GoRetroid has really been keeping all of us at the edge of our seat over the past few days with the release of information about the Retroid Pocket 2S.
Really, it wasn’t a slow release, it just felt slow because we got a tidbit about the highly anticipated handheld one day at a time.
First the cryptic picture that got us all hyped, then a sweet reveal video, then the official colorways, and now the full specs!
And by the way, these specs do seem to be an exclusive from our friends at Retro Handhelds, so big shout out to them for being first on this!
Retroid Pocket 2S Details
All of us in the handheld community were anticipating that GoRetroid would basically shove the hardware of a Retroid Pocket 3+ inside the Retroid Pocket 2 design.
Which meant this new handheld update would likely feature the well known T618 CPU. And as it turns out, we weren’t all too far off.
The upgraded Retroid Pocket 2S will make use of the Unisoc T610. According to my local tech expert James Dewitz, this is a similar alternative to the T618.
And perhaps the reason why it was not a T618 in the end was because they are becoming quite difficult to get ahold of.
The T610 may offer a slightly cooler performance, slightly better battery life, and a barely noticeable dip in overall performance. And it also would be a tiny bit more affordable for GoRetroid.
James believes it would be a near identical experience overall. And I tend to lean on him for all of that kind of tech stuff.
My focus in the handheld world is more on actual user experience. And the Retroid Pocket 2S will surely add a bunch of quality of life improvements to the previous design.
First and foremost, we should be getting a better screen on this one. The screen happened to be a point of complaint on the RP2, so knowing it will be improved is welcomed.
And another really big improvement is in the use of hall sensor joysticks. No more are the days of those ugly digital sliders which were used on the right joystick of the Pocket 2.
The joysticks are also situated closer to the screen, which makes for a nice ergonomic fit with your thumbs.
Moving the Start and Select to the front face of the device was also a very necessary upgrade that we will see.
So overall, lots of great improvements to a handheld that was already many people’s favorite.
Retroid Pocket 2S Specifications
- CPU: 2*A75 1.8GHz + 6*A55 1.8GHz
- GPU: Mali G52MC2 614MHz
- RAM: 3GB/4GB LPDDR4x@1600Mhz
- Storage: 32GB/128GB eMMC
- Screen: 3.5″ Touch Screen
- WiFi: 2.4G/5G 802.11 b/g/n/ac
- Bluetooth: BT5.0
- Interface: HDMI
- OS: Android 11
- Battery: 4000mAh
- Size: 155*80.6*28mm
- Weight: 270g
Purchasing Information
The improved and updated Retroid Pocket 2S is set to launch pre-orders on July 25th.
Surprisingly and impressively, the 3gb model is launching at $99 and the 4gb model at $119. So glad to see that GoRetroid was able to keep that affordable pricetag that they are known for.
Also, we were a bit disappointed to see “TBD” next to the metal shell edition when they showed us the colorways yesterday. And we still have not seen which color they intend to launch in a metal shell.
However, to our surprise, the 4gb metal shell edition is going to also be offered for pre-sale at $149.
July 25th is 5 days away, so I guess that gives GoRetroid plenty of time to keep us excited for that one last bit of info – Which color is the metal shell?
Update July 23, 2023: After a Twitter poll, GoRetroid has settled on a silver finish for the metal edition.
