The Best Handheld Consoles You Can Buy in 2025
introduction On-the-go gaming has been popular ever since the original Nintendo Gameboy. Today’s gamers however need a little more than pixel art textures to keep them occupied. We need a device capable of beautiful graphics, rich sounds, and above all, the ability to play all of our favorite games on the go. Today we are going to look at my list of The Best Handheld Consoles You Can Buy in 2025. I will not be including the Steam Deck on this list to provide insight on other options on the market. Lenovo Legion Go S Lenovo Legion Go S: Get it Here Tech Specs Performance Processor AMD Ryzen™ Z2 Go Operating System Windows 11 Home Graphics Integrated AMD Radeon Graphics Memory 32GB 6400MHz LPDDR5X Storage 1TB PCIe SSD Gen 4 Battery 3-cell55.5WHr Audio 2x2W Integrated Speaker SystemDual array mic Connectivity Ports/Slots Headphone/mic combo2x USB4 (40Gb/s data transfer DisplayPort™ 1.4, + Power Delivery 3.0)MicroSD card readerUSB port transfer speeds are approximate and depend on many factors, such as processing capability of host/peripheral devices, file attributes, system configuration and operating environments; actual speeds will vary and may be less than expected. Wireless WiFi 6E 802.11AX (2×2)Bluetooth™ 5.3*6GHz WiFi 6E operation is dependent on the support of the operating system, routers/APs/gateways that support WiFi 6E, along with the regional regulatory certifications and spectrum allocation. Design Display 8″ WUXGA (1920 x 1200) 16:10 aspect ratio, 120Hz variable refresh rate (VRR), 100% sRGB, 500 nits, 10-point touchscreen Dimensions (H x W x D) 22.6mm x 127.55mm x 299mm / 0.89″ x 5.02″ x 11.77″ Weight Starting at 730g / 1.61lbs Color Glacier White PROS CONS Overall I think the Lenovo Legion Go S is a great handheld if you want something better than a Steam Deck. The screen size and some of the other specs make this a great buy, but I would consider taking time to understand the UI and the OS before playing games because it can be confusing to some users. ASUS ROG Ally X rc72la 1TB ROG Ally X (2024) RC72LA: Get it here TECH SPECS Performance Processor AMD Ryzen™ Z1 Extreme Processor Operating System Windows 11 Home Graphics AMD Radeon™ Graphics Memory 12GB*2 LPDDR5 on board (Support dual channel memory) Storage 1TB PCIe SSD Gen 4 Battery 80WHrs, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion Audio 2-speaker system with Smart Amplifier Technology Connectivity I/O Ports 1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C support DisplayPort™ / power delivery1x Type C support USB 4 (Thunderbolt™ 4 compliance, DisplayPort™ 1.4 with Freesync support, Power Delivery 3.0)1x UHS-II microSD card reader (supports SD, SDXC and SDHC) Network and Communication Wi-Fi 6E(802.11ax) (Triple band) 2*2 + Bluetooth® 5.2 (*Bluetooth® version may change with OS version different.) Design Display 7-inchFHD (1920 x 1080) 16:9IPS-levelglossy displaysRGB:100%Adobe:75.35%Gorilla® Glass Victus™Touch Screen (10-point multi-touch)Refresh Rate:120HzResponse Time:7msBrightness:500nitsFreeSync Premium Dimensions (H x W x D) 28.0 x 11.1 x 2.47 ~ 3.69 cm (11.02″ x 4.37″ x 0.97″ ~ 1.45″) Weight 678 g (1.49 lbs) Color Black PROS CONS The ROG Ally X (2024) RC72LA is another top contender because the battery life and the refresh rates are better than the Steam Deck. Its major drawback is the Windows OS… If you can get past that OS then you’re golden. Retroid Pocket 5 Retroid Pocket 5: Get it here TECH SPECS Performance Processor 1*A77@2.8G 3*A77@2.4G 4*A55@1.8G (SD865) Operating System Android 13 Graphics Adreno 650 Memory 8GB LPDDR4x@2133MHz Storage 128GB UFS 3.1 + TF Card Slot Battery 5000mAh battery Audio 2-speaker system Connectivity I/O Ports 1x 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C support DisplayPort™ / power delivery1x UHS-II microSD card reader (supports SD, SDXC and SDHC) Network and Communication Wi-Fi 6 & BT 5.1 Design Display Screen: 5.5” 1080p AMOLED 500NitsVideo Output: Display Port 1080p60 Dimensions (H x W x D) 199.2*78.5*15.6mm Weight 280 g (0.6 lbs) Color Purple, White, Black, Grey PROS CONS This handheld is the Retroid Pocket 5. While it’s not like the others on this list with the higher specs and abilities, it deserves a look. It’s about a third of the price of the other handhelds on this list and it still provided tons of enjoyment. I think if you are looking for retro emulation then the Retroid Pocket 5 will be the perfect handheld for you. Odin2 Portal (max) Odin2 Portal: Get it here TECH SPEC Performance Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 21 x Cortex X3 CPU core @ 3.2 GHz2 x Cortex A715 CPU cores @ 2.8 GHz2 x Cortex-A710 CPU cores @ 2.8 GHz3 x Cortex-A510 CPU cores @ 2 GHzAdreno 740 graphics Operating System Android 13 Graphics Adreno 740 graphics Memory 16GB LPDDR5x Storage 512GB UFS 4.0 Battery 8,000 mAh battery Audio Stereo front-facing speakers Connectivity I/O Ports 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C1 x mini HDMI1 x 3.5mm audio1 x microSD card reader Network and Communication WiFi 7 Bluetooth 5.3 Design Display 6 inches 1920 x 1080 pixels IPS LCD Touchscreen Dimensions (H x W x D) 225 x 98 x 17mm Weight 420 g (0.92 lbs) Color White, Black, Indigo PROS CONS This device is impressive, but I don’t think it’s the right fit for most people. Its size pushes it into handheld PC territory, and the Pro/Max models are priced similarly, yet it lacks the same level of high-end emulation due to the limitations of Android. With PC handhelds evolving rapidly—now featuring VRR and refresh rates beyond 120Hz—the competition is only getting tougher. The main advantages on the Android side are battery life and reduced input lag from the 120Hz screen, but that benefit is lost if you use BFI. That being said I still think it’s a nice device which is why it made the list. MSI Claw A1M-050US MSI Claw A1M-050US: Get it here TECH SPEC Performance Processor Intel® Core™ Ultra 7-155H 1.4 – 4.8 GHz Operating System Windows 11 Home Graphics Intel® Arc™ Graphics Memory 16GB LPDDR5-6400MHz Storage 1TB NVMe SSD Gen4x4 2230 Battery 6-Cell 53 Battery (Whr) Audio Stereo front-facing speakers Connectivity I/O Ports 1 x
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