Best Handhelds of 2025!
You know, before I started writing this, I would have said this was a slow year for releases, but no it just felt that way – what an absolute ton of stuff released this year, crazy.
And so like every year, this video will be the best and worst handhelds, that were released in 2025 and only 2025 with some stragglers from the very end of 2024.
Every year I get someone that yells about why the Steam Deck or some other older device isn’t on the list – this is just this year’s handhelds people.
Honorable Mentions
Let’s jump in with honorable mentions and these are devices that did not release in 2025, but that I used often this year.
OneXPlayer OneXFly F1 Pro
The first, is the OneXPlayer OneXFly F1 Pro and man, this was such a great PC handheld – OLED screen, HX370 processor, comfortable, great fan and so on.
Unfortunately, missing a bigger battery and so as much as I loved it, I had to move on.
Retroid Pocket Flip
And the only other honorable mention is my Retroid Pocket Flip 1.
Bought another one this year because of the disappointment for me of the Retroid Pocket Flip 2, and yeah, the Flip 1 is just timeless.
Love the curves, love the comfyness, it’s super small for portability and this served me well this year until the AYN Thor.
Released, but not received
Now, let’s quickly go through devices that released this year, but I did not receive, did not buy or just did not get for whatever reason.
Since the main list will be devices that I actually had or reviewed.
Abxylute One Pro
Let’s do this sort of rapid fire I guess, the Abxylute One Pro was overpriced, underpowered and not worth it even for streaming.
Anbernic RG DS
The Anbernic RG DS isn’t out yet and likely will be on next year’s list.
Anbernic RG477M
The Anbernic RG477M was about $100 more expensive than it should be and then they cut the lower priced option and it costs as much as a Thor does, dead on arrival.
GPD Win 5
My GPD Win 5 is on the way, didn’t make it in time.
KONKR Pocket FIT
I ordered a KONKR Pocket FIT and like everyone else I’m expecting it in 2027, yes 2027.
Lenovo Legion Go 2
I can’t even order a Lenovo Legion Go 2, ask Lenovo if they remember that Canada exists.
OneXPlayer G1 & Sugar
Had no interest in either of the OneXPlayer G1 or OneXPlayer Sugar.
Powkiddy V90S
I forgot Powkiddy released a device this year, but no the V90S isn’t a buy.
Ayaneo DMG, Pocket DS & Pocket Air Mini
Then we have Ayaneo and as with every year, I’m just not in the Ayaneo tax bracket.
I had interest in the DMG, but too expensive, I had interest in the Pocket DS, but then the Thor got announced, and I’m curious about the Ayaneo Pocket Air Mini, but they’re charging $30 for shipping on that one for a sub $100 device.
I bought one, but man Ayaneo makes it hard to like their stuff.
The list begins!
With all of those out of the way, we can finally get to the entire point of the video, and it’s the best and worst handhelds of 2025.
Ranked from worst to best, of course.
33 – Powkiddy V20
The worst handheld of the year is the Powkiddy V20.
Probably the worst software I’ve ever experienced, you cannot access saves and states, can’t add or remove BIOS, can’t do a lot of things.
The operating system is written to the internal storage, not the SD card, so you can’t with Windows access those files.
Just absolutely garbage and just speaks to where Powkiddy currently is in the market with this release.
32 – Anbernic RG Slide
The Anbernic RG Slide is among one the most uncomfortable devices to me.
It’s a slide up design except the top is heavier than the bottom and so you have that weight constantly pushing on your wrists.
The screen was nice and thankfully was used in other better devices, but the Slide was a handheld concept that they failed completely at.
Sliding is cool, but on a PSP Go sized device, not whatever this was.
31 – GKD Pixel 2
The GKD Pixel 2 isn’t bad, it’s just not very good.
It’s expensive, it’s niche, there’s no WiFi and it’s not doing anything special and it had no custom firmware to save it.
Cute looking device though, I like the design a lot, even if I don’t like the device.
I think the TrimUI Brick Hammer likely just replaces this completely, sure this is a bit smaller, but at these sizes, there is a thing as too small.
30 – Miyoo Flip
The Miyoo Flip launched to broken hinges, and then Miyoo telling people through funny videos that their hinge is fine despite it being broken.
The stock operating system was pretty bad, the sticks were pretty bad, there was really no reason to buy this and try and play the hinge lottery when the Anbernic clamshells exist.
There were some positives to it, but not enough to outweigh the negatives and so most people just avoided the hassle of hinge lottery and stuck with other devices that didn’t have those problems.
29 – Anbernic RG34XX
The Anbernic RG34XX isn’t bad, honestly, well besides the fact that the screen on stock isn’t a set 60hz and so games run faster or slower depending, but it’s a faithful recreation of the Game Boy Advance and that reminded me of how small a Game Boy Advance dpad is, how much I hate the button layout of the handheld when you have four buttons, and that they added triggers that were not very good.
It’s a fine device for those that want a 1:1 GBA basically, but otherwise not very special.
28 – Anbernic RG557
The Anbernic RG557 really was a special device, in that it did nothing for anyone.
Anbernic is using the Dimensity 8300 processor chips, and on release, this had massive issues with playing anything.
It also cost more than a Retroid Pocket 5, and still to this day, costs as much as a Thor costs, for uh a Dimensity processor and Anbernic’s not great Android software since you still can’t use GeForce Now or Syncthing for higher end emulators.
Even the upcoming Retroid Pocket 6 is cheaper than this with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 powering that.
This could have been a good handheld if Anbernic priced it correctly, which funny enough, could be said about every single Anbernic release this year.
27 – TrimUI Brick
Likely my first most controversial handheld spot, but the TrimUI Brick really did nothing for me.
I was so very excited for it, and then it arrived and I hated it.
The shoulders and triggers, no matter which options you used, were among the worst I’ve ever used, the device heats up playing Game Boy, and the entire thing just made me appreciate the Miyoo Mini Plus more.
I tried, a few months ago, to go back to this – set it all up for a 6 hour tattoo session I had, and in 15 minutes of that session, it crashed three times, and got hot playing Game Boy games.
I’ll stick to the Miyoo Mini Plus thank you.
26 – Retroid Pocket G2
The Retroid Pocket G2 is down here at the bottom, not for being a bad handheld, it’s actually just fine, but because it makes no sense and has no reason to exist.
Retroid announced this and the Retroid Pocket 6, and now the G2 is more expensive than the better spec’d Retroid Pocket 6.
The G2 is a barometer for seeing who’s buying the best handheld for their money and who’s buying the FOMO handheld of the month just to collect them because giving up a 120hz screen benefit, among all the other benefit of the Retroid Pocket 6, should be a crime.
25 – Retroid Pocket Flip 2
The Retroid Pocket Flip 2 is down here at the bottom just due to my sheer disappointment in it.
They took the Retroid Pocket Flip design, which was awesome and reversed everything good about it to make the Flip 2.
It’s not a bad product, people love it and I’m happy for them, but the fan noise was atrocious, and the design was bad while providing nothing really to offset those like the Thor does.
I didn’t actually mind the front control layout on the Flip 2, it was cool to see and try and I’m thankful the Thor has made this device obsolete at this point.
24 – Nintendo Switch 2
I could have put the Nintendo Switch 2 much, much lower.
I lined up at midnight for this, super excited for it, so imagine my heartbreak when I find out that the entire reason I bought this, which was for handheld usage, is the worst way to actually use it.
It’s too big, there’s nothing to hold onto, there’s zero ergonomics, the controls absolutely suck and the screen has so much visible ghosting and problems that it made me nauseous trying to play Animal Crossing of all things.
I tried like three different grips with it and nothing helped the situation either.
The Switch 2, for me, became a docked console which is the complete opposite of how I used previous Switch’s.
I’m waiting for the Switch 2 Lite to hopefully solve this, but I regret buying the Switch 2 – even if I loved Donkey Kong Bananza on it.
23 – ROG XBOX Ally
The ROG XBOX Ally isn’t bad, it’s just not for me.
I like the design, I like the battery life, I like a lot about it, but like the Steam Deck, it’s 2025 and so I need and want more than this gives, which is the ROG XBOX Ally X for me.
I do still think it’s a pretty good entry device for people that want to start with PC handhelds, if you ignore all the awesome Black Friday deals we had for things like the Lenovo Legion Go S – which is a better purchase overall. The ROG Xbox Ally just ends up in a weird spot overall.
22 – MSI Claw 8 AI+
I was not a very big fan of the MSI Claw 8 AI+.
The buying process was awful, it went up for preorder, then was taken down, then we had zero idea of when it was shipping and it was awful.
The price was insane, they wanted $200 more than the ROG Ally X in Canada for a worse device, and I had severe performance issues with both the MSI software and rubber banding in games.
It’s been about ten or so months since that point, I’m sure some things are fixed, I’m sure it’s likely a better handheld, but the ergonomics also didn’t work for me on top of everything else and so this is a PC handheld that I’m perfectly fine skipping.
21 – GPD Win 4 2025
The GPD Win 4 2025 edition didn’t really do much this year.
They improved the processor to the HX370 and that was it.
They didn’t fix the input lag issues with the screen, they didn’t upgrade the screen, they really didn’t put any effort into it at all and so it was an incremental upgrade on a device that really needs more than that.
I guess most of their effort went into the Win 5 instead.
20 – MSI Claw A8
As one of the five people in the world with the MSI Claw A8, I will say it’s a good handheld, nice big screen, great power, great battery life and all of that, but it failed on the highest priority for me and that’s comfort.
The straight edged design with no curves meant that I was constantly not having a good time holding it.
If it had been curvier and ergonomic, this would have easily been top five, if not best of the year.
I liked a lot about the A8, but I just could not get over the comfort or lack of it.
19 – Anbernic RG34XXSP
The Anbernic RG34XXSP should have been one of the best handhelds Anbernic has ever made, but they fumbled it.
Unlike the 34XX where they copied a GBA 1:1, this should have been a copy of the GBA SP and instead they added a massive forehead for some odd reason and sticks.
The screen was great, the rest was great, but it was the design that pulled me away from this.
I got one in, never did a video on it, or I may have used it for a setup guide of something, but it was just disappointing – GBA is my favorite system to emulate, just make a GBA SP.
Anbernics’ choices this year were just baffling to me.
18 – BatleXP G350
The BatleXP G350 is awesome.
No seriously, it is.
For a good part of the year, it was my recommended starting point for anyone new to this hobby and the only thing it was lacking was a WiFi chip.
The G350 was the answer to the absolutely awful R36S lineup of clones – it was for people who wanted an actually good handheld at a cheap price, and it nailed it.
Unfortunately unknowing people are still buying R36S and those clones to this day, but one day we’ll escape that hell.
17 – Anbernic RG35XXPro
I didn’t do a video on this, but the Anbernic RG35XXPro was the next step up from the G350 with better everything, video out and WiFi.
This, to this day, is the best starter handheld anyone should purchase – it’s not expensive, has all the features you want, great support and it’s a great handheld.
I regret not having the time to do a video on this way back when, but the RG35XXPro honestly is just an awesome beginning handheld for people.
I haven’t seen it talked about much, so I assume it hasn’t taken off in the way I’d like, but hopefully people discover it.
16 – MagicX Zero 40
The MagicX Zero 40 was the first actual Nintendo DS device, and it actually ran Drastic which apparently is a tough thing to do for some upcoming DS devices.
It was comfy, had a great operating system and frontend, played what it said it would play, was great for vertical arcade as well and didn’t break the bank price wise either.
MagicX really came into their own with this device and I’m glad it was a success for them because it proved you can make a device, without big issues and release it.
15 – MagicX Mini Zero 28
The MagicX Mini Zero 28 was a redo of their previous handheld, the MagicX XU Mini M, except this time it was good, really good.
We have a severe lack of smaller handhelds in this hobby, and so when we get one, and it’s actually good, it deserves praise.
I love the work MagicX has put in for their Android build, especially with a non-touchscreen device, I liked the size, I liked the power and I like a lot about the Mini Zero 28.
I think MagicX across the board needs to scale up their dpad and buttons, they make the smallest in this space, but otherwise, this was a great pocketable handheld.
14 – GPD Win Mini 2025
I really, really liked the GPD Win Mini 2025.
The white was beautiful, the device was easy to use and hold, and it may be my favorite final form PC handheld that I’d want a device to be.
That being said, the heat issues still were not solved with this, and the fan noise wasn’t either and that turned me away from it.
I wish someone besides GPD would take up making a device like this, slim, functional and everything because the Win Mini to me is just awesome – it just needs the internals to match the external awesomeness.
13 – XURetro XU20 V32
Despite the name, the XURetro XU20 V32 is an awesome device.
This was what I wanted the TrimUI Brick to be – a nice comfy, smaller vertical handheld.
Great software, comfortable, great controls, good feature set and it didn’t break the bank again.
I don’t know how well this device has done, but it’s one of the better ones on the market and deserves a lot more people paying attention to it.
XURetro is now part of the MagicX umbrella, and I hope to see more good devices like this.
12 – TrimUI Brick Hammer
Despite everything I just said, the TrimUI Brick Hammer arrived after the V32 and I have to say, the Hammer is pretty good.
Compared to the original Brick, I’m seeing heat of 20 Fahrenheit less, which is likely thanks to spreading out with the metal shell, the speakers have been improved somehow, and overall I’m just enjoying it more even if the shoulders and triggers are still not great.
I still don’t know what it is about the Brick that keeps me from loving it, but the Hammer is at least better.
11 – Anbernic RG406H
The Anbernic RG406H surprised me – it’s awesome, it was just too expensive for what it was by a lot.
It’s comfortable, has great sticks, the right stick layout, a great dpad, decent screen and overall is one of the better Anbernic devices.
It was disappointing at first, coming from an RG405M which is just so much more sleek and compact, but the 406H if you can find it at a low price, is actually fantastic.
I think the 406H with the RG476H screen would be an awesome handheld – if Anbernic learns to price things properly, the hobby is too competitive nowadays for them to price how they’ve been doing.
10 – Anbernic RG476H
Highest ranked Anbernic device of the year goes to the Anbernic RG476H, which is a fantastic handheld that launched at the wrong time and with the wrong price.
That doesn’t make it any less fantastic though.
I think if you want the best 4:3 experience, this is the handheld to get because the RG477M in comparison costs way too much for too little.
They nailed a lot about this handheld though, the size, the colors, the screen, the layout and it’s an awesome retro feeling, retro styled handheld.
More of this please Anbernic, but priced properly.
9 – Miyoo Mini Flip
The Miyoo Mini Flip is a Miyoo Mini in a clamshell form and it’s no wonder that’s awesome.
This is a device that is not perfect, I can’t easily recommend it, but it just sparks joy and that’s worth a lot.
It’s also again, a rare scenario of an actually portable handheld in size and weight.
Miyoo improved the hinge by a lot, and then just put a Miyoo Mini with it – OnionOS works with an asterisk, the device feels good to use and while it has its share of problems, it’s the closest retro feeling handheld of 2025.
8 – AYN Odin 3
I struggled with where to put the AYN Odin 3, and it could have been far lower on the list, but I’m going to leave it here.
The Odin 3 isn’t bad, but the software isn’t there yet and the fan issue really needs to be looked at.
This is a device that is launching way ahead of software and so it’ll be interesting to see how quickly that catches up before another device releases that is better than this, with the same specs.
AYN devices every year have been either the best of the year, or within the top three without fail every year, and for this to be so low and could be lower still, tells you a lot about my feelings about the Odin 3 right now.
I think besides the fan, AYN nailed the hardware, so we’ll see what happens software wise – but that fan makes me not want to use the device at all and even if the 8 Elite get support, I still can’t use it because of that fact.
7 – Lenovo Legion Go S
The Lenovo Legion Go S was just heavily discounted during Black Friday and I hope a lot of people picked one up.
Both the Z1 Extreme and Z2Go models were the best prices for PC handhelds I’ve ever seen, and both are awesome devices.
I reviewed the Z2GO model earlier this year, with SteamOS and I do not understand why anyone would still buy a Steam Deck in 2025 with this device existing.
It’s awesome, awesome screen, great power, great battery life and just an all around great device.
If you want the best entry into PC handhelds, it’s the Legion Go S.
You don’t want an 800p screen in 2025.
6 – Retroid Pocket Classic
The Retroid Pocket Classic is awesome, loved it – PKMN Yellow color, just so good.
This was the Analogue Pocket, with Android to me.
Same sort of feeling and idea.
One of the Retroid’s best handhelds by far.
I’ve seen a lot of people say that I hate the Classic because I call it a niche device, which confuses me and means they didn’t watch my review, but it absolutely is a niche device, for a niche set of people, and those people love this thing.
I am one of those people.
I’m a big praiser of this because they finally did a device without sticks, because not every device needs sticks and the people that want a vertical like this, do not want sticks.
More of this Retroid.
5 – Retroid Pocket Mini V2
The best Retroid device of the year is the Retroid Pocket Mini V2.
Yes there was a lot of drama with this one which I covered extensively, but ignoring all of that, the V2, to me, is what I want to see more of.
Smaller, portable devices that are premium, have power and are good.
There’s no reason that smaller has to equal less premium, or cheaper – and this is the perfect example of that.
I loved the Mini, I think it’s awesome, I think the screen is awesome, I think this is one of the better Retroid devices.
I will not understand why they released a G2 version of the Retroid Pocket 5 instead of a new Mini with that G2 processor, it would have been a slam dunk, easy win, add some colors since all we could buy of the V2 was black and enjoy the money.
More of this Retroid, less of whatever the G2 is.
4 – Mangmi Air X
The Mangmi Air X was a sleeper hit this year for finally, after two years, being the one single device that has the power, for under $100, to be able to do Nintendo 64, Dreamcast and PSP.
I have waited so long, constantly seeing Anbernic release after release with them going backwards through the years that we finally had another company come out, and give us what we want.
There is just no better device under $100 than the Mangmi Air X, it has the power, the size, the specs, all of it – and it deserves being in the top five of the year and for anyone that has $100 to spend, you buy this and don’t look back.
And now we get to the top three and I have to stop here. I’m going to be honest, these three could be tied for first, or in any order for me personally – all of them really are my favorites of the year. But that’s boring, so let’s rank them, starting with number three.
3 – ROG XBOX Ally X
The ROG Ally X won last year as best handheld of the year, and this year’s model basically does again.
The Ally X was my favorite PC handheld, and to see this year’s improve upon it, in significant ways, was awesome.
Better processor, better battery, better cooling, better comfort, better speakers and better everything and it makes me happy.
I do still wish for a better screen, that is the one last piece to the puzzle that I think keeps most people away, but even without it, the ROG XBOX Ally X checks all the buttons, hits all the right notes and is easily, given I’ve used them all, the best PC handheld on the market.
It’s important to note that I highly value comfort, I highly value no noise, great speakers, great performance, Windows and so on – this device just does it all for me.
I know you’re wondering now, which of the two AYN devices is 1st and second. This was a tough one honestly. I spent a lot of time agonizing over this.
2 – AYN Thor
The AYN Thor is the second best handheld of the year, but is the first depending on the day.
Look, I’ve always wanted a dual screen device, I got the dual screen device, I cannot be without a dual screen device now.
This is the same year I got a Samsung Galaxy Fold 7, so these things are likely tied together – I need the screens, I can’t go back.
I use it a lot – not the stuff you saw in the review, playing two games at once and all that, but guide bottom, game top.
Something bottom, game top.
I can’t live without this now.
Even for actually playing DS games, which I rediscovered this year thanks to this device, or waiting for retroachievements for 3DS games, which I hope comes soon, the AYN Thor, with the power it has, the dual OLED screens, the clamshell design, all of it is a handheld that I would not be able to live without.
I don’t think it’s perfect, I still think the triggers are awful, I still have other issues, but knowing all of that, the Thor always brings a smile to my face whenever I use it.
The Thor, in my opinion, is the most complete device we have by being able to play all systems, without any actual weird negatives – especially DS and 3DS since they no longer have to be on a single screen.
So it’s second best of the year, but only because the best of the year made no mistakes.
1 – AYN Odin 2 Portal
The best handheld of the year is the AYN Odin 2 Portal.
The reason? It’s perfect.
It’s absolutely perfect.
I have used it daily for about 10 months now, and there is just no better handheld on the market – even the XBOX Ally X narrowly beats it out and that costs three times as much and doesn’t beat it at everything.
The Portal has the power, it has the battery, it has the gorgeous screen, it has large sticks, it has a large dpad, they’re both offset so dpad and stick enjoyers can love it, it has big beautiful buttons, it’s comfortable, it has WiFi 7 for streaming, it has literally everything.
Everything, all of it.
I said earlier this year I do not know how AYN can make another device after the Portal, and I was right, the Odin 3 pales in comparison to the Portal.
When I look at it, or use it, I never feel like I’m missing out, or that I want more – I could easily wishlist new upgrades, actual full sized sticks, 1440p, 144hz, better processor for streaming, little incremental upgrades, but that’s all they are, wishlist incremental upgrades.
When I talk a lot about future proofing, buy once cry once, that sort of thing, the Portal is that definition – for those that bought 10 months ago, there still isn’t a competitor to it and there won’t be for another six months at least.
That’s the sign of a fantastic device and the best device of 2025.
Coffee Table Devices
Like last year, if you’re curious what my coffee table of handhelds are that I use most often, it’s the AYN Thor, AYN Odin 2 Portal and the ROG XBOX Ally X.
That’s it, that’s all I need and even that is too many – but the lesson here is, less is more for handhelds.
The end goal is to play games, not stare at handhelds and having 3 or less is how I do that.
The AYN Thor is always in my sling bag, going everywhere I go, and the Portal and XBOX Ally X trade blows for what I use at home for streaming, retro stuff, PC games and so on.
Minimalism baby.
