The $90 Mangmi Air X handheld runs PSP and 3DS games, delivering up to 6 hours of battery life in testing
YouTuber Joey's Retro Handhelds recently published an in-depth review of the Mangmi Air X, a new budget handheld. They claim to have been told by Mangmi that the device could launch at around $90, or closer to $70 for early buyers, but Mangmi hasn’t officially confirmed any pricing to the public. In terms of specs, it comes with a Snapdragon 662 processor, 4 GB of LPDDR4X RAM, 64 GB of storage, a 5.5-inch 1080p IPS display, active cooling, and a 5000 mAh battery running Android 14.
In testing, Joey's Retro Handhelds measured battery life from 100% to zero with brightness at maximum, Wi-Fi enabled, and the fan on silent. Under these conditions, PSP emulation lasted 181 minutes (~3 hours) without performance mode, or 166 minutes (~2 hours 46 minutes) with it.
3DS games fared even better, with runtimes of 285 minutes (~4 hours 45 minutes) without performance mode, and 200 minutes (~3 hours 20 minutes) when enabled. Lightweight systems like the Game Boy achieved up to 400 minutes (~6 hours 40 minutes). Standby drain was modest, losing just 3% charge over 24 hours.
Joey's Retro Handhelds noted that charging is the weakest point, with the device lacking fast charging and requiring around 100 minutes to fully recharge from zero. The reviewer described this as “the biggest annoyance” of the handheld.
The YouTuber said the Air X did really well for its price. PlayStation 1, Dreamcast, and Nintendo 64 games all ran smoothly, while PSP performance stood out as a highlight. PSP games worked at 1x and 2x resolution, and some even at 3x, without needing hacks or frameskip. The reviewer even called the Air X “certified” for N64 under $100, the only other handheld to get that label before was the Retroid Pocket 2S.
Joey's Retro Handhelds said 3DS games ran smoothly at native resolution and full speed, which they called a surprising result for a handheld under $100.
More powerful systems like GameCube, PlayStation 2, Wii U, and Switch mostly didn’t run well. Some lighter GameCube games such as Mario Kart Double Dash and Animal Crossing were playable with tweaks, but most titles struggled. The YouTuber noted that the Mangmi Air X is best for PSP and older systems, with 3DS support as a nice extra.
Joey's Retro Handhelds concluded that the Mangmi Air X “is exciting” and sets a new standard for budget handhelds. For under $100, it offers reliable performance across PSP, Dreamcast, N64, and 3DS, though the slow charging remains a drawback.
The YouTuber also covers the Air X’s design, cooling, button acoustics, and several other aspects of the handheld, so be sure to check out the full review below for the complete picture.
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