We all knew the RG351M would become a reality, especially after the huge success of the plastic RG351P.
ANBERNIC, the company behind this soon to be popular handheld first tested the metal variants of their consoles back in late 2019 when they officially released the RG350M. A handheld that is ranked very highly in our best retro handhelds list.
If anything their metal variants are just as popular as their plastic handhelds, but come with a heftier price tag. It will also have to compete with the recently announced KT R1 handheld that comes with a new, more powerful chip, and a slightly more expensive price tag.
You can order the RG351M at RetroMimi for $139 here.
Nothing has really changed, the specifications, design and layout are identical to its plastic little brother, although it does have a WiFi module which we know some RG351P’s didn’t have. That was due to it having an issue upon first batch and required removal.
The RG351M may also have “online play” allowing to to play and possibly trade Pokemon with other RG351M gamers.
RG351M Specifications
- 3.5″ IPS Display (320 x 480)
- Quad Core 1.5GHZ CPU (RK3326)
- Mali-G31 MP2 GPU
- 1GB RAM
- Open Source Linux System
- 3500MAH Battery
- Vibration Pack
- Metal Shell
How Will The RG351M Perform?
The RG351M is running on a RK3326 chip, an old chip that has a little kick to it, allowing the 1.5GHZ CPU to emulate PS1, some PSP and some of the best N64 games, including Mario Kart 64.
so those asking, no this isn’t really a “new” handheld, it’s just making an amazing handheld that little bit better, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Yes, the chip maybe old and soon to be outdated but that doesn’t determine the quality of a handheld. The old metal RG350M was the best quality budget handheld out of China that we’ve ever tested. We love it.
And now, the news that they are doing the same with the RG351P puts a big smile on our faces. It will come in grey, and matte black, but no sign of red that was shown above, that was simply a concept render from the community.
Release Date & Pricing
As of now there’s no official release date or pricing information regarding the RG351M. But if we had to guess we think we could be seeing the RG351M being officially announced and released in January, possibly early February.
The price tag is probably going to be the same as the RG350M when that was released, which was around $140. It’s expensive for sure, and it targets those retro handheld collectors that thrive for metal.
Is it worth upgrading if you already have the RG351P, no, most likely not, but for those new to the retro handheld scene wanting the best of the best in terms of build quality, then the RG351M is going to be the best quality handheld under the $150.
The pricing places the RG351M in a very awkward position, making it almost double the price of the infamous Retroid Pocket 2.
Admittedly the RP2 is far more powerful, but the build quality of the RG351M far suprasses it, making it more dseriable for retro gamers who don’t mind spending a pretty penny.
The RG351M can be officially ordered at RetroMimi for $139, be quick, as you’ll want to be a part of the first batch of units.
We will update this article with more information when we get it. Follow us on Twitter @Retro_Dodo to get the latest information regarding retro handhelds.
