Update (Aug 20, 9 a.m. ET): Since making the initial announcement, AYN has revealed a few more details about the AYN Thor, including the displays and some of the specs.
What you need to know
- The AYN Odin 3 and AYN Thor handhelds have been officially announced.
- Few details are known about the Odin 3, besides that it will serve as a successor to the Odin 2 and Odin 2 Portal.
- The AYN Thor is the company's first clamshell handheld, featuring dual-screens and comes in response to the AYANEO Pocket DS.
Just yesterday, AYANEO opened up pre-orders via Indiegogo for the Pocket DS handheld. Today, AYN is sending waves through the gaming handheld space with its announcement of the AYN Thor and Odin 3.
It started with nothing more than a teaser image over at Instagram, simply confirming that the AYN Odin 3 and Thor were upcoming handhelds. This led to a bunch of excitement and chatter in the community about what "Thor" could possibly be.
As luck would have it, we didn't have to wait too long, as AYN published a video to its YouTube channel confirming that Thor is a dual-screen clamshell Android handheld. In the almost 40-second trailer, besides the design, not too much else is revealed about what Thor might have in store.
We do see that it will feature active cooling and that it will be powered by a Snapdragon processor. However, there's no indication as to what chip this will be. Considering that it's a new product category for AYN, that likely means Thor won't make use of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which headlined all three Odin 2 handhelds.
Toss in the fact that we don't know what the Odin 3 will be powered by, and there's just simply no telling what we might end up with. In September 2024, a random rumor appeared suggesting that the Odin 3 "uses 8gen5," and given that the 8 Gen 4 was renamed to the 8 Elite, this could mean the 8 Elite Gen 2. But again, that was almost a year ago, so I wouldn't be surprised if AYN changed its mind since then.
Unfortunately, until AYN reveals more information (or leaks crop up), it's nothing but speculation about either the Odin 3 or Thor. Nevertheless, it's interesting to see AYN hold off until after the AYANEO Pocket DS pricing was revealed.
But if there's one thing that the Pocket DS Indiegogo campaign has made abundantly clear, it's that people want clamshell Android handhelds. AYANEO raised over $500,000 in under 24 hours, and the company "secured an extra 1,000 Early Bird units."
Now I just have to wonder how many orders will be cancelled with AYN announcing its own dual-screen handheld.
Update
It came as a surprise to see not only the Odin 3 announced, but also the AYN Thor as a new handheld category for the company. Following the original announcement and subsequent teaser trailer drop, AYN has revealed a bit more information regarding its Thor gaming handheld.
First, we've learned that Thor features a 6-inch AMOLED top screen, with an FHD resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. As for the bottom screen, it's another OLED panel measuring 3.92 inches but with a refresh rate capped at 60Hz.
More recently, AYN shared some of the specs, including that Thor will be available with two different processors: the Snapdragon 865 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. These are notable as the former is what's found in the Retroid Pocket Flip 2, while the latter has powered all three models within AYN's Odin 2 lineup.
The AYN Thor is also equipped with a 6,000mAh battery, weighs 380 grams, and will be almost as thin as the New Nintendo 3DS XL from 2014. We suspect more information to trickle out in the coming days, and hopefully, AYN will have more to share about the Odin 3.
Powerhouse OLED Android gaming
AYN has been making some of the best handhelds for years, and with the Odin 2, it pivoted to solely focusing on Android handhelds. The Odin 2 Portal is simply one of the best Android gaming handhelds that money can buy, with its OLED display, 8,000mAh battery, and excellent performance.
