The best gaming handhelds reviewed

Asus has taken criticism of the Asus ROG Ally to heart. Not much has been tampered with in terms of the new Ally X's pure system performance. At the heart of this gaming handheld is still the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme. The handheld‘s display is also unchanged and can be found in the latest model. Nevertheless, Asus has undertaken significant improvements in terms of ergonomics, battery life and the ports. And it's been worth the effort too. Under the same conditions, the battery housed inside the new Ally X lasts twice as long as its predecessor. When it comes to battery stamina, Asus' handheld sits at the top of the comparison devices. Haptics and build quality are excellent and, despite all of these improvements, the handheld has not gotten any heavier. 

Additional power, more pleasant haptics and, in particular, significantly longer battery life. Asus has almost solved all of the ROG Ally's problems.

With an RRP of almost $800, the Ally X is one of the more expensive devices in the comparison. You can currently preorder the device from Asus. The handheld will be shipped on 7.26.2024. 

The GPD Win Mini stands out from the other gaming handhelds with its clamshell design and integrated keyboard which make it travel friendlier and more versatile. Despite its compact size, it comes with a stable case and good battery life. The build quality, display and other core specifications can all compete with the models on offer from Asus, Lenovo and the rest. However, when it comes to gaming performance and ergonomics, it doesn't reach the same level as lower-priced models such as the Steam Deck or ROG Ally.

The CPU and GPU performance is slower and, comfort-wise, using the device for extended periods leaves a lot to be desired, due to its idiosyncratic design. Additional, removable grips are available but external controllers could be a solution. Further weaknesses are the loud fan noise and sometimes unstable frame rates. The high price of around $1,000 is a considerable disadvantage especially when compared to faster and cheaper alternatives.

The GPD Win Mini has many versatile use cases due to its unconventional design but it doesn't hit the gaming-relevant ergonomic and performance heights seen in cheaper and sometimes faster devices.  

Currently, the GPD Win Mini 2024 with the Ryzen 8840U is only available in Germany via import platforms such as Geekbuying and costs around $955 (excluding shipping costs and possibly customs duty etc).

In our review, the MSI Claw gaming handheld was not entirely convincing. Despite its Intel Meteor Lake processor, its performance is worse than the AMD handhelds and this overwhelms the cooling. The joysticks, buttons and gaming software are positive features. The 7-inch display is acceptable but we would prefer an additional USB port. Swapping the M.2 2230 SSD is complicated and requires dismantling the cooling unit.

The high price of $850 is an additional disadvantage, especially when compared to cheaper and more powerful alternatives such as the Legion Go and the ROG Ally. MSI has already announced a successor with a larger display and a more efficient Intel Lunar Lake processor but you'll have to wait a few months before its release.

With Intel, MSI is not (yet?) betting on the right horse and, in many aspects, the Claw remains inferior.

The MSI Claw's starting price of around $850 seems a bit too high. However, during Amazon Prime Days, the device could be had for as little as $500 which maybe put it on the radar for some interested buyers.

The OneXPlayer 2 Pro is a versatile gaming handheld that does better, for example, than the well-known Legion Go when it comes to battery life, sound and port selection. One disadvantage is the slightly dim screen. However, the integrated keyboard and the optional stylus input turn the device into an ultra-compact laptop or tablet. The removable controllers are not entirely useful since they don't have a separate connection to the tablet but they also work with other PCs. 

The high price of $1,017 US dollars (around 940 euros) is a disadvantage, especially when compared to cheaper alternatives such as the Legion Go or the ROG Ally. However, the OneXPlayer 2 Pro offers a larger SSD, more RAM and a keyboard. All in all, the device offers versatile use cases but the price could frighten off some potential buyers.

Gaming handheld or mini laptop, the OneXPlayer 2 Pro offers interesting use cases.

On the OneXPlayer store, the versatile device has an asking price of around $1,000 which is a lot of money for a gaming handheld.

The Ayaneo Kun is a powerful gaming handheld that is superior to the Lenovo Legion Go in many areas. It offers extreme performance, a bright screen, wonderful controls, a long-lasting battery and good sound. The case quality and modular design are also plus points. However, the Ayaneo Kun is more expensive since the device has to be imported. This comes with additional import sales tax which increases the price to around $1,200. As a comparison, the Legion Go costs around $800.

For pure gaming, there are only small differences between the two machines, although, thanks to its 144 Hz screen, the Legion Go possibly does slightly better. The Ayaneo Kun is better suited to be a desktop replacement and offers more configuration options. It is ideal for tinkerers who like to tweak their hardware. This means anyone who is on the hunt for an easy-to-use device might be better served by the Legion Go or the Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme.

The Ayaneo Kun is a large, powerful and attractively designed gaming handheld. Despite this, competing devices also offer impressive performance.

The cheapest configuration of the Kun can be found on Ayaneo's store for around $1,000. 

The Lenovo Legion Go impresses with its ergonomics and design as well as powerful performance thanks to the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme and Radeon 780M iGPU. The 144 Hz display and the FPS mode are additional plus points. However, the short battery life is disappointing compared to competitors such as the ROG Ally and Ayaneo Kun. Additional points of criticism are the wobbly stand, poorly located speakers and software problems experienced with Legion Space.  

In terms of computing power, the Ayaneo Kun and Asus ROG Ally are superior. Smaller and lighter alternatives such as the Ayaneo Air 1S or more versatile devices such as the OneXPlayer 2 offer additional options. For users who have a large Steam library or knowledge of Linux, the Steam Deck remains an attractive option.

The Lenovo Legion Go is a powerful gaming handheld but has weaknesses compared to the competition.

Currently, the Lenovo Legion Go is available on Amazon for around $618. 

The Ayaneo Air 1S Retro Power impressed us in our review with a bright OLED display, a powerful AMD Ryzen 7 7840U and a stable case. RGB lighting and wonderful control software round off the device. However, the compact form factor brings along some limitations such as the small battery and display which restrict the handheld's potential to your pocket. On the road, you will be left wanting more battery life and at home, you'll crave more power or a bigger display. Despite its high surface temperatures, the device maintains its performance.

The 5.5-inch OLED impresses with its high brightness, color space coverage and fast response times. The handheld does a good job at mastering games in Full HD resolution at low to medium settings. The input devices are well-positioned and offer precise control. Overall, the Ayaneo Air 1S is a compact, powerful gaming handheld that is held back by its high temperatures and short battery life. Compared to the bigger Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme it displays weaknesses.

The Ayaneo Air 1S is a particularly compact gaming handheld with a powerful AMD Ryzen 7 and fast iGPU.

The handheld can be purchased directly from the manufacturer with the base version costing around $900.

Thanks to its Ryzen 7 6800U, the Aokzoe A1 offers impressive performance for its compact size. However, there are weaknesses when it comes to the hardware and functions such as the difficult-to-operate shoulder buttons, occasionally loud fans and problems when waking the device from sleep mode. The display quality suffers from poorly calibrated colors and limited outdoor visibility.

Despite its good performance, the A1 lacks the finer details you would expect from a $1,000 device. Improvements such as better keys, a brighter display and better-optimized fan behavior would be welcome. The A1 is a good choice for users who seek a large, 8-inch touchscreen and consistent performance. Nevertheless, devices such as the Asus ROG Ally, which costs a similar amount, often offer better value and performance.

The Aokzoe A1 impresses when it comes to performance but the device often lacks the details you would expect to see in a 1,000-dollar gadget.

The Aokzoe can be had for around 500 US dollars on Amazon.com.

The GPD Pocket 3 is a versatile and powerful ultraportable system dating from the year 2021. It offers a comfortable keyboard, numerous ports and a bright display. In order to take advantage of the Tiger Lake U CPU's full power, higher performance limits should be activated in the BIOS. 

The Pocket 3 impresses in terms of productivity, ergonomics and user-friendliness and offers similar performance to larger laptops. There is room for improvement when it comes to the rotating hinges, the position of the asymmetrical webcam and the tinny speakers. The PCIe4 SSD performance is throttled due to poor heat dissipation and the slow charging speed is unexpected given the low battery capacity. A second USB-C port would increase the docking use versatility.

Up to now, the Pocket 3 is GPD's most outstanding product in terms of productivity, ergonomics and user-friendliness.

The GPD Pocket 3 is still available on Amazon, albeit for the princely sum of around $1,339.

This concept of creating a Windows 10 UMPC for 720p gaming is promising but, originating in 2021, it is no longer quite up-to-date. The case used in the Win Max could be optimized: It creaks, the joysticks have a small range of motion, the touchpad is janky, it lacks an integrated webcam and the microSD reader doesn't work. The Wi-Fi is slow, DP-over-USB isn't supported and the display is more in the budget range.

Despite this, it's a powerful performer and comparable to Tiger Lake ultrabooks. Additional positive aspects worth highlighting are the long battery life, the quiet fan noise (apart from the turbo mode) as well as the satisfactory key feedback. For maximum gaming performance, we would recommend the Core i7 version while the Ryzen 7 SKU is ideal for multi-thread CPU performance.

The performance is impressive and comparable to Tiger Lake ultrabooks, however, the hardware and the display could do with some fine-tuning.

Amazon currently only lists the successor, the GPD Win Max 2 2024, for around $1,369.

In a way, Valve's Steam Deck is the archetype for modern gaming handhelds. With the Steam Deck OLED, Valve gave the system its first major updates last year. The Steam Deck does without Windows and is shipped with Arch Linux which is specially adapted for gaming. However, this doesn't mean that the Steam Deck is not Windows-compatible. Valve provides all of the operating system's necessary drivers and programs for download. With an appropriately large SSD, a dual-boot configuration would also be imaginable. From a hardware point of view, Valve has reduced the Steam Deck to the essentials. The handheld doesn't offer RGB, it comes with a 1,290 x 800-pixel OLED display and only has one USB-4 port. Thanks to the handheld's widespread adoption, both replacement parts and accessories are easy to come by meaning modders also get their money's worth.

When it comes to performance, the Steam Deck's processor and iGPU lag behind the competition equipped with a Ryzen 7 7840U and comparable processors. However, the AMD Steam Deck OLED APU is absolutely sufficient paired with the HD+ display housed in the Steam Deck. This results in impressive frame rates in many current titles. Ultimately, the APU has the benefit of being comparatively energy-efficient and this means the battery lasts for quite a few hours when gaming.

The performance of Valve's handheld is well-balanced. The input devices, the sound and the OLED display in the Steam Deck OLED are superb.

With an OLED display, the handheld can be had from Valve starting at $549. This means the Steam Deck is comparatively cheap.