KT Pocket: Fantastical KT-R1S teaser sets pulses racing about new high-end gaming handheld

A few months have passed since KT Pocket shared early details about a successor to its KT-R1 gaming handheld. Ultimately, the MediaTek Helio G99 inside the KT-R1 remains comparatively powerful for a mid-range Android gaming handheld. A new rival in the form of the Ayaneo Pocket Ace will soon be upon us though, sporting a design that blends elements of the Retroid Pocket 2S and Anbernic RG405M (curr. $169.99 on Amazon).

To recap, KT Pocket reported in October 2024 that the KT-R2 would be available with either the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 or Dimensity 1100. With that being said, a more recent image shared by the YouTube channel Nittrx suggests that KT Pocket could be preparing a separate gaming handheld called the KT-R1S too.

On the face of it, Nittrx's community share looks authentic. The YouTube channel even reinforces the notion that the device is legitimate. However, as members of the KT Pocket have discussed at length, the image is in an elaborate April Fool that took plenty of people in. Nonetheless, a seemingly well-informed KT Pocket Discord member insists that the KT-R1S is in fact real, albeit without the specifications shown below.

Instead, they state that KT Pocket will return to the 5,000 mAh battery it uses inside the existing KT-R1. Although this should not be considered any upgrade, the adoption of a newer MediaTek chipset capable of emulating up to GameCube and PlayStation 2 games should help improve battery life versus the existing KT-R1. Unfortunately, other details about the KT-R1S remain unknown for now.