if:

• You are on a finances.
• You need probably the most highly effective Android gaming handheld.

Ayaneo obtained quite a lot of issues proper with the Pocket Air, because it’s one of some handhelds that sport an OLED show. Plus, it is presently one in all two handhelds that permit you to use it with a SIM card, with the opposite being the Razer Edge. Nevertheless, it appears that evidently the Edge is getting phased out because it’s turning into tougher to buy, and a successor has not been introduced.

With that in thoughts, the Pocket Air is a good entryway into the Android handheld scene, particularly for newbies or those that have no real interest in higher-end emulation. It is comfy to carry and gives nice battery life. Even when you aren’t a fan of AyaSpace, you may obtain a distinct launcher.