What you need to know
- A month after it’s initial announcement, the AYANEO Pocket ACE is officially available for pre-order.
- Powered by the Snapdragon G3x Gen 2, this is arguably the most powerful 4.5-inch gaming handheld we’ve seen.
- You can pre-order the Pocket ACE via the Indiegogo campaign with prices starting at ~$343 for the base 8GB/128GB model.
Now might not be the best time to release a new gaming handheld, but all of the tariff nonsense isn’t stopping AYANEO. The company unwrapped any remaining details regarding the Pocket ACE, including configurations and pricing.
We already knew that AYANEO’s latest handheld would be on the smaller side, thanks to its 4.5-inch IPS display, which features a resolution of 1620 x 1080. The borderless design should help make the screen feel bigger than it is, as we’ve seen with the Pocket S, Pocket Micro, and Pocket EVO.
|
Spec |
AYANEO Pocket ACE |
|---|---|
|
Display |
4.5-inch IPS |
|
Resolution |
1620 x 1080, 3:2 |
|
Processor |
Qualcomm Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 |
|
RAM |
8GB / 12GB / 16GB LPDDR5X |
|
Storage |
128GB (UFS 3.1) / 256GB / 512GB / 1TB (UFS 4.0) + 1x microSD card slot |
|
Battery/Charging |
6,000mAh / 40W PD |
|
Extras |
Hall Effect Triggers and Sticks, Active Cooling, Fingerprint Scanner, |
|
Software |
Android 13 |
|
Colors |
ShadowDance Black, Lightblade White, Retro Power |
For retro gamers, this might just be the ultimate gaming handheld thanks to its compact form factor paired with the 3:2 “Golden Ratio” display. This is considered by many to be perfect for retro games, as it strikes the right balance between the 4:3 aspect ratio of original consoles and the 16:9 aspect ratio that is utilized today. As a result, the 3:2 screen of the Pocket ACE results in games filling more of the display, relying less on black bars or having stretched content.
Additionally, the Pocket ACE is easily the most compact “flagship” gaming handheld to be released. While it misses out on the Snapdragon G3 Gen 3, which will debut later this year in the Pocket S2, the Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 is no slouch.
This is the same chip found in the AYANEO Pocket S, and it is essentially an overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. This is important as it is largely considered the “standard” for Android gaming due to the community support in custom drivers paired with the current crop of emulators.
With that, the Pocket ACE is available in four different configurations, starting with an 8GB/128GB combination. It maxes out with the Pocket ACE Retro Power Edition, equipped with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of expandable storage.
There’s also a good chance that this handheld will be a beast when it comes to battery life. AYANEO managed to fit a 6,000mAh battery, along with active cooling and 40W PD charging, into the Pocket ACE. While AYANEO didn’t specify how long it’s estimated to last, we suspect that you’ll be able to use it for a couple of days before needing to charge it back up.
Now for arguably the most important piece of the puzzle: the price. During the Indiegogo campaign, the base model is priced at $339, rising to $459 upon campaign conclusion. Here’s how pricing shakes out for all four configurations:
|
RAM/Storage |
Colors |
Indiegogo Price |
Retail Price |
|---|---|---|---|
|
8GB/128GB |
Black, White |
$339 |
$459 |
|
12GB/256GB |
Black, White |
$419 |
$539 |
|
16GB/512GB |
Black, White |
$499 |
$609 |
|
16GB/1TB |
Retro Power |
$599 |
$699 |
Based on the table above, it appears that the 12GB/256GB version offers the best value. This is the steepest discount of the four, offering a $120 savings if you pre-order during the Indiegogo campaign. Considering that the device features a built-in microSD card slot, you won’t have to worry about storage limitations.
When will the Pocket ACE actually make its way into our hands? According to the IGG Campaign, it’s estimated to begin shipping sometime next month. Now, we just have to hope that the ongoing political climate doesn’t get in the way of us being able to enjoy the latest AYANEO offering.
Take all of the best parts of the AYANEO Pocket S and the Pocket Micro, put them together in a more compact form factor, and you end up with the AYANEO Pocket ACE.
