AYANEO’s newest handheld, the Pocket AIR Mini, lands with a headline-grabbing promise: it starts at $69.99—less than the $70 many expect next‑gen Nintendo titles to cost. That price puts true pocketable retro emulation in the impulse-buy zone while challenging rivals that have long owned the ultra-budget segment. Even at full retail, the device undercuts the cost of a single big-budget console game, a striking benchmark as $70 has become the going rate for many new releases across platforms.
- Entry model: 2GB RAM / 32GB storage, limited-time $69.99; normal pricing $89.99 after promos.
- Step-up model: 3GB RAM / 64GB storage, early window $79.99; normal pricing $99.99 after promos.
Under the hood sits MediaTek’s G90T—an older 12nm chip with two Cortex‑A76 performance cores, six Cortex‑A55 efficiency cores, and a Mali‑G76 GPU. It’s not aimed at native Android blockbusters, but it’s plenty for classic systems and 2D titles, especially when paired with AYANEO’s lightweight software approach and focused use case.
Display and controls designed for retro play
The headline feature is a 4.2‑inch 4:3 LCD, an unusual choice that pays dividends for retro. PS1 and N64 content scale cleanly at 4x, Dreamcast at 2x, and everything from the handheld era avoids the uncomfortable letterboxing inflicted by 16:9 panels.
AYANEO also makes room for its signature symmetrical, inset Hall‑effect sticks, reducing the risk of drift and keeping the chassis genuinely pocketable.
What to expect from emulation performance
AYANEO promises effortless PS1, N64, Dreamcast, and Sega Saturn compatibility, with variable results for GameCube and PS2. That’s what the G90T can handle on paper; we’ve seen it in action before in phones like the Redmi Note 8 Pro, where 32‑bit and the earliest 128‑bit workloads zip along.
When things get too 3D on Dolphin and AetherSX2 proper, or their community‑continued projects, conservative settings are needed. Public benchmarks back up this description. In broad strokes, the G90T’s CPU and Mali‑G76 GPU beat entry‑level Snapdragon 6‑series by about 40%, veering closer to midrange territory on Geekbench and the GFXBench charts. Translation: Dreamcast and PSP are sensible; PS2 and GameCube remain aspirational on this silicon.
Android 11 software limits and emulator support notes
The biggest caveat isn’t the chip—it’s software. The Pocket AIR Mini ships with Android 11, several generations behind today’s builds. Most major emulators still support it, but newer app features, storage permissions, and controller APIs have moved on. You may need either a fallback to sideload the correct version—typically this means the most current edition—or sideloaded versions of tools like RetroArch, DuckStation, M64Plus FZ, or Flycast to get the best experience. As always, security patches should be part of the equation for a device that’s certainly going to be living online.
Competition at this price is heating up in 2025
Competition at this price is heating up. The MANGMI Air X, for instance, is slated to land with a Snapdragon 662, 4GB of RAM, a 16:9 display, and Android 14, with informal pricing around $79.99 and a planned $89.99 retail.
- Chipset: Snapdragon 662
- Memory: 4GB RAM
- Display: 16:9 panel
- OS: Android 14
- Pricing: ~$79.99 early; ~$89.99 retail
On paper, that’s a newer OS and more memory, but the G90T does outpace the 662 in both CPU and GPU throughput. The choice is likely to be clear: modern Android and extra RAM or, by contrast, a 4:3 panel optimized for retro and a GPU that can outperform sixth‑gen devices. If you want PS1, N64, Dreamcast, and 2D libraries—plus the occasional light PS2 or GameCube wheeling and dealing—this offers an uncommonly refined course to a pocketable flashback that could easily be an impulse buy. If you’re looking for native Android‑heavy titles or near‑maximum sixth‑gen consoles, you will still need beefier components on modern Android and, in addition, more RAM.
Preorders, availability, and early-bird gifts summary
AYANEO is preparing for international preorders and is already collecting sign‑ups on the official page to receive a notification when the listing is ready. The first buyers will be given a screen protector as a gift. Naturally, with such a low introductory price, the “window” for these purchases will be extremely limited, so the sub‑$80 headline is true, but it’s only for a short period of time.
