10 Best Android Gaming Handhelds Of 2024 [All Reviewed]

As you may have noticed, the crew here at Retro Dodo are quite the fans of retro gaming consoles. It’s kind of our bread and butter. It’s a big part of our brand.

And generally speaking, most of the best retro handheld game consoles in the last two or three years have been Linux based operating systems. But we have seen an overwhelming wave of new consoles that run on an Android operating system, opening up many new opportunities for gamers.

When you run a retro game console on Android, it is literally the same operating system that some of us use on our cell phones.

1. AYN Odin 2

• Release Date: 2023
• Price: $299 – $459
• Where To Buy: AYN’s Website or eBay

Hands down, the best Android handheld console of the year so far is the AYN Odin 2, a juggernaut handheld that costs between $299 and $459 before import fees, making it a handheld aimed at those that don’t mind splashing the cash.

I am obsessed with it and I believe AYN has created a near-flawless device. It’s packed with a Qualcomm Kyro CPU, a Adreno 740 GPU, up to 16GB of RAM and 8000MAH’s of battery. Not only that it has hall joysticks, LED lights, analogue triggers, a silent cooling system and a beautiful 6″ 1080p IPS LCD display.

I know… impressive right? It runs on Android 13 making it incredibly easy and fluid to download your favourite apps and emulators, alongside the ability to cloud stream and use entertainment apps, making it an all round pleasant handheld to add to your collection.

It’s very ergonomic too and although it doesn’t fit in your pocket it is smaller than the Steam Deck and other great Handheld gaming PC’s that are competing with this area of handhelds. The back features extra buttons too should you want to map them to your liking.

Around the device you’ll find strong, soft buttons, a lovely DPAD, a finger print reader and shortcut buttons designed specifically for Android’s operating system making it easy to switch between apps and emulators without hassle.

This is one of AYN’s best handhelds and I look forward to seeing what they do in the future because it’s hard to get better than this right now. Just be aware of the hefty import fees, because this is shipped from China. It may also be worth looking on eBay too for a deal.

2. Retroid Pocket 2S

• Release Date: Late 2023
• Price: $99 – $119
• Where To Buy: GoRetroid.com
• Full Review: Retroid Pocket 2S Review

The Retroid Pocket 2S was released in September 2023 and is an upgraded version of the original Retroid Pocket 2+.

Even though visually it hasn’t changed much, when you look closer it’s basically a whole new handheld, and one that’s really impressed us.

It features a 3.5″ Touch Screen Display, with a T610 CPU, 4GB RAM, 4000MAH Battery and runs on Android 11.

Some of the biggest changes are the new welcome hall joysticks, analogue shoulder buttons, start/select buttons and a PS-VITA like DPAD, adding to the retro feel of the device.

It’s incredibly easy to setup using GoRetroid’s custom installer, even installing all of the need emulators for you straight off the bat!

We tested a wide range of different games, from Gameboy, NES, Playstation 1, PSP, Nintendo DS, Dreamcast and even Gamecube games, all working really well.

That’s right, if you buy the 4GB RAM version at $119, this thing will run Gamecube games very well.

It starts to struggle with large Nintendo Wii games and Playstation 2 games, so we don’t reccomend this for anyone wanting PS2 emulation, you’ll need more power for that.

Overall, this is a superb handheld, and it’s starting price is just $99, making it one of the best affordable handhelds of 2023.

GoRetroid have been nailing it this year, and you’ll see more of their products on this list for a reason!

3. Retroid Pocket 4 Pro

• Release Date: Mid 2023
• Pricing: $199
• Where To Buy: GoRetroid.com
• Full Review: Retroid Pocket 4 Pro Review

The Retroid Pocket 4 Pro was released at the start of 2024 and keeps GoRetroid’s previous Pocket design, adds a few new minor features and packs in some serious processing power.

This time, the device has new analogue triggers, updated 3D hall sticks, menu buttons now located on the face, alongside slightly bouncier action buttons.

Internally the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro features a Mediatek Dimensity 1100 CPU, a Mali G77 GPU, 8GB’s of RAM, 5000MAH’s of battery and a 4.7″ touch screen display running Android 13.

That’s some serious power.

To put that into perspective this device can emulate Playstation 2 and Gamecube games incredibly well at good frame rates, all for $199.

Just two years ago the Android handheld community would have dreamed for that, now it’s a reality thanks to GoRetroid.

The setup is easy thanks to their custom built setup process, it features it’s own Llauncher to give it a Nintendo Switch style look, and with the swipe of the screen you can access the graphic performance and turn on the in-built cooling system.

It’s a superb handheld that we ranked highly in our Retroid Pocket 4 Pro Review, there are some areas that need updating such as the bezel and “premium” factors, but it’s still on of the best out there.

4. ANBERNIC RG556

• Release Date: Early 2024
• Pricing: $184.99
• Where To Buy: ANBERNIC.com
• Full Review: ANBERNIC RG556 Review

The ANBERNIC RG556 is a handheld that was released out of nowhere and swiftly surprised us thanks to its ergonomic design, competitive pricing and decent specs. This device was released to specifically compete with the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro.

ANBERNIC and GoRetroid have been head to head for many years now and this is one device that I think some of you may prefer because it’s $10 – $20 cheaper, features a better screen and is far more comfortable to hold.

The only thing it lacks compared to the RP4 Pro is that it lacks a good user experience, which ANBERNIC has had problems with for a couple of years now. It has no easy setup process whereas GoRetroid’s devices has an easy step by step OS that even installs emulators for you out of the box.

ANBERNIC RG556 Specifications:

• 5.4″ AMOLED Touch Screen (1080p)
• Unisoc T820 CPU
• Mali-G57 GPU
• 8GB RAM
• 128GB of internal storage.
• 5000MAH Battery
• WiFi & Bluetooth

You read that correctly, AMOLED display… it’s one of the first sub $200 Android handhelds to test this display and it was certainly worth the investment. The shell is made with a high gloss transparent plastic with hall-joysticks, great shoulder buttons and soft action buttons that are all perfectly located.

In the hands its a great device and can emulate up to and including most Playstation 2 games alongside the typical Android apps, opening it up to cloud streaming, entertainment apps and exclusive games.

If you’re on the market for a sub $200 Android handheld with one of the best 6″ displays that we have seen then this is certainly a handheld to look at because it’s one of ANBERNIC’s best mid range devices this year, even if it requires some UI fixes.

5. ANBERNIC RG Cube

• Release Date: Mid 2024
• Price: $169.99
• Where To Buy: ANBERNIC.com
• Our Full Review: ANBERNIC RG Cube Review

The RG Cube by ANBERNIC is a unique handheld, as it’s equipped with a 1:1 4″ IPS display with a resolution of 720 x 720, making it great for retro games focused on square-oish aspect ratios, alongside it being pretty nifty for stacking both Nintendo DS screens.

It’s one of ANBERNIC’s first handhelds to feature this display, alongside an “one click” setup process that installs all of the popular emulators for you (which is something we have asked in previous reviews), opening it up to newcomers.

The $169.99 is high for what it does, but it’s focusing on a niche audience that want a square display. Inside is a Unsicoc T820 CPU and 8GB’s of RAM capable of emulating Dreamcast, Gamecube and PSP games very well, with a sprinkling of the less demanding Playstation 2 games.

Large PS2 games will struggle on this, but the magic for me was playing Game Boy Color, Nintendo DS and Gamecube games, that’s where this handheld becomes truly magical. Because of the unique display is does make some games a little awkward to paly.

For exmaple PSP is just too small due to the aspect ratio and many Android games don’t support the 1:1 ratio, forcing users to have big black borders around their applications. But if you can get passed that, it’s a great, well built handheld that’s pretty dang unique in its own way.

6. AYN Odin

• Release Date: Late 2021
• Price: $199+
• Where To Buy: AYN’s Website
• Full Review: Our AYN Odin Review

The original AYN Odin handheld console is one of our absolute favourites and because it has a “newer” big brother it’s finding a smaller price tag, alongside finding itself on eBay and other marketplaces more often, for a great price.

It’s a super capable console that can run both Windows and Android operating systems. Oh, and it’s also super cool looking and incredibly comfortable in the hands. So.. kinda perfect? The Qualcomm Snapdragon SD845 CPU, Ardeno 630 GPU, and 8GB RAM means you can emulate up to the 128-bit era of games consoles.

Yeah, it’s gonna start to reach into PS2 and GameCube emulation.. something we have been hungry for in a handheld game console for the past few years. The console comes with a gorgeous 6″ LCD Touchscreen Display running at 1920 x 1080…

So both Windows and Android are gonna be awesome with standard button navigation, or just tapping and swiping your way around the OS. Using Android based emulation programs and even streaming higher end games… this thing is an absolute dream.

Coming in at just under $300, it’s actually quite astonishing what you can do with this thing… and we have been in love with the AYN Odin since it hit our desk earlier this year. We’ve said it a hundred times now, and this won’t be the last…

We highly recommend the Odin for [insert any reason you want here], and it’s an obvious addition to our list of best Android handheld games consoles of the year.

7. ANBERNIC RG405M

• Release Date: Late 2021
• Price: $157.99
• Where To Buy: ANBERNIC.com
• Full Review: ANBERNIC RG405M Review

The RG405M is one of ANBERNIC’s best handhelds to date, combining a high quality metal body with great specs that allow you to play most of your retro games in style. It features a 4″ touch screen display (640 x 480), Unisoc T618 2GHZ CPU, 4GB RAM, 4500MAH battery and Android 12.

It’s a flawless machine, priced at $169 respectfully. The metal frame gives it durability, making it a reliable handheld to take with you on long adventures. The 4″ screen is a nice addition, making larger consoles such as PSP, Dreamcast and Gamecube games look that little bit better.

Performance wise, it’s pretty good too, we tried testing a wide range of PS2 games and was surprised to say that some worked really well, but it’s once you start playing larger PS2 games that this thing starts to struggle.

But that said, this is currently the best handheld to run Gamecube games well if you want build quality as your top priority, combined with Android 12 it can play a host of your favourite android games too! But be warned, once you go metal, it’s hard to go back!

7. AYANEO Pocket Air

• Release Date: Late 2023
• Price: $299 – $459
• Where To Buy: AYANEO’s Website

The AYANEO Pocket Air is AYANEO’s attempt at creating a super premium Android console for gamers, and they have crafted just that with impressive performance.

AYANEO are renowned for creating high end consoles across an array of prices, but their Pocket series has been released to cater for this with a budget of under $300, competing directly with the AYN Odin 2 which is also on this list.

They are using the same design, and shell as the original AYANEO Air which I have reviewed in the past, keeping to the sleek design and large 16:9 display. It does feel incredible in the hand, with beautiful shoulder buttons, high quality LED joysticks, and comfortable buttons.

They have matched this with a MediaTek Dimensity 1200 CPU, a bunch of RAM and a 5.5″ 1080p AMOLED display, stacked to the brim with 7300MAH’s of battery. This is a lot of battery for sure, but you will notice that lifespan reduces significantly when emualting high end consoles and intensive Android games.

It’s the pinnacle of Android gaming handhelds, and it’s certainly hard to beat in terms of quality and performance, but to get that, comes a pretty hefty price that some are not willing to pay, and it’s why it’s a little lower down on this list.

8. Retroid Pocket Flip

• Release Date: Late 2023
• Price: $164.99
• Where To Buy: GoRetroid.com
• Full Review: Our Retroid Pocket Flip Review

The Retroid Pocket Flip was a concept that we quickly hopped on board for when it started being teased by GoRetroid in 2022. Clamshell emulation devices have been attempted in the past (such as the last device on this list). But none quite matched the nostalgic feeling of a Game Boy SP or Nintendo DS in your hands. Something that felt like a Nintendo handheld.

Well we are happy to say that GoRetroid has nearly reached that level of instant nostalgic happiness in a handheld with their Pocket Flip.

The internal hardware of the Retroid Pocket Flip is identical to the Retroid Pocket 3+. Which means it’s rocking a T618 CPU that can play everything up to Game Cube and PS2.

It also features the same 4.7 inch Touch Screen. Except it is now protected during travel by that awesome clamshell design. Admittedly, a lot of us who picked up the Flip didn’t quite love the stoppers used to prevent the clamshell from opening up all the way. And these do tend to suffer some cracking if you are rough on the device.

But that’s a weird complaint to have about a device you spent $160 on. You should be a little more delicate with it, even if it does look like a child’s toy. So that’s on us.

Overall, in the Retroid Pocket Flip, you’re gonna get the familiar feeling of a GoRetroid device with a few adjustments to the configuration to deliver a unique clamshell emulator. And while we do have our complaints, this is easily one of our most played handhelds of 2023, and will definitely be near the top of our list for the year.

9. Logitech G Cloud

• Release Date: Late 2023
• Price: $299.99
• Where To Buy: Amazon
• Full Review: Logitech G Cloud Review

The Logitech G Cloud is Logitech’s first attempt at securing cloud gamers in handheld form using a custom version of Android OS. Although we were hesitant to review it because of the cloud based nature of the device, it surprised us and we ranked it 7/10 in our full review.

Cloud gaming worked flawlessly on it, from testing Steam Link to smashing out Halo on Xbox Cloud Gaming it was a pleasant experience that allowed me to jump in a game within seconds of pulling it out of the box.

The large 7″ screen was a delight to plan on, and matched with the high build quality an impeccable 9 hour of battery life, it really is a unique handheld that impressed me. It can even emulate your favourite Gamecube games, Nintendo Wii games and PSP games in 16:9 pretty well. However PS2 games do struggle on this.

If you’re looking for a Android handheld that uses cloud gaming as it’s primary selling point with a dash of emulation then this maybe for you. But just remember, you will need a good internet connection to get good quality from cloud gaming services.

10. RG353PS

• Release Date: Late 2023
• Price: $77.99
• Where To Buy: ANBERNIC.com
• Full Review: Our ANBERNIC RG353PS Review

Anbernic’s latest console offering comes literally weeks after their previous one (with another one incoming any day now). The Chinese console manufacturer has moved away from their previous reputation for quality, and has gone to the dark side: focusing on quantity and dollars.

While we have been quite vocal about our complaints on the new direction of the company we used to think of as the best in the scene. In fact, if it didn’t have the Anbernic logo on it, we would probably give it even more credit.

If you can look past the fact that this new console is basically their upgraded concept of the PocketGO S30 from 2021 (literally copying the box design and all)… what exactly do we have in the RG353P?

Well.. you got a pretty capable retro console that is inspired by the SNES home console controller. The RG353 comes with a 3.5” IPS 640 x 480 touch-screen display. So we finally have a touch-screen Anbernic console, which pairs perfectly with the Android operating system.

To answer your question: Yes… that means you can play Fruit Ninja on it. And finally finally finally.. we are seeing the trend moving away from the all too familiar RK3326 chipset, and we are getting the more powerful RK3566 Quad-core 1.8ghz CPU chip.

With the community driven improvements to the software, we now see emulation performance mostly on par with the RG353P’s closest competition, the Retroid Pocket 2+. So if these are the two consoles you have been considering for your collection, the choice perhaps could come down to the $40 price difference and aesthetics.

We want to hate on Anbernic until they give us what we want in the Vertical Series (a dang metal shell RG351V)… But we do have to admit that the RG353P could be considered a positive on their overall scorecard, or at worst a neutral offering.