Update - 15/12/25: Remember how I said that announcements tend to move pretty quickly once we've got initial teaser images? Well, it's only been a couple of days since MANGMI teased their new Pocket Max console, and now we've got a teaser trailer showing us what the handheld is going to look like, as well as a couple more specs.
While the Air X was made from grey plastic that felt durable but unescapably like a handheld that cost $79, the Pocket Max truly looks like a premium handheld that could take on the likes of Retroid. It looks to have the same ergonomically pleasing shape as the Air X but has a matte black finish, with a bezelless 7" screen that blends seamlessly with the outer casing.
MANGMI Pocket Max
— MANGMI Official (@MANGMI_Official) December 15, 2025
The Powerful 7'' 144Hz OLED Gaming Handheld
Unleash Your Imagination.#MANGMI pic.twitter.com/59PGb2morx
We now know that the Pocket Max is a 144Hz OLED gaming handheld too, which is an incredible refresh rate that puts it on par with the Lenovo Legion Go. The triggers look amazing too, a big upgrade from the Air X. For all intents and purposes, this looks and feels like Mangmi's answer to the Nintendo Switch and the Steam Deck, and it's certainly sleeker than the OLED Switch I have at home.
The Air X is my go-to emulation console, but the Pocket Max might just blow it out of the water. While they haven't shown any more details bar the refresh rate, that tells me enough to know that this is going to be a powerful gaming handheld capable that, like the Legion Go, should be capable of emulating everything up to Wii U and Switch games.
I still don't have any information about a release date, but at the rate we're getting updates on this handheld from MANGMI, I wouldn't be surprised if we knew everything by the end of the week. Watch this space!
Original Article - 12/12/25: Back in October, I got my hands on the MANGMI Air X for the first time and was immediately impressed. A handheld with an early-bird price of $79.99 that could play GameCube and PS2 titles on it, as well as smashing N64 and PSP games out of the park. It was all too good to be true, but there it was, playing Simpson's Road Rage and Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy with ease.
Now, MANGMI have teased a single shot of a silhouette of their new console, the Pocket Max, with the tagline 'unleash your imagination' above it. Ok, it's all a little 'live laugh love' if you ask me, but you get the idea. MANGMI also say that the new handheld will be 'powered by imagination' and 'driven by performance'. They're citing that this is their answer to the question of 'what creativity and performance should look like', and that the handheld is built for every type of creative world the user might want to explore.
So what are we thinking? Well, it's safe to say that 'Max' means that the console is going to be bigger and more powerful than the Air X. I have a feeling that they might be trying to take on Retroid with this new release, and if they can come in with a pricetag that's much cheaper than the likes of the Retroid Pocket 5 and a lot of AYANEO's recent products like the Pocket Ace, then they could do very well indeed.
In terms of power, I was slightly disappointed that the Air X couldn't handle some of the PS2's most demanding games. The Air X has a Snapdragon 662 chipset, but I can imagine the Pocket Max using the Snapdragon 865 like the Retroid Pocket 5, which I think is still going to be the Pocket Max's main contender. I can't see them going head-to-head with the Retroid Pocket 6 and its 8 Gen 2 processor, and the 865 would allow for Need for Speed: Most Wanted: Black Edition and God of War to run flawlessly.
That's all the information we have at this moment, though announcements usually move pretty quickly once images have been teased like this. As always, I'll be back to update you with more specs and news as and when they arrives, so make sure to check back here and sign up to our newsletter to be kept in the loop!
