Images of the latest offering from Anbernic, the Anbernic RG556, have started to emerge on Chinese social media websites.
And from what we can tell, this is going to be one of their most comfortable and powerful handhelds in a very long time. It’s as if they are seeing the interest in AYN’s new products, and want a slice of the pie.
What makes the look of this device particularly interesting is that Powkiddy also has something cooking behind the scenes that is strikingly similar, in appearances at least.
But the new Anbernic device should best the Powkiddy offering in nearly every way, especially in sheer processing power.
So we’re much more eager to check out what Anbernic has coming, as visually it looks quite interesting.
Anbernic RG556
From the ever-active rumor mill, we have seen a few specs for the upcoming Anbernic RG556 that are aligned with what we’d expect from them next.
The first, and most clear from the device’s images and name, is the 5.5 inch screen.
This is also rumored to be an OLED panel, which is interesting, but we are also entirely fine with the standard IPS LED screens we’ve had in our handheld devices over the past few years.
The SOC for this upcoming handheld is expected to be a UNISOC T820. Which is the next step in power from the familiar T618 chip used in devices like the RG405M, RG405V and the RG505, which was the poorly executed rough draft of the new RG556.
This new chipset should result in approximately 50% more power, which means much better performance on the higher end consoles like Game Cube, Nintendo Wii, and Playstation 2.
Obviously, this will have absolutely no trouble with things like NES, SNES, Game Boy Advance, Sega Dreamcast, Sega Saturn, and Nintendo 64.
And the RG556 has not skipped on aesthetics either, sporting a new unfamiliar colorway and RGB lighting around the joysticks.
The full-sized stacked triggers and hefty grips will also make this the most ergonomic offering from Anbernic yet.
Expectations and Impressions
We know that the RG556 will be an Android based device due to its Tiger T820 chipset. And the leaked images also feature Anbernic’s familiar Android UI on screen.
This CPU will also require active cooling, and we can see that is present in the prototypes shown off on Chinese social media.
The alternating joystick position will be great for those higher end consoles like Game Cube and Playstation 2.
And the ergonomics on this upcoming horizontal device are looking like the best from Anbernic… ever.
Overall, this is looking like a pretty exciting entry to the Anbernic handheld line. And we are glad to see them attempting to cover diverse corners of the handheld space with this new device.
Their recent RG35XX Plus focused on lower end emulation in a perfect compact form. And their Sega-inspired RG-Arc had some unique features that made it both comfortable and fun to experience.
The new RG556 is returning to sheer emulation power while still remembering that the players want something comfortable and beautiful as well. All signs are pointing to a great handheld from Anbernic.
Release Expectations
There is no word on when we will get an official announcement or a sale date for the Anbernic RG556. We know that their handhelds tend to leak a few months before they are ready to make anything official.
With Chinese New Year just around the corner, we should all expect the handheld manufacturers from that part of the world to be entirely silent until March.
But looks like we’ve got some interesting things on the horizon! So enjoy the devices you own now before the massive wave of new products in Q2 2024. It should be a busy year.
