MagicX discontinues Mini Zero28 handheld and announces a potential successor

After seeking the public's opinion on a potential new handheld, MagicX has announced that it will be discontinuing one of its current devices. The device in question is the Mini Zero28, which was released in January 2025 and refreshed in May of the same year.

In a post on Discord, MagicX said the Mini Zero will not be reproduced once available stock is sold out. The manufacturer cited the high cost of memory, specifically DDR4, which it says has increased by over 6 times its original cost, as the reason for the discontinuation.

Shortly after announcing the bad news, MagicX followed it up with news of a potential “spiritual successor” to the Mini Zero 28. The new handheld will be called the MagicX Mini40, and while there's already a spec sheet and price, MagicX says that development hasn't started yet. It also wants to get feedback from its fans, so the device will only be manufactured based on the results of the poll.

The MagicX Mini40 will have a 4-inch display with an 800 x 480 resolution. It will be powered by a Rockchip RK3566 processor paired with 1GB of DDR3 RAM. There's no mention of the internal storage capacity, which means, like the Mini Zero28, it will need a microSD card to boot.

MagicX says the new handheld will have a similar design to the Mini Zero28 but will feature a redesigned and larger D-pad and ABXY buttons. The Mini40 will have dual Hall-Effect joysticks but retain the shoulder button layout of the Mini Zero28. It will also have a lanyard mount, dual speakers, dual SD card slots, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, a vibration motor, and support for HDMI output.

MagicX has also disclosed that its plan is to port the Debian-based dArkOS to it, rather than ship it with Android as is the case with the Mini Zero28. The Mini40 is expected to be available in up to 5 color options and will have a DIY-friendly design that allows users to use custom buttons and shells. Its pre-order price is revealed to be $49 (excluding shipping).

As at the time of writing, the poll has received 140 votes with two more days to go. The majority of voters (57%) say they may buy the handheld based on the final design, while 18% of the voters say they will pre-order the device. A significant 22% have said they will not be buying the MagicX Mini40.