What you need to know
- Ayaneo has announced its latest Android handheld, the Pocket EVO.
- The Pocket EVO is the first of its kind to feature an OLED display, while also sporting a 120Hz refresh rate.
- Pre-orders for the Pocket EVO are available now, through Indiegogo, ahead of an official release later this year.
After being teased in early July and introduced a week later, the Ayaneo Pocket EVO is officially available for pre-order. Ayaneo has been on a roll, as the company also recently launched its Pocket DMG and Pocket Micro gaming handhelds. However, the Pocket EVO is entirely different.
On the surface, it's not all that different from the Pocket S that was released earlier this year. The Pocket EVO is powered by the same Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 SoC, while also offering another option if you enjoy the horizontal form factor.
However, Ayaneo is implementing a secret "sauce." Though it's different from the Pocket S, the Pocket EVO isn't a brand-new design.
Ayaneo has been in the handheld space for a few years now, but the primary focus has been on devices running Windows. Following its partnership with Qualcomm for the G3x Gen 2, we've seen a steady stream of Android devices, culminating with the Pocket EVO.
However, there's a bit of cross-pollination taking place, as Ayaneo's latest device borrows much of its design from the Ayaneo 2S. This is a Windows handheld released in May 2023, which offers an alternative to the ASUS ROG Ally and Steam Deck.
What this means for the Pocket EVO is an ergonomic and comfortable design, paired with "x86-level active cooling." Many Android gaming handhelds tend to rely on passive cooling, which can result in subpar performance if your device gets too hot. By implementing active cooling, performance degradation shouldn't be an issue, as it's not like you'll be able to play more demanding titles like PC games.
While all of that is great to see, the star of the show is the 7-inch OLED "borderless" display. Surprisingly, there has yet to be a dedicated Android handheld released with an OLED display, but hopefully, this will disrupt the market a bit. The closest that we've gotten so far is the AYN Odin 2 Mini, which uses a MiniLED display and is two inches smaller than the EVO.
Ayaneo also points out that along with the 120Hz refresh rate and OLED panel, this handheld also supports HDR and is capable of reaching up to 800 nits of brightness. While that might pale in comparison to the best Android phones, it's a big step up from the handheld competition.
As for configurations and availability, there are a total of five different options to choose from. These start with the base model, consisting of 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage while maxing out at 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.
Much like we've seen from Ayaneo's other device launches, you can jump on the pre-order train today by heading over to the Indiegogo campaign. Early Bird pricing starts at $389 for the 8GB/128GB model, going all the way up to $639 for the 24GB/1TB version.
However, you might not want to wait too long, as the pricing will jump a bit after the Early Bird units are sold out, and then again when the handheld is released. Speaking of which, there will be a bit of a wait, as the Pocket EVO launch event is scheduled for "the middle of September," with "global shipping" to commence in "Early November."
