AYANEO has carved out a cozy corner with its unwavering chase for top-notch Android portables. Its newest gem, the Pocket S2 Pro, hits the scene through an Indiegogo campaign with a starting price of $559.
AYANEO’s Pocket S2 Pro sports a 6.3-inch IPS LCD screen with a crisp 2560 x 1440 resolution and 600 nits of brightness. This display shines, dishing out vivid colors and sharp details that make GameCube classics or modern Android games pop. At 463 PPI, it outshines many rivals, ensuring text and textures leap off the screen with clarity.
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Driving the device is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon G3 Gen 3 processor, a gaming champ that cranks up CPU power by 30% and graphics by 28% over the G3x Gen 2. Teamed with up to 16GB of LPDDR5x RAM and 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage, the Pocket S2 Pro sails through tough PS2 and Switch emulations with ease.
Battery life steals the spotlight, with the Pro’s hefty 10,000mAh pack dwarfing most peers. That means 6–8 hours of gaming, depending on settings and load, outlasting a Steam Deck on lighter Android tasks. Fast 65W charging gets you back in action quick, though skipping the charger feels like a head-scratcher for a premium pick. The base S2’s 8,000mAh battery holds its own, but the Pro’s extra oomph shines for long hauls.
Design-wise, AYANEO polishes the look. The Pocket S2 Pro clocks in at 213 x 87 x 18mm and 310 grams, slimmer and lighter than a Steam Deck but bulkier than a Nintendo Switch Lite. Its all-metal midframe, sandblasted for a matte vibe, feels luxe, with CNC-carved edges for a comfy grip. The Sakura Pink hue, with its UV-coated glow, adds a fun yet classy twist. Optional ergonomic grips turn the flat candybar shape into a controller-like hold, though the base design favors portability over all-day ease.
Controls are a bit of a toss-up. The Pro’s detachable D-pad, an 8-way key unique to this model, lets you tweak it to your liking—a treat for precision gamers. Upgraded TMR medium joysticks with Hall sensors dodge drift and feel snappy, but missing analog triggers is a odd miss for modern emulation. The D-pad, though swappable, gets flak for being stiff, and the candybar layout can tire hands over time. A six-axis gyroscope and vibration motor boost immersion, but the control quirks keep it from flawless.
Software runs on Android 13 with AYANEO’s AYAHome launcher and AYASpace app, smoothing out game management and performance tweaks. A dedicated button flips between power-saving, balanced, and performance modes, letting you choose battery or frame rates.
Connectivity brings a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port with DisplayPort Alt Mode for external screens and a microSD slot for extra storage. WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3 lock in fast, steady links, perfect for cloud or multiplayer gaming. Skipping a 3.5mm headphone jack, though, pushes you to USB-C or Bluetooth audio.
AYANEO rolls out three options: the base S2, S2 Pro, and S2 Pro Limited Edition. Pro models share the same processor and screen but pack bigger batteries, faster charging, and more RAM/storage. The Limited Edition tosses in special colors but only tempts collectors. At $439 for the base 8GB/128GB model, the S2 feels steep next to budget buddies like Anbernic or Retroid.
