Gamers on the go have two new options to choose from as AYANEO enters the U.S. market via Best Buy’s online and physical stores. AYANEO has been a leading competitor in the overseas gaming handheld market since being founded in March 2020. It launched its first model four months later in July 2020, followed by many more in various shapes and sizes. Now, as AYANEO enters the U.S. market for the first time, it is bringing both a budget-friendly and premium offering to a new shore.
These only represent two out of the dozen or so gaming handheld products that AYANEO currently offers. The premium KUN is last year’s model that has been discounted to $1K while the budget-friendly NEXT LITE is the higher-end version of its two model offerings.
KUN 8.4” 1600p Gaming Handheld
First up is the 2023 Edition AYANEO KUN featuring running on Windows 11 Pro combined with AYANEO’s AYASpace 2 management software which allows users to customize how much power is given to the APU or Graphics. With a 500-nit 16:10 1600p 8.4″ IPS display it offers 130% sRGB color gamut volume and 100% sRGB color gamut coverage with up to 90% DCI-P3. The sleek-looking handheld packs a 75Wh (19500 mAh) super large battery to power its AMD Ryzen 7 7840U 2.7 Ghz (max boost 5.1 GHz) 8c/16t processor featuring AMD Radeon 780M graphics that is paired with an industry-leading 54W TDP cooling solution. The AYANEO KUN comes with 16 GB of LPDDR5X memory (expandable to 64 GB) and a 512 GB M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 SSD (expandable to 4 TB) for storage. Audio is provided by 2 x 2W speakers or a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Features (via main product page that includes specs for 2023 and 2024 models):
- AYANEO’s most advanced fantasy handheld ever
- Bright and transparent 8.4″ large screen with excellent color performance
- 75Wh super large battery, challenging the peak capacity of Windows handhelds
- Close to the size of traditional game controllers
- Windows handheld pioneer “TouchTAPMagic” dual intelligent touchpad
- Superb heat dissipation, achieving 54W TDP performance release for the first time in handheld
- Premium large screen handheld with top-notch materials and advanced craftsmanship
- Pioneering Windows handhelds to support Windows Hello face recognition
NEXT LITE
The AYANEO NEXT LITE could be thought of as a direct competitor to the Steam Deck, matching the same $399 price point as Valve’s LCD model. Best Buy lists this model as NEXT LITE 2 featuring an AMD Ryzen 7 4800U with RX VEGA 8 graphics running on Windows 11. It also includes 16 GB of memory and a 512 GB SSD for storage. The 7″ 800p IPS display offers a 72% NTSC color gamut. A 47Wh battery supports up to 60W PD for fast charging. Ports include 2 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type C for 10 Gbps data transfers, video output, and charging along with a third Type-C port just for data transfers.
Features (via Best Buy product page):
- Outstanding Ergonomics
- Drawing inspiration from professional gaming controllers, meticulously crafting curves that naturally fit the grip, creating the comfortable and natural “NEXT Grip.”
- 7″ 800P High-Brightness Screen
- 1280×800 IPS true color, maximum brightness 500nit, offering a fine display and a low power, for longer gaming.
- Hall Sensing Triggers and Joysticks
- Advanced electromagnectic sensing technology with a larger volume for an extended range of motion, providing a dead-zone-free, drift-free, and durable experience. Detachable for customization.
- 47Wh High-Capicity Battery
- 47Wh battery ensures long battery life, supporting up to 60W PD fast charging for a rapid return to gaming.
- Preinstalled Windows 11
- Pre-installed with 64-bit Windows 11 Home Edition, gamers can install HoloISO for a completely new handheld gaming experience.