The world of handheld consoles (or portable gaming devices—my preferred term) started innocently enough. But very quickly, it became not just the playground of big brands like Valve, ROG, Lenovo, and the likes, and it is not just AMD or Intel powering these on-the-go gaming devices anymore. These days, MediaTek and Qualcomm have kinda helped democratize this once giants-exclusive playground. The AYN Odin3 is one such device, powered by a Snapdragon chipset from Qualcomm.
So, yeah, the folks at AYN are back, and no, it is not another Norse god spinoff. Well, it kind of is, as the product name implies, but this time the Odin3 has bold claims—and rightly so. It is touted as the “ultimate OLED gaming handheld,” and it is officially the first handheld console powered by Snapdragon 8 Elite. Also, no, it is not a glorified gaming phone. Though the Android OS does kind of make it feel like one.
Qualcomm’s flagship is backed by LPDDR5X memory (up to 24 GB) and UFS 3.1 (128 GB) or UFS 4.0 storage (up to 1 TB). It also packs the latest in Bluetooth tech: version 6.0. Front and center is a 120 Hz 6-inch AMOLED screen boasting 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, 650 nits peak brightness, 100,000:1 contrast ratio, and 152% sRGB color gamut. The display has a blazing 3 ms response time and is nearly bezel-less, making it look sleek and futuristic against the ergonomic chassis.
It is super compact and ultra-slim, tipping the scales at 390 g and measuring just 16.6 mm at the thinnest point. Obviously, the grips are thicker. All told, this little big guy measures a pocketable 224.8 mm long by 87.5 mm wide.
Key features include upgraded full-size Hall joysticks, a massive 8,000 mAh battery, dual RGB-illuminated full-size analog sticks, precision-tuned shoulder triggers, dual-color molded ABXY buttons, and an active cooling system. Other noteworthy details include Wi-Fi 7, USB-C (3.1), 3.5 mm audio jack, TF card slot, and DisplayPort. Yes, it has that too.
If you are down, you can secure a unit for as low as US$330 during its pre-sale campaign on Indiegogo. The campaign, which will end in 20+ days, has already attracted over 1,800 backers contributing more than US$880,000 in funding.
Images: AYN.
Story via Android Central.
