New Sony leak points to OLED PlayStation Portal update in 2026, with a more powerful gaming handheld to follow

A recent leak has just reinforced a past rumor regarding Sony bringing OLED to the PlayStation Portal (curr. $199 on Amazon). According to prominent hardware leaker Kepler_L2 - who has a proven track record, has stated that Sony is preparing to launch an OLED version of the PlayStation Portal within the current calendar year. After the recent software update that unlocked cloud streaming for the device, new leaks surrounding the Portal make way more sense. 

While the Portal OLED will essentially be a mid-cycle display upgrade for the streaming crowd, more technical details have also surfaced regarding Sony’s long-rumored native gaming handheld, which is also frequently referred to under the codename "Project Canis." Leaked specifications indicate that this device will utilize AMD’s next-generation RDNA 5 (or UDNA) architecture. While some early leaks hinted towards a higher compute unit (CU) count of up to 20, internal targets appear to have settled on a 16 CU configuration. This decision is likely driven by power-to-performance efficiency; at a 15 W Thermal Design Power (TDP) limit typical for portable form factors, a 20 CU GPU would likely experience diminishing returns due to memory bandwidth and thermal constraints - essentially no tangible speed advantage over the 16 CU design.

To support this hardware, Sony has reportedly updated its PlayStation 5 development kits to include a mandatory "Low Power Mode" or "Power Saver Mode." This should mean that the existing PS5 library can scale downward to run natively on the handheld's more constrained hardware profile. The probable integration of LPDDR5X-9600 memory means there will be extra focus on high-speed data throughput to compensate for the reduced memory bus (typical of mobile chips). While the handheld is expected to launch close to the PlayStation 6, the Portal OLED itself will be revealed this year, if the leaks hold any weight. We'll have to wait for any official details from Sony, regardless.