The KONKR Pocket FIT will be available at the super early-bird price for two more weeks as its pre-sales continue to transition from crowdfunding to the maker’s store.
Following a campaign that raised close to $1 million on Indiegogo, AYANEO is not slowing down, increasing the duration of its lowest pricing tier and speeding up the shipping time for its first batch.
Pre-sales move to the official site after crowdfunding ends
AYANEO has transferred KONKR Pocket FIT pre-sales to its website after the Indiegogo campaign ended.
The Snapdragon G3 Gen 3 edition is already online, and the company says it’s ready to ship. Units for website buyers are due to start shipping in mid-December once crowdfunding backers have been taken care of.
It will be followed by the Snapdragon 8 Elite version. The company plans to open website pre-sales for that model in the next few weeks, AYANEO says. Crowdfunding backers of the 8 Elite model should start to receive shipments in December, while the website pre-order window for that upper-crust incarnation currently has no set delivery date.
Early-bird pricing retained for a short time
For buyers, the headline news is simple: super early-bird pricing has been extended for another two weeks. After that, AYANEO is targeting a $60 increase for all trims. The current entry price is $239, though the company notes this is even lower than it was in the last few days of the campaign thanks to a recalibration of prices across Indiegogo.
There are not many such grace periods in the handheld gaming world. Early-bird tiers usually disappear right after a campaign is over, and then it gets far more expensive to pre-order the product. Falling in line would also give AYANEO a brief window to get the remaining fence-sitters over and lock in the launch pricing without the uncertainty of most crowdfunded hardware looming over it.
Performance expectations and chip options
The KONKR Pocket FIT range comes in two Qualcomm platforms. The Snapdragon G3 Gen 3 is a mainstream retro and Android gaming option, all in a pocketable form factor. Community testers have been raving about the emulation prowess of this tier for classics due to fine-tuned systems and optimal thermals.
It hopes to do better than that with the Snapdragon 8 Elite configuration. The new flagship silicon from Qualcomm gives better CPU and GPU performance and enhanced on-device AI-accelerated experiences. Driver updates for the 8 series of late have brought greater stability and Vulkan performance, both of which should result in better emulation and more frames per second in demanding Android titles when units arrive.
Why the timing matters for handheld buyers right now
The extended promotional pricing comes as the retro handheld market continues to heat up. Newzoo estimates that mobile and handheld gaming continue to be the industry’s biggest revenue pool, meaning that dedicated Android handhelds have prospered by prioritizing emulation, cloud streaming compatibility, and control-pad-first ergonomics.
KONKR’s move is similar to recent changes made by other brands, such as the AYN Odin 3, which has also moved from crowdfunding to direct pre-sales. Some of the urgency can be attributed to a broad platform update at Indiegogo that resulted in many projects recalculating their prices and experiencing hiccups, paving the way for some makers to move now rather than later.
Bottom line for buyers considering KONKR Pocket FIT
If you’ve been following or are going to join the KONKR Pocket FIT, the next two weeks are your final time to lock this down at super early-bird pricing before that $60 bump. The safer bet for quick delivery is the G3 Gen 3 model, with mid-December shipment after backers. The 8 Elite version promises more headroom, but the website pre-order shipping window for it is still to be determined.
In addition to the lower price hold, a near-term ship date on one model, and the brand’s public roadmap for another, it’s an early sign that there’s remarkably little guesswork left in determining whether this crowdfunded handheld can make the transition from paper to retail. For those shopping on a budget, that clarity is the true win.