Ayn Odin Android gaming handheld set to ship to initial backers on January 17

The Android-based handheld gaming market has exploded over the last few years. With multiple devices launching every month, it’s hard for a single company to stand out. However, Ayn made waves in 2020 with its Odin handheld. After an almost two-year wait, Ayn will finally ship the Odin gaming handheld… to the first 200 backers.

The Odin is set to ship on Monday following multiple shipping delays. Delays aren’t unusual for Indiegogo projects, particularly electronics-related ones. After working out some last-minute bugs, Ayn announced today in a blog post that the first 200 Odin handhelds will ship to the first-in-line backers on Monday, January 17.

While most Android-based gaming devices are built with cheaper, low-powered silicon, the Ayn Odin boasts a Snapdragon 845 with 4 GB of LPDDR4x RAM. While that SoC is four years old at this point, it’s still a capable chip with some solid gaming chops. Compared to the Rockchip and MediaTek SoCs commonly seen in other handhelds, the 845 should be able to handle most Android games and emulation thrown at it. Considering the price (~US$240-280), it offers a decent price/performance ratio. However, recent devices like the Powkiddy X18S may outshine the Odin at a lower price.

Other backers will have to wait for Ayn to catch up on manufacturing demand. Chinese New Year occurs at the end of January and on into February, and Ayn has already stated that most workers will be taking time off for the holiday. This will inevitably push production back for other backers, so it may be some time before others get their hands on the Odin.

What do you think about the Ayn Odin? Have you pre-ordered a unit? Let us know in the comments.

Buy a Powkiddy X18S on Amazon.