On September 19th， AYANEO released and began accepting pre-orders for its first entry-level product， the Pocket AIR Mini. This portable retro gaming console is marketed as “an affordable retro handheld for everyone.”
The Pocket AIR Mini is priced at 599 yuan for the 2GB+32GB configuration and 699 yuan for the 3GB+64GB version. During a special promotion on JD.com， these models are available for 499 yuan and 599 yuan respectively， with the promotional pricing limited to the first 3000 units.
The Pocket AIR Mini features a 4.2-inch 4:3 display with a resolution of 1280*960， a 60Hz refresh rate， and a peak brightness of 500 nits. It is equipped with RGB ‘Aurora’ Hall effect joysticks and Hall effect linear triggers， complemented by conductive rubber ABXY buttons and a classic D-pad. The choice of a 4:3 aspect ratio is particularly noteworthy， catering to retro gaming enthusiasts who favor the original look of older titles. The inclusion of Hall effect components suggests an emphasis on durability and precision in the controls， which is a common complaint with traditional analog sticks.
Under the hood， the device is powered by the MediaTek Helio G90T octa-core processor. This chipset， with an AnTuTu benchmark score of 360，000 and a GPU score of 70，000， is capable of running a variety of retro games and mainstream mobile titles. While the G90T is a few generations old， its performance is adequate for emulating many older consoles and handling less demanding Android games， aligning with its cost-effective positioning.
The Pocket AIR Mini incorporates an active cooling system with a fan， a 4500mAh battery， and essential connectivity options including a Type-C port， a 3.5mm headphone jack， and a Micro SD card slot. It also supports Wi-Fi 5G and Bluetooth 5.0. The inclusion of active cooling is a significant advantage for a device of this size and price point， as it helps maintain performance during sustained use， preventing thermal throttling.
From an ecosystem perspective， the Pocket AIR Mini runs AYASpace & AYAHome， offering features such as quick settings pop-ups， button customization， performance mode switching， key mapping， and local retro game management. AYANEO claims that its entire software suite， typically found on their higher-end handhelds， has been ported to this entry-level model. This is a major selling point， as it provides a unified and feature-rich user experience across AYANEO’s product line， even on a more accessible device.
The game demonstrations above were shared during the AYANEO Pocket AIR Mini product live stream.
