After a few weeks of waiting and a slow trickle of information, AYN has finally revealed the chipset to be used in their upcoming Odin2 handheld.
So what was the chipset that they finally settled on? The ultra powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
Obviously this news has social media on fire today; some of that is excitement, and some of it is doubt.
Let’s find out why.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor is known to have incredible performance and efficiency.
But is also said to be quite expensive, making it a tough choice for manufacturers of Android-based devices. They are reportedly coming in at around $160USD each from Qualcomm.
People are finding it hard to believe that AYN can offer a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 starting at $299USD.
But that is, in fact, what it says on the promo image.
Many are chiming in with “instant buy” type comments, but others are saying it probably won’t ship until 2025.
Clearly the consumers have not forgotten about AYN’s rocky release of the Loki. But AYN has promised that this release should not face the same issues.
Nicole from AYN commented on Discord: “it won’t be another 6 months for sure, T0 mold ready, board ready now.” So that sounds pretty good.
And AYN has promised there is only going to be one SOC offered on the Odin2 to keep things very straight forward.
Early Thoughts
AYN was able to deliver an incredible handheld in the original Odin. That was one of our favorite handhelds of 2022, and often made our “best” lists.
So, we have faith that they know how to make a super solid handheld. It’s just that tarnished reputation with the release of the Loki that has people cautious.
As of today, the Odin2 IndieGogo page is still in the pre-launch stages. So there’s not much information there, and you cannot get your pre-order in yet.
It’s safe to bet that some serious movement will happen there soon. And it is also almost a guarantee that the $299USD price is the early-bird rate for those willing to buy into the Odin2 early.
We hope that AYN has sorted out any design indecision and production problems for a super smooth release of the Odin2.
And if they can actually deliver a device with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 starting at $299USD, then we will bow down and praise the handheld gods.
Specifically, the god of war and death, Odin.
