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 in charge for this, however as an alternative 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 trying to make waves within the Android handheld house. The Pocket Air is Ayaneo’s first foray into Android gaming handhelds, providing a novel soak up extra methods than one.

Ayaneo Pocket Air: Value and availability

The Ayaneo Pocket Air was initially introduced in August 2023 earlier than it was formally launched in September 2023. Initially, it was out there by an Indiegogo marketing campaign, coming in just a few totally different configurations. Now, the Pocket Air could be bought instantly from the Ayaneo web site.

When introduced, three totally 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 isn’t 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 resolution.

Protecting with the design, there are slight bump-outs on the left and proper sides, providing some first rate ergonomics. It pales compared to the likes of the Steam Deck or Lenovo Legion Go, however no less than it is not 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 just a few 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 precise, 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 actually not least, there are a few additional tips that the Pocket Air has up its sleeve. For one, the ability button doubles as a fingerprint scanner, which is nice for leaping again right into a recreation rapidly with out coming into a PIN or drawing a sample.

My favourite “trick” of the Pocket Air comes through the pull-out tray on the underside. Not solely is there a microSD card slot, which is vital in case you have a large library of video games, however in case 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 anyplace with out being tethered to Wi-Fi.

As for efficiency, MediaTek’s Dimensity 1200 can deal with just about something that you simply throw at it. This consists of the likes of PS2, GameCube, and even some Swap video games, particularly in case you go for one of many higher-end fashions which can be outfitted 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 price stating that because of the large fan cutout and lively cooling system, I by no means as soon as felt the Pocket Air get too scorching 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 constraints of MediaTek’s chip is the shortage of third-party driver help.

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

Frankly, it’s kind of disappointing to see, particularly when you think about that some MediaTek processors outperform Qualcomm equivalents in “uncooked” energy. Nonetheless, if the ability 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 stated, there is a fairly good probability that you simply aren’t going to attempt to push the Pocket Air to absolutely the limits. Nonetheless, 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 many who plan to play retro video games, it’s disappointing to see the refresh fee capped at 60Hz. On the very least, I believe 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 simply could not remap on-screen controls to the built-in controller. Fortunately, this has been remedied through subsequent software program updates. Nonetheless, I am nonetheless not the largest fan of the AyaSpace launcher and interface. Fortunately, there are just a few alternate options that work fairly properly, together with ES-DE, Beacon, and Daijisho.

Lastly, I’ve come to search out that the D-Pad on the Pocket Air is only a bit too mushy for my style. It is virtually 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 occasions once 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 making an attempt to put them. This is not a difficulty through the early ranges, nevertheless it’s undoubtedly irritating when the items are flying down and one improper transfer ends a run prematurely.

Ayaneo Pocket Air: The competitors

Plainly Ayaneo is trying to take over the Android gaming handheld house, and it began with the Pocket Air. Since then, the corporate has introduced the Pocket S, together with the Pocket DMG and Pocket Micro. Nonetheless, 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 help for emulators. Then once more, neither the Odin 2 nor Odin 2 Mini are outfitted with an OLED show, giving the Pocket Air a reasonably clear benefit.

There’s additionally the Pocket S, which was introduced final yr and is one in all a handful of units to be powered by the Snapdragon G3x Gen 2. Nonetheless, it will not take lengthy so that you can see that the Pocket S affords a extra premium design. With that comes a better 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 great and highly effective starter Android gaming handheld. You need a handheld with an OLED display. You do not wish to spring for a Steam Deck or ROG Ally X.You need a handheld with LTE connectivity and expandable storage. 

You should not purchase this if:

You are on a funds.You need essentially the most highly effective Android gaming handheld.

Ayaneo bought a number of issues proper with the Pocket Air, because it’s one of some handhelds that sport an OLED show. Plus, it is at present one in all two handhelds that permit you to use it with a SIM card, with the opposite being the Razer Edge. Nonetheless, plainly the Edge is getting phased out because it’s turning into harder 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 learners or those that have little interest in higher-end emulation. It is snug to carry and affords nice battery life. Even in case you aren’t a fan of AyaSpace, you may obtain a unique launcher.