What you need to know
- In addition to a variety of other handhelds and mini PCs, AYANEO also introduced KONKR, a budget-minded sub-brand.
- The KONKR Pocket FIT is slated to arrive as the company's "first flagship product" later this year.
- Pricing has yet to be revealed, but we do know it's powered by the latest Snapdragon G3 Gen 3.
It's been quite the week for AYANEO as the company opened Monday by sharing its product roadmap for the near future. As if announcing the AYANEO Pocket DS wasn't enough, CEO Arthur Zhang also introduced a new sub-brand, KONKR.
During the announcement, Zhang explained that KONKR is "redefining what 'value' means in handheld gaming." We also learned about the first device in the lineup, as the KONKR Pocket FIT was introduced.
The idea of a budget-friendly Android handheld from AYANEO is interesting, as it's a space that's already dominated by Retroid and Anbernic. Especially when you take into consideration that the KONKR Pocket FIT is using the Qualcomm's latest flagship gaming chip, the Snapdragon G3 Gen 3.
Earlier this year, the Retroid Pocket Flip 2 and Pocket Classic were released, priced at either $179/$229 or $119/$129, respectively. While the Pocket Classic is the first handheld to use the Snapdragon G1 Gen 2, the Pocket Flip 2 is available with either the Dimensity 1100 or Snapdragon 865, two SoCs that are at least four years old.
In 2025, Anbernic has been leaning more into the Android side of things with the likes of the RG557, RG Slide, and now the RG477M. The RG557 and RG477M are both powered by the Dimensity 8300, with the former coming in at $250 and the latter retailing at $240.
With that in mind, it's difficult to think that the Pocket FIT will manage to squeeze its way into this price bracket. That's because unlike dual-screened Pocket DS, the Pocket FIT is powered by Qualcomm's latest gaming chip, the Snapdragon G3 Gen 3. This is the same chip that debuted at GDC earlier this year, and is currently available in the AYANEO Pocket S2 and Pocket S2 Pro.
The former is currently available through Indiegogo starting at $439 for the 8GB/128GB model, while the S2 Pro starts at $559 for the 16GB/512GB configuration. Shipping has already started for those handhelds, but once the campaign concludes, prices will increase to $499 and $619, respectively.
Initially, you might think that the Pocket S2 and S2 Pro use an OLED screen, and if KONKR opted for an LCD panel, it would be able to reduce the price. Well, that's not the case as both the Pocket S2 and Pocket FIT are equipped with LCD displays. Adding further confusion to the mix is that the FIT's display has a faster 144Hz refresh, compared to the 60Hz panel of the S2.
So frankly, I'm not exactly sure what AYANEO's move is here with the KONKR brand. Of everything that the company announced this week, only the Pocket DS has me more excited. But if we end up seeing a starting price around the $250 to $300 mark, for a handheld with the Snapdragon G3 Gen 3, AYANEO KONKR could flip the game on its head.
