Handhelds reviews from Reddit
Summary
We analyzed 264 Reddit reviews across 16 subreddits and 51 posts to rank the best Handhelds brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/SBCGaming, r/Handhelds, r/PiratedGames, r/retroid, r/amateurradio. Top-rated brands include Anbernic (4.2/5), Miyoo (4.3/5), Retroid (4.2/5).
Stats
Reviews264
Subreddits16
Posts51
Brands43
Products81
264 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
Anbernic
4.2
(53)
"Between all three I’d prefer the rg40xxv. It feels so premium."
"The MINI Plus is a great handheld, but it seems like I can get a whole lot more battery life out of the Anbernic RG40XXV."
"I got the RG35XX SP, which is a clamshell, and I’ve been loving it so far."
"The RG35XX SP is my first foray into SBC handhelds. But I have really liked mine so far."
"40xxh. Nothing comes close."
"Prob the best value for your money and the most comfortable handheld!"
"Rg35xxh is awesome, but somehow I always end up reaching for my Trimui Smart Pro instead."
"My device recommendation is the Anbernic RG35xx H. It's currently my favorite device."
"I love the 405m!"
"I own a RG 353M and I love it. I’m running Rocknix as OS."
#2
Miyoo
4.3
(36)
"Still the Miyoo Mini / Plus."
"Get him a Miyoo mini +, so you all can be Miyoo homies."
"Miyoo A30 + Spruce OS. It is small, but with Spruce OS it makes a fantastic daily handheld."
"My go to suggestion lately has been a miyoo a30, with a sale price of $25-30 it’s pretty solid as a starter device."
"Big fan of the A30 running Spruce 3.0. Does all the things I want it to in a tiny package."
"Buttons on the Miyoo Mini + are excellent if you like soft and spongy."
"MM+ is absolutely fantastic."
"I just got my four year old son a Miyoo A30 and he’s really enjoying it."
"Get a proper one from Samsung or Sandisk and a Miyoo Mini Plus and never look back."
"The same goes for the rg35xxH since its release, perfect build quality"
#3
Retroid
4.2
(36)
"RP5 will easily run ps2 games."
"I love the dpad on the rp mini so much. My favorite one I’ve used so far."
"Honestly I'm really liking the Retroid Pocket 5."
"I loved playing my RP Mini on my flight to Japan. Amazing battery life and easy to pocket."
"The RP Mini is your best bet, it can play most ps2 games flawlessly and it got an update in rocknix that can allow it to play some ps3 games."
"I will get a retroid after having bought miyoo/anbernic handhelds, worth the extra buck for quality"
"Retroid 4Pro runs PS2 beautifully."
"Get the RP3+, it's the ultimate machine."
"Pocket 3 is best for overall performance."
"Just take a look at Retroid Pocket Classic. It is more expensive but is incredibly"
#4
Powkiddy
4.0
(22)
"X55 and has a huge 5.5 in screen. You won't find a screen that big In. Any other device unless it's $200."
"I love that system. It and my Abernic 35XX are my winners."
"I’m always taking this system with me on the go!! It’s amazing. I have every color."
"I use it FAR more than my RG350, I don't know why i do, but it's a fantastic little handheld."
"My x55 has been good for systems up to the PS1."
"I ordered a powkiddy x55 for the larger screen."
"Powkiddy v90."
"I ended up buying him an RG like mine, since it was familiar for me to set up. I may still buy a V90 for myself since it’s so cheap and capable for the cost!"
"The V90 has a lanyard port I use with an authentic black Wii lanyard and there are GBA-SP shaped hard cases that fit the V90 BEAUTIFULLY!!"
"I just ordered the black v90 for work, I can keep in my pocket or close it and leave on my desk and it’s a little more subtle."
#5
Steam Deck
4.6
(16)
"I totally recommend the steam deck. The fast power off/on is amazing."
"Steam deck will do everything you need."
"Used 64GB Steam Decks are around $250. If you up your budget just a little bit, you'd be much happier with the results."
"Little more expensive but Steam Deck is excellent and will serve you well beyond Eclipse."
"Bought mine about 3 months ago and it’s been such a godsend."
"Steam Deck OLED is the best handheld on the market right now."
"I sold mine for the same reason and got a steam deck oled it’s pretty big and I don’t have trouble seeing it."
"I will also throw the Steam Deck into the ring for this one."
"The Steam Deck is probably the best performing handheld for GameCube on the market right now"
"The only handhelds I know of capable of emulating GameCube really well without extensive tinkering are the Steam Deck, Razor Edge, Pimax Portal, and all the Aya Neo handheld PCs."
#6
TrimUI
4.4
(12)
"My favorite is trimui Smart pro"
"I would say the TrimUI Brick right now. It comes with me to work every single day and I use it the most at home."
"Going to go with the Trimui Smart Pro. Price to quality is unmatched in my opinion."
"The TrimUI Smart Pro and the Anbernic RG35XX H are both excellent consoles for a little more $$ but absolutely worth every penny."
"Gotta say I'm impressed with the Trimui Smart Pro at under $50. It looks and feels great."
"Brick is the most premium feeling small Gameboy handheld. It's metal construction helps a lot."
"No TrimUI Smart Pro? It offers better value than the Brick imo, because of the analog sticks."
"If I start over in this hobby I would go for Trimui Smart Pro, well rounded and the screen is amazing looking."
"That being said, the screen on the Brick is unmatched by any other device at that price. Amazing resolution, color, contrast etc."
"I like TrimUI Brick (stockmix or minui) or Miyoo Mini v4 (onion) for verticals."
#7
Nintendo
4.2
(9)
"A New3DSXL or non XL is a must for dual screen games."
"A 3DS is a must. There are so many great DS/3DS games and they are best enjoyed on the dual screen hardware."
"Not a pc handheld, but a modded Oled switch, great jank free experience and any recent game is available day 1."
"I love my Nintendo New3ds non XL as it's amazing... So ahead of its time and so many games! Last but not least my RP4 Pro is smaller than switch lite and as Android retro plays all the way through PS2 is super fun!"
"Psp ds 3ds uhh."
"GBA SP, DS."
"The DS is good, and if your looking to pay a bit more, the 3DS is even better."
"New 3ds and switch lite."
"3DS"
#8
Odin
4.4
(7)
"Consider an odin 2 to replace most of them."
"I highly recommend an Odin 2 over a sd8gen2 phone."
"Odin 2 for all of the above."
"Outside of a steam deck, Odin 2 is a solid choice."
"Odin 2 has a nice large screen."
"I was wondering if the Odin 1 pro is good enough to start with."
"Odin Pro for PSP."
#9
Sony
4.7
(6)
"PSP the goat."
"Psp with a good battery can last ages."
"I suggest a PSP if you want a long term device. I have 3 retro handhelds (one being v90) and have no issue yet but all af them is 1.5 years old at most (that being V90) I had same PSP like 10 years and it is still going stroing."
"I’d get a PSP and hack it. They play all the old stuff and PSP and PS1 games. Good screen and probably way better controls than those Chinese emu handhelds."
"Maybe the PS Vita?"
"PSP, VITA, 3DS, DS Lite. All of these of much better build quality than retro handhelds and can easily last a very long time."
#10
ROG
4.3
(6)
"I got my Ally for 250 and 30€ for a 79wh battery lol.... 2x more powerfull than a steam deck."
"I have a rog ally z1e (extreme), it is luxurious, it has more power than the steam deck and it is the same as a computer with windows."
"I got an open box rog ally from best buy for 330. Definitely enjoyed not stressing about getting installers to work."
"I have an Ally X and I'm very happy with it. Great for emulation (including PS3 and Switch) and even modern games work pretty nicely."
"ROG Ally and Legion go are great for PS3 and don’t sit at $1000."
"Bazzite can also run on the ROG Ally, but there's some more hiccups with it."
#11
Logitech
4.2
(6)
"Logitech G Cloud. 1/3 the weight of the Steam Deck, 8-12 Hours on 1080P/60FPS Triple A titles too, Ergonomically superior, best device hands down for long term viable gameplay."
"Logitech G Cloud if you can find one cheap/used."
"The Logitech gcloud is a device for $200 you can stream steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and download natively from the android store"
"Logitech g cloud. You can get one on eBay easily for under $200 and they’re amazing."
"Logitech g cloud?"
"Logitech G Cloud."
#12
Nintendo 3DS
5.0
(3)
"3DS. Hands down. It's super easy and accessible."
"If you want to run DS or 3DS games, then you are probably going to want a 3DS."
"The 3DS is excellent. You get the whole DS and 3DS libraries natively."
#13
RG405
3.5
(4)
"I use the rg405m on my train ride commute to work."
"I own the rg405m and it's awesome."
"The 405V Is so far the only vertical handheld which can play some but not all Ps2 games."
"You can look at the RG405 series that can run like 65% ish of the GC library."
#14
Retroid Pocket
4.7
(3)
"The Retroid Pocket 3 Plus and Flip are essentially the same handheld, both widescreen and great for PSP."
"Retroid Pocket 3+ is probably the best choice. Is a good handheld with a 16:9 screen, good controls, and can run basically all PSP games at 3x resolution."
"I settled on the Retroid Pocket 3/3+ and they’ve been great."
#15
Steam
4.7
(3)
"If you really want the true best quiet handheld then I would suggest the steam deck."
"Another + 1 for steam deck."
"Steam Deck for WiiU, PS2, PS3, 3DS, N64 and Xbox."
#16
Ayaneo
4.3
(3)
"The Micro is one premium feeling device. Love both the look and feel of it."
"I have an Ayaneo Pocket Micro. It's almost great but has a couple of flaws."
"Only reason I'm not going for that one is the price."
#17
AYN
4.3
(3)
"Ayaneo Pocket S face buttons and shoulders are the most premo things I've ever pressed."
"For me, it was the ayaneo hun. It definitely felt like something that was well made."
"Ayaneo Pocket S."
#18
Wouxun
4.3
(3)
"Love my Wouxun KG-UV9D MATE"
"They are very good radios for the money."
"Dual receive and can be programmed with different band uplink and downlink."
#19
PSP
4.0
(3)
"The PSP by far, the console itself can be had for only around 30-60$."
"Psp"
"If you need CIB, i'd say PSP is your best bet."
#20
Legion
4.0
(3)
"Legion GO 👍."
"For Linux, you can probably add the Legion Go."
"Legion go."
#21
KTR
4.5
(2)
"You can now order Aluminum and Magnesium KTR1's. 4.5", 3:2 ratio, 1080p screen with a 7000mah battery."
"One device I'd add to your list is the KTR1. It's not out yet but should be a very good device, more powerful than the retroid but a screen closer to the 552."
#22
Yaesu
4.5
(2)
"Rocks for sats because it's full duplex."
"Same awesomeness - full duplex U+V."
#23
Miyoo, RG
4.0
(2)
"For non-clicky I like the Miyoo Mini Plus and the RG40xxV."
"Rg arc, for normal cross style probably the miyoo mini"
#24
RG556
3.5
(2)
"RG556 has a 5.5inch with OLED, for trying to stay cheap I think that might be your best choice."
"You should not be buying the 405V if PS2 play is what you're looking for. RG556 or something similar is the bare minimum."
#25
Analog
5.0
(1)
"GB, GBC, & GBA hold a special place in my heart and I now do all of my emulation with an Analog pocket."
#26
PRC
5.0
(1)
"I love it."
#27
Gamesir
5.0
(1)
"The perfection, i use it with my 8 gen 2 phone."
#28
GameSir
5.0
(1)
"I just sold my Odin 2 pro for a gamesir g8+ and Lenovo y700 2023 tablet and it’s been great."
#29
RG280V
5.0
(1)
"RG280V, easy. I let my 8-year-old nephew borrow my Miyoo Mini."
#30
Lenovo, Miyoo, Nintendo
5.0
(1)
"The three best quality to me are: Lenovo Legion Go , Miyoo Mini + and Nintendo DSi XL"
#31
Retroid, Trimui
5.0
(1)
"Retroid and Trimui have the best dpads I’ve used outside of a Snes controller or dsi."
#32
Kenwood
4.0
(1)
"If you can find one used and are willing to pay $$$."
#33
RG
4.0
(1)
"Nome of the buttons are clicky or loud."
#34
DSi XL
4.0
(1)
"Dsi XL you can pretty cheap and has a great library of games."
#35
Evercade
4.0
(1)
"The evercade is very reasonably priced."
#36
Backbone
4.0
(1)
"Remote play via a mobile telescopic controller (backbone or gamesir G8 are the standouts)."
#37
EasySMX
4.0
(1)
"I have bought an EasySMX M15 for that."
#38
RockNix and MinUI
4.0
(1)
"I switch between RockNix and MinUI, neither have the sleep/battery issues. I play everything from GB/GBC up to N64 with almost no issues that come to mind!"
#39
Battlexp
4.0
(1)
"Battlexp - Since this device has come out I think it should be considered the go to inexpensive choice. It lacks some of the features and bells and whistles of the more expensive devices but it does everything it’s supposed to very well."
#40
Ayaneo, Analogue Pocket, AYN, Retroid
4.0
(1)
"Ayaneo, Analogue Pocket, AYN, Retroid 4/5 are great."
#41
Anbernic, PowKiddy, RetroidPocket
4.0
(1)
"Buy something from Anbernic, PowKiddy, or RetroidPocket. They each sell a few different models but they’re all legit."
#42
Anbernic, PowKiddy, Retroid Pocket
4.0
(1)
"Buy either something from Anbernic, PowKiddy, or Retroid Pocket. These are the only legitimate + reliable brands for handheld emulators."
#43
Retroid Pocket 2S
3.0
(1)
"Something Android-based like the Retroid Pocket 2S might be a better bet."
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