AYA NEO AIR Plus: AMD Ryzen 5 7520U and Ryzen 7 6800U models announced but Intel Pentium Gold 8505 edition canned for upcoming gaming handheld series

AYA NEO has shed more light on the AIR Plus, a cheaper gaming handheld series compared to the NEXT II or the SLIDE. To recap, AYA NEO showcased the AIR Plus in June 2022 with the Intel Pentium Gold 8505, Intel Core i3-1215U and an unnamed AMD Mendocino APU. Originally, the company had planned to ship Intel versions of the AIR Plus on December 28, with AMD Mendocino versions due two months later.

While the latter may still be on track, AYA NEO missed its December estimate for Intel-powered models. Seemingly, AYA NEO may have ceased development of the Pentium Gold 8505 edition, which would have retailed for US$30 less than the Core i3-1215U. In its place arrives the Ryzen 7 6800U, bridging the gap between the AIR Plus series and AYA NEO's other recent gaming handhelds like the AYA NEO 2.

Supposedly, this version will contain a larger battery than other AIR Plus models with a 46.2 Wh capacity and an exclusive Classic Grey colourway. AYA NEO has outlined that the model will offer 3.5 mm audio, MicroSD card and USB 4 connectivity too, but these could well be headed to other versions of the AIR Plus. AYA NEO has also confirmed that the AMD Mendocino APU will be the Ryzen 5 7520U, not the less powerful Ryzen 3 7320U.

For reference, the Ryzen 5 7520U has four Zen 2 CPU cores and two RDNA 2 Compute Units (CUs) that AMD markets as the Radeon 610M. Currently, AYA NEO hopes to begin mass-producing the AIR Plus series next month. The company has not revealed pricing for the new Ryzen 7 6800U version yet though, nor whether pricing has changed for the Core i3-1215U or Ryzen 5 7520U versions.

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