KONKR Pocket ADVANCE Review

What is the KONKR Pocket ADVANCE?

The KONKR Pocket ADVANCE is a Game Boy Advance clone with a 3.5-inch 3:2 display, a Helio G90T processor, and a design that stays extremely close to the original Game Boy Advance.

At $89 for the 3GB model during the pre-order period, there’s quite a bit to like here.

The screen is excellent for GBA, the device comes in some fantastic colors, and there’s plenty of performance for fast-forwarding and emulation.

Unfortunately, the controls are a major problem for me, and ultimately they’re the reason I decided not to keep mine.

KONKR Pocket ADVANCE Specs

The KONKR Pocket ADVANCE is built almost entirely around the Game Boy Advance experience, which makes sense considering the design and the 3:2 display.

The screen is a 3.5-inch 960 × 640 panel, giving you a 4x resolution increase over the original Game Boy Advance.

The 3:2 aspect ratio is also exactly what you want for GBA games, allowing them to fill the display without awkward stretching.

The screen itself is pretty good.

It gets very bright, has decent colors, and looks dramatically better than the original Game Boy Advance display.

Inside is a MediaTek Helio G90T processor, with the model I have featuring 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage.

There is also a microSD card slot for additional storage, although you won’t need much if you’re primarily using this for Game Boy Advance games – still good to have.

The battery is 4,000mAh, which is good for a device primarily intended for GBA.

I haven’t done extensive battery testing, but there should be plenty of battery life here for GBA.

There is also USB-C charging, a headphone jack, a volume wheel, and Wi-Fi

The Pocket Advance is available in a few colors, including Coral, Navy, Gray, Onyx Ice, and Peach.

The Coral version I have looks fantastic, and Peach is another particularly appealing option.

The 3GB model was priced at $89 during the pre-order period, with the regular price increasing to around $109.

There’s also a 4GB version available for those who want the extra RAM, although I don’t see much reason to pay more for that if you’re primarily buying this for Game Boy Advance.

A Very Familiar Design

The Pocket Advance is extremely close to the original Game Boy Advance in size and overall shape.

There are some small differences in the curvature and dimensions, but if you’re looking for a modern Game Boy Advance clone, this is exactly what you’re getting.

The biggest difference is obviously the screen.

Going from the original GBA display to a modern 960 × 640 panel is a night-and-day improvement.

The controls are where things start to get much more complicated.

The Controls Are the Problem

I’m not a huge fan of the original Game Boy Advance’s controls to begin with, particularly the relatively small D-pad.

Unfortunately, the Pocket Advance doesn’t improve on that experience.

The D-pad is extremely soft.

It’s also almost completely silent, which might sound like a positive, but there’s very little tactile feedback when you actually press it.

There’s no satisfying spring-back or click to let you know that you’ve actually pressed the button.

It’s difficult to describe until you’ve used it, but the D-pad simply doesn’t feel good.

The same applies to the face buttons.

They’re essentially silent and extremely soft, but there’s very little tactile feedback.

When you’re using two buttons together, it becomes particularly noticeable because there’s nothing telling your fingers that you’ve actually completed a button press.

I’ve reviewed more than 200 handhelds at this point, and I genuinely can’t think of another device with controls quite like these.

They’re unlike the usual clicky or springy controls we’re accustomed to seeing on handhelds.

The Anbernic RG SP, for example, has extremely clicky and tactile controls.

You know exactly when you’ve pressed a button, which makes it much easier to play games.

The Pocket Advance doesn’t provide that same feedback, and for me, it’s an instant negative.

I also don’t love having Start and Select on the same side of the device, although that’s more of a personal preference.

Extra Controls

There are L1 and R1 buttons, along with L2 and R2, a Home button, and additional buttons on the back.

The L2 and R2 buttons are particularly awkward to reach, requiring you to stretch your fingers somewhat.

The additional hotkeys on the back can also be difficult to access while you’re actually playing.

The volume wheel is a nice addition, though, and I prefer it to some of the stiffer volume wheels I’ve encountered like on the Mangmi Air Y Pro.

Screen Comparison

The Pocket Advance’s display is one of its strongest features.

Compared directly with the original Game Boy Advance, the difference is enormous.

The modern 960 × 640 display is significantly sharper, brighter, and easier to see.

Compared with the Anbernic RG SP, however, things get a little more interesting.

The Pocket Advance has a more saturated image, with noticeable differences in color reproduction.

Some colors appear more yellow, and certain details can get lost compared with the RG SP.

The RG SP ultimately has the better-looking display to my eyes, which is surprising considering the Pocket Advance costs more.

These are fairly nitpicky differences, though.

The Pocket Advance still has a very good screen, and anyone coming from an original Game Boy Advance will be extremely happy with the upgrade.

Game Boy Advance Performance

Performance isn’t really something you need to worry about here.

The Helio G90T has considerably more power than necessary for Game Boy Advance, giving you plenty of room for fast-forwarding.

At the balanced performance setting, fast-forwarding reached roughly 500 FPS in testing.

Even the lower-power Eco mode was still around 220 FPS, which is more than enough for the roughly 3x fast-forward speed I typically use.

There are also multiple performance modes available, although there’s little reason to use the higher settings for GBA.

There’s also a fan, although you shouldn’t need it for Game Boy Advance.

If the fan bothers you, you can simply turn it off.

The important takeaway is that performance is absolutely not a limitation here.

The device has more than enough power for the games it’s designed around.

Comfort

Comfort is a bit of a mixed bag.

The Pocket Advance essentially inherits the ergonomics of the original Game Boy Advance, and I’m not particularly fond of the GBA’s comfort compared with something like the Game Boy Advance SP.

It can feel somewhat cramped depending on how you’re holding it, although it’s something you could probably get used to.

I wouldn’t consider it a handheld I’d want to play for hours and hours at a time, but it’s perfectly usable.

The biggest ergonomic issue is reaching the additional controls.

L2 and R2 require some stretching, and the rear hotkeys aren’t particularly easy to access.

Ultimately, if you already like the ergonomics of the original Game Boy Advance, you’ll probably be fine here.

If you don’t, the Pocket Advance doesn’t really change the formula.

Audio Quality

The speaker is one of the weaker aspects of the Pocket Advance.

The device gets very loud, but the audio quality isn’t particularly good.

There is significant distortion, even at lower volume levels.

Compared with the original Game Boy Advance and the Anbernic RG SP, the RG SP sounds the best of the three to my ears.

The original GBA is quieter, while the Pocket Advance is louder but suffers from noticeably worse distortion.

It’s surprising to hear the RG SP outperform it in audio quality, especially considering the Pocket Advance’s higher price.

A Few Small Issues

There is one other issue that has been noticed with some units: the lip around the display can lift slightly on one side.

On my unit, there is a small section on the right side where the screen lip isn’t sitting completely flush compared with the opposite side.

I wouldn’t consider this a major problem.

It’s barely noticeable and doesn’t affect functionality, but it is something that should ideally be addressed at the factory level.

Hopefully, this is corrected on later production units.

Is the KONKR Pocket ADVANCE Worth It?

The KONKR Pocket ADVANCE is a very straightforward handheld.

There are really two questions you need to ask yourself: do you want a Game Boy Advance, and are you okay with these controls?

If the answer to both is yes, there’s a lot to like here.

The screen is good, the colors are good, the build quality is good, there’s plenty of performance, the battery is big enough, and the overall design is an extremely close modern recreation of the original Game Boy Advance.

The Coral version in particular looks fantastic, and there are several other colors that should appeal to people looking for something more interesting than the usual black handheld.

Unfortunately, the controls are a dealbreaker for me.

I understand why they went with silent controls, but these aren’t simply quiet versions of normal handheld controls.

They’re fundamentally different in how they feel, with almost no tactile feedback.

After spending so much time using handhelds with clicky, responsive controls, going back to something this soft feels strange.

That’s ultimately why I cancelled my Peach pre-order and don’t expect to keep my current unit.

It’s a shame, because otherwise I really like the Pocket Advance.

If you’re specifically looking for a modern Game Boy Advance, this is absolutely worth considering.

Just make sure you’re comfortable with the controls before buying one.

For me, though, I’ll probably wait for another Game Boy Advance clone with better controls.