ANBERNIC RG476H Review: A Bump In Quality, Same Problems

As we move into Q4, handheld launches are coming out thick and fast, so fast that I am struggling to review them all, but one I wanted to share my opinions on is the RG476H from ANBERNIC.

"Brandon, another ANBERNIC handheld, really?" - Yeah, they keep throwing stuff at me, and I can't help but be intrigued with what they are doing, sometimes they launch devices that I hand off to charity shops, and some stick by my side on trips away, the RG476H is one that I am actually enjoying yet I annoys me daily.

Let me explain.

• Release Date: September 2025
• Pricing: $164.99
• Where To Buy: ANBERNIC.com

ANBERNIC RG476H Specifications

• 4.7" LTPS Display, 1280 x 960 at 120Hz
• Unisoc T820 CPU
• Quad-core Mali-G57 GPU
• 8GB LPDDR4X RAM
• 5000mAh Battery
• Android 13
• WiFi/Bluetooth
• LED Hall-Joysticks
• USB-C Charging

ANBERNIC's New Design

ANBERNIC, over the years, has never really been on the "forefront" of innovation; they've had some curveballs, admittedly, such as the RG Slide, but they've typically kept to their lane and focused on quantity over quality.

This is the first time in a long time that we've seen a drastic and purposeful change in handheld design, one that follows in GoRetroid's and AYANEO's footsteps.

And, although this design has become the norm for many retro-focused handhelds, I do like it. It's minimal, colour combinations are nostalgic and modern touches, such as the full glass front panel, bezel-less display and LED hall-joysticks, give off a premium look that many of us want in a sub $200 device.

It's also noticeably thin, too, adding again to the premium feel, so I welcome this new design change even if it loses ANBERNIC's "bricky" look that we've all come to enjoy over the years. Though it's worth mentioning, the premium feel is nowhere near AYANEO's standard, yet.

Button Layout & Quality

ANBERNIC has always been in the lead for button quality when it comes to affordable retro handhelds, and the RG476H confirms that; everything just works.

The majority of the buttons are firm, strong, resilient and require a little bit of force to push, and I like that, it gives it a nostalgic feeling that I've come to miss.

The DPAD, for example, has not been changed in years because of the sheer amounts of high praise that I, other reviewers and their customers have given it. It's large, firm and easy to direct, making it a great all-round DPAD for retro gaming, including fighting games.

The action buttons are high gloss (which I do not prefer over matte), are large and as mentioned, need a good press to get them to hit the contact below, but I am okay with that; it reminds me of large SEGA Game Gear buttons when it comes to depth of press.

Below that, you will find your LED hall joysticks, which are very common in the space now. These work well, have good travel to them, and the grips can be removed to add your custom ones, should you have them. The LED lights can be customised on the fly, with a setting that i thoroughly enjoy called "chasing" that lights up only the areas under your direction, as if it's "chasing" your thumbs.

The analogue shoulder buttons up top are large, protrude out of the back shell for comfort and work very well. R2/L2 are soft, don't click and have a long press to them for the analogue requirements, whereas R1/L1 are light, clicky and incredibly loud. I have very few issues with these shoulder buttons; they're reliable, and that's what I want in a handheld like this.

The Display

The 4:3 screen used is a bezel-less display with a resolution of 1280 x 960 and a high refresh rate of 120Hz.

The display is a pleasure to use and fits an array of retro games naturally, with the ability to upscale respectfully. It's the upgrade many wanted from the older RG406H, which features the same internals.

Would I advise upgrading from the RG406H because of this? Heck no, spending $160 for a new screen is a bad investment of your money, but if you are looking for a 4:3 display in a new form factor with good power, this could be it.

It's a lovely, bright, high-resolution display that doesn't eat through your battery quickly, and the minimal bezels are a nice touch, but expected in 2025.

4.7" is also a lovely, pocketable size. Any bigger and you're moving into an area that requires you to put the device in a bag or sling, so I am thankful that ANBERNIC didn't go too big on this one like they did with the RG556.

The User Experience

Another ANBERNIC review, another long amount of text about my disappointment in their attention to the user experience.

It's quite sad to think that I could copy and paste this section from a review of an ANBERNIC handheld review from 2023, and it would share my exact opinions on this device, it's because ANBERNIC doesn't care enough.

That's the real reason. ANBERNIC simply install this with Android 13, pre-loads emulators it thinks you like (to give them credit, they installed most of the ones I use) and then loads on their terrible front-end "ANBERNIC Launcher" that feels like it was made in 2013.

Whereas competition such as GoRetroid, and now AYANEO, with their upcoming Pocket Air Mini, put in a lot more effort, and the customers thoroughly enjoy what they are offering in terms of user experience.

If you're comfortable simply using an Android front-end and don't mind scrolling through the apps and don't enjoy organising your ROMs and box art then you will be okay.

But for those of us who want a space to organise and to explore, ANBERNIC has built something truly boring, and hasn't changed it for years, likely because they are focused on making another product with a slight improvement compared to the previous one, rather than do what their community asks.

And this is why ANBERNIC are falling short and why competition is throwing them to the curb with ease. If ANBERNIC doesn't focus on this throughout 2026, they'll disappear. The market is moving too fast for boring devices.

Emulation Quality

When you jump into your retro gaming library, you will be pleased to know that the power, matched with the 4:3 display, comfortable controls, and slim-lined shell, makes for a comfortable experience.

Inside is a Unisoc T820 CPU, an old CPU that has been used in many different handhelds over the years, but is strong enough to handle most things, including most of my PlayStation 2 library at native resolutions.

It's that CPU that just about covers everything, but you'll be pushing it to its limits and will often come across its limits if you like those more powerful consoles at upscaled resolutions.

I've reviewed many T820 handhelds, so I wasn't surprised when I tried God of War or Need for Speed: Most Wanted at 2x native resolution and saw that it was struggling and dropping frame rates, at times this would even happen at 1.5x too.

Playstation 2 emulation will require you to test, tweak and modify your performance modes, while sticking on the internal cooling fan and pumping up the mode to "high" in the swipe-down Android settings.

And on this display, PS2 games do look good, there's no denying it, even if I found myself only playing in 1x resolution.

Gamecube, Dreamcast, Nintendo 64, PSP and SEGA Saturn all work well on here too, and can be upscaled should you want to take full advantage of the display resolution.

You will find black borders on certain consoles, obviously. PSP (which I was playing at 4x native resolution) gives you the biggest borders but is still a pleasure to play on, it's when you start exploring GAME BOY games, for example, or 1:1 (or close to) ratios that feel a little overkill on here.

I found myself exploring mid-range consoles the most (PS1, Gamecube, Dreamcast), with a lot of GBA emulation and dabbling in PlayStation 2 for more serious gaming sessions where I want to take full use of the CPU and dual analogue sticks.

If you stick to this range of emulation GBA - Playstation 2 (at 1/1.5x upscale) you will have a lot of fun, and you will rarely come across power restraints. But when you start pushing 2x upscale on PS2 and high upscale on Gamecube/Dreamcast you'll start hitting its limits.

It's a great, mid-range all-round device in terms of emulation capabilities.

A Sprinkling Of Awful Extras

To partner with the terrible ANBERNIC Launcher they have decided to install something they are calling "ANBERNIC AI". It's clearly something they feel is important as its one of the first things they show off on their product page.

And to put it simply, it's a terrible AI assistant that can answer your questions, fix old photos, it can generate a copyright-stolen image for you, or it can overlay translated text onto the screens in certain games, albeit un-accurately.

All the things nobody asked for are a clear sign that ANBERNIC don't care for their customers and are simply jumping on the AI bandwagon.

All of the time, money and effort put into this, white labelling it as their own, could have been put into making a fluid launcher for their customers, but no, they're adding a copyright-theiving application to all of their new handhelds, because... we all asked for it, right?

This is really disappointing to see and lowers the overall quality of the product, making it feel closer to a cheap Chinese knock-off rather than a real, trusted product from a handheld manufacturer.

Android & Cloud Gaming?

Put simply, the screen is too small to enjoy great Android and Cloud gaming, in my opinion. The good Android games are built for much larger screens, and Cloud Streaming from your PC or using Game Pass requires far more screen real estate.

So, for me, I played very little of this; it's not a device for those kinds of things, even if it can be done.

Overall Opinion

Overall, the ANBERNIC RG476H makes for a nice upgrade for those who haven't purchased a retro handheld in a year or two. On paper, it's a very small bump in specifications compared to its older RG406H, but in the hand, it's a whole new, more modern design with a lovely 4:3 display that feels sleek.

That exterior sleekness and beauty get quickly met with a poor user experience, but if you persist, you will unlock a fun, reliable retro handheld that can emulate most of your retro gaming library at native resolutions.

It's a typical ANBERNIC handheld in the sense that it changes something slightly to entice you in, and although it is a reliable handheld, I don't think it's worth snagging if you already have one that can emulate PS2 games.

It's also worth noting that competitors such as AYANEO and AYN are releasing handhelds soon that compete with this, and sometimes cheaper, with a much better custom front-end.

It's another "meh" ANBERNIC handheld that reels you in with its new looks, but on the inside, it's the same as its older brothers, with unfortunately the same issues.