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I am completely floored by this Chinese PC handheld (AokZoe A1 Pro)

Klosshufvud

Member
I recently out of curiosity decided to acquire an ultra beefy PC handheld. I ended up on the AokZoe A1 Pro. This bad boy has a massive 65Wh battery, 1200p 8' display, hall-based sticks, 7840u RDNA3 chip with 32GB LPDDR5 @7500Mhz. Basically, this is the most pimped out any PC handheld has been

e8X9W9QNvCs6KYYtDf6uec.jpg


And I absolutely love it. All the shortcomings of Steam Deck have been adressed. Battery life is good. Fans are whisper quiet even at 20W and temps stay low. You can play most games at 1080p+ which means no need to worry about mushy graphics and impossible-to-read text. It's Windows 11 but I don't mind it. Been gaming on Windows all my life and I've come to know its shortcomings so they don't bother much. Touch compabitility on W11 is surprisingly not terrible. Oh, and this machine is an absolute emulation beast. Its 16:10 8' display and potent CPU makes it a real smooth ride. I recommend installing Retrobat for a good experience.

Things are really heating up on the handheld front now. This is personally the best handheld I've ever owned and a childhood dream. I suggest anyone who likes handhelds to keep their eyes on these Chinese devices. They know their niche.
 

Ozriel

M$FT
I recently out of curiosity decided to acquire an ultra beefy PC handheld. I ended up on the AokZoe A1 Pro. This bad boy has a massive 65Wh battery, 1200p 8' display, hall-based sticks, 7840u RDNA3 chip with 32GB LPDDR5 @7500Mhz. Basically, this is the most pimped out any PC handheld has been

e8X9W9QNvCs6KYYtDf6uec.jpg


And I absolutely love it. All the shortcomings of Steam Deck have been adressed. Battery life is good. Fans are whisper quiet even at 20W and temps stay low. You can play most games at 1080p+ which means no need to worry about mushy graphics and impossible-to-read text. It's Windows 11 but I don't mind it. Been gaming on Windows all my life and I've come to know its shortcomings so they don't bother much. Touch compabitility on W11 is surprisingly not terrible. Oh, and this machine is an absolute emulation beast. Its 16:10 8' display and potent CPU makes it a real smooth ride. I recommend installing Retrobat for a good experience.

Things are really heating up on the handheld front now. This is personally the best handheld I've ever owned and a childhood dream. I suggest anyone who likes handhelds to keep their eyes on these Chinese devices. They know their niche.


What were they thinking, going with display resolution > 1080p?
 
Definitely a fantastic piece of tech. I'm playing Baldur's Gate 3 exclusively here. Same for LauchBox (BigBox) with a ton of emulators. My 4090 pc is basically left only for VR sim racing.

The price on this was even better when pre-ordering from indie gogo, I think it's a bit pricier now.

The d-pad is a bit clicky (loud) though, would be nice to have it a bit more rubbery in a further revision of the product.
 

Klosshufvud

Member
What were they thinking, going with display resolution > 1080p?
I was thinking the same but then a huge amount of games actually play fine at 1200p with 20W power usage. If the game isn't fairly new, 1200p is generally do-able. And with more games using dynamic resolution, it's great to have a high peak to strive towards.
 

64bitmodels

Reverse groomer.
What were they thinking, going with display resolution > 1080p?
honestly i think people spending this much on a handheld likely have enough left over for a battery pack


I've heard a lot of good things about aokzoe in particular, but i really just can't vibe with how big and plasticky their handhelds look.
Much perfer the look of Ayaneo's efforts. those are extremely clean and beautiful.

IMG_4960.jpg


A great, sleek modern look to it. this is what i'd perfer. If there were touchpads on the bottom and native SteamOS support i'd buy this in a heartbeat.

Not to take away from your purchase tho, enjoy your AOKZOE OP!!!
 

Evil Calvin

Afraid of Boobs
I recently out of curiosity decided to acquire an ultra beefy PC handheld. I ended up on the AokZoe A1 Pro. This bad boy has a massive 65Wh battery, 1200p 8' display, hall-based sticks, 7840u RDNA3 chip with 32GB LPDDR5 @7500Mhz. Basically, this is the most pimped out any PC handheld has been

e8X9W9QNvCs6KYYtDf6uec.jpg


And I absolutely love it. All the shortcomings of Steam Deck have been adressed. Battery life is good. Fans are whisper quiet even at 20W and temps stay low. You can play most games at 1080p+ which means no need to worry about mushy graphics and impossible-to-read text. It's Windows 11 but I don't mind it. Been gaming on Windows all my life and I've come to know its shortcomings so they don't bother much. Touch compabitility on W11 is surprisingly not terrible. Oh, and this machine is an absolute emulation beast. Its 16:10 8' display and potent CPU makes it a real smooth ride. I recommend installing Retrobat for a good experience.

Things are really heating up on the handheld front now. This is personally the best handheld I've ever owned and a childhood dream. I suggest anyone who likes handhelds to keep their eyes on these Chinese devices. They know their niche.
Nice ad. Employee. Didn't hide it well.
 

Klosshufvud

Member
honestly i think people spending this much on a handheld likely have enough left over for a battery pack


I've heard a lot of good things about aokzoe in particular, but i really just can't vibe with how big and plasticky their handhelds look.
Much perfer the look of Ayaneo's efforts. those are extremely clean and beautiful.

IMG_4960.jpg


A great, sleek modern look to it. this is what i'd perfer. If there were touchpads on the bottom and native SteamOS support i'd buy this in a heartbeat.

Not to take away from your purchase tho, enjoy your AOKZOE OP!!!
Thanks. I was actually considering between the Aokzoe or Ayaneo Geek 1S. I ended up cancelling my order for Geek because I got this one for way cheaper than what I would have paid for the Geek, (close to SD price actually) but I appreciate Aya's philosophy of keeping it sleek and simple. But now, I really can't see myself going back to a smaller display if it's not a retro handheld. That extra inch does add so much more detail and clarity to the image. And God there is nothing I love more than fans that are quiet.
 

Vox Machina

Banned
I'm totally in for this PC handheld gold rush. I want something portable but I don't want to tie myself to Steam or Nintendo completely. I was gonna wait to jump in on the next revision but this thing looks great. Looks like the only thing it's missing is back buttons.
 

Klosshufvud

Member
Err how much did you pay?



It was only a matter of time for the silicon to get good enough for those to take off.. things should get very interesting in the next 2-4 years. The prices are still too high in my opinion.
800€ barely used. 1TB storage and a 512GB memory card included.
 

Three

Gold Member
What were they thinking, going with display resolution > 1080p?
Why not? you can set your game resolution low if you don't have the GPU power but that doesn't mean you can't watch hi res movies or play hi res 2D games.
 

twilo99

Gold Member
800€ barely used. 1TB storage and a 512GB memory card included.

Good job on getting a used one but we are still too far from mainstream at these prices.. we need whatever performance this gets at around $300-400 for things to take off.

Its a shame Apple doesn't want any of this because their silicon is perfect for this form factor.
 

Ozriel

M$FT
Good job on getting a used one but we are still too far from mainstream at these prices.. we need whatever performance this gets at around $300-400 for things to take off.

Its a shame Apple doesn't want any of this because their silicon is perfect for this form factor.

- Mentions Apple
- Cites a $300 - $400 price :messenger_grinning_smiling:

I get where you're coming from. The M1 GPU is more powerful than the PS4, but Apple doesn't use that chipset in anything < $700
 

Fafalada

Fafracer forever
I recently out of curiosity decided to acquire an ultra beefy PC handheld. I ended up on the AokZoe A1 Pro. This bad boy has a massive 65Wh battery, 1200p 8' display, hall-based sticks, 7840u RDNA3 chip with 32GB LPDDR5 @7500Mhz. Basically, this is the most pimped out any PC handheld has been
It's pretty great, I use one as my PC 'Switch' myself - plugged to a GPU hub when docked, it basically doubles as my living room PC and handheld.
Also something that only really works with Windows (Goodluck with Thunderbolt drivers in Linux) and Windows 11 comes with the extra perk of Auto HDR that now - 2 years in, actually works really well and is quite widely supported (especially since PC games still have really spotty HDR even with 2023 releases - looking at you especially - EA). And it's hard to undersell how much better emulation looks now that Retroarch added HDR too.
And yes the CPU makes this into emulation powerhouse - handheld and otherwise it can run even Switch games substantially upgraded.

I've heard a lot of good things about aokzoe in particular, but i really just can't vibe with how big and plasticky their handhelds look.
They don't look (and especially don't feel) plasticky in person - white in particular surprised me once I got it. And while I agree there are other designs that are aesthetically superior (GPD Win4 in particular), the form-factor here and how it's built actually feels way better than I'd expected, especially compared to the likes of Steam Deck or Switch.

What were they thinking, going with display resolution > 1080p?
8 Inch display is one of my favourite parts of this device. I was worried it'd be 'too big' - but it's perfect - readability and ergonomics (device is still smaller than a Deck, even if just a bit) and performance holds up better than you'd think, especially when you take advantage of customized refresh rates (40,45,50hz are all very useful for games when you want to extract extra bit of fidelity).

Err how much did you pay?
730 Euros new (512GB storage, 32GB memory). Given the hw advantages, it's pretty worth it IMO.
Granted - I just upgraded it to 4TB (PCIE4 drives falling to 180 was - hard to resist)...
 

Trogdor1123

Gold Member
- Mentions Apple
- Cites a $300 - $400 price :messenger_grinning_smiling:

I get where you're coming from. The M1 GPU is more powerful than the PS4, but Apple doesn't use that chipset in anything < $700
You can get a Mac mini with a m2 for like 650 I think, it was 669 here with a 150 gift card. I was super tempted.
 

TwinB242

Member
I like the 8 inch screen size. I think thats need to be standard on these handhelds going forward. As someone over 30 my eyes can't deal with the tiny screens most of these devices seem to have. I have a Ally and it can be a struggle to play many games because the text and UI elements are just too small.
 

twilo99

Gold Member
You can get a Mac mini with a m2 for like 650 I think, it was 669 here with a 150 gift card. I was super tempted.

I looked for one last week and I think it says "starts at 599" on their website or something like that.

But Ozriel is right, they don't have anything below 700 that has a screen lol

I was just saying that they have the perfect silicon for this form factor, but AMD is providing some good alternatives and they will only get better.
 

El Muerto

Member
I just do not feel comfortable spending that much, on a device coming from China, with zero support. I'll occasionally buy an Anbernic or Powkiddy device for emulators. They feel cheap and if something breaks good luck getting the company to stand behind their product and fix it. I'm gonna stick with my Steam Deck. At least i can buy replacement parts easily on ifixit if needed.
 

Trogdor1123

Gold Member
I looked for one last week and I think it says "starts at 599" on their website or something like that.

But Ozriel is right, they don't have anything below 700 that has a screen lol

I was just saying that they have the perfect silicon for this form factor, but AMD is providing some good alternatives and they will only get better.
Definitely agree. They have awesome silicon. They could me a fantastic home console I think, at least hardware wise
 

Vox Machina

Banned
Err how much did you pay?



It was only a matter of time for the silicon to get good enough for those to take off.. things should get very interesting in the next 2-4 years. The prices are still too high in my opinion.

Yep, and seeing as the market is clearly there I hope we see a ton of competition on the silicon front as well.

I just do not feel comfortable spending that much, on a device coming from China, with zero support. I'll occasionally buy an Anbernic or Powkiddy device for emulators. They feel cheap and if something breaks good luck getting the company to stand behind their product and fix it. I'm gonna stick with my Steam Deck. At least i can buy replacement parts easily on ifixit if needed.

Yeah need more US/Western-based companies to step up. Id especially like to see a first-party Xbox/Surface-branded one of these from MSFT
 

Klosshufvud

Member
Good job on getting a used one but we are still too far from mainstream at these prices.. we need whatever performance this gets at around $300-400 for things to take off.

Its a shame Apple doesn't want any of this because their silicon is perfect for this form factor.
We're unfortunately never getting that kind of performance for that cheap. Atleast for as long as the chip is somewhat modern. The only time you're getting anything like that if it's a walled garden system that sells at a pretty big loss to make up for it in $70 game purchases and subscriptions. The Steam Deck, when it launched, was really good value but two years down the road and the system is just as expensive. We never really got any substantial price drop for Switch either, despite using an ancient SoC. And on PC, the prices for the "mid-range" keeps going up year after year. A gaming laptop this day and age can't be had below $1000. GPUs and CPUs and mobos are all increasing in price on a yearly basis. And even Apple is slowly pushing the prices upwards, despite already being overpriced. And they make sure never to price cut steeply as not to devalue their premium reputation. I doubt these devices will ever reach $400 as long as they have fairly modern and robust specs. Consumer habits show that people are willing to pay more and more. That's sad but it's the trend.
 

64bitmodels

Reverse groomer.
Huge. I mean it literally. Sometimes I wonder how far you can stretch the term handheld. Even Switch is getting tiring to play on due to its size for me.
Think you might like this
 
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Mr Hyde

Member
This thread made me research more on the AokZoe A1 pro, reading up on specs and watching videos about it, and damn I'm so tempted to pull the trigger on one, despite already having blown 1.8k on a ROG Ally + XG Mobile, lol. But the thought of having the Ally as a kind of stationary desktop "console" device, and the AokZoe A1 pro as a handheld is very enticing. Steam and GoG has cloud saves so if I'm playing on the tv on the Ally I can quickly continue on the handheld when I'm away from the tv or out traveling. Would be a perfect setup!
 

Fahdis

Member
Get a MinisForum PC with the 3070 for $800 and then buy a Backbone for your phone with Steam Link. Thank me later.
 

Klosshufvud

Member
This thread made me research more on the AokZoe A1 pro, reading up on specs and watching videos about it, and damn I'm so tempted to pull the trigger on one, despite already having blown 1.8k on a ROG Ally + XG Mobile, lol. But the thought of having the Ally as a kind of stationary desktop "console" device, and the AokZoe A1 pro as a handheld is very enticing. Steam and GoG has cloud saves so if I'm playing on the tv on the Ally I can quickly continue on the handheld when I'm away from the tv or out traveling. Would be a perfect setup!
If you're ordering one, just remember there is an import tax from China depending where you live. Some get hit pretty hard at the customs.
 
This Is Cool GIF by MOODMAN


I love to see those PC portables the more the better! We need to be sure that the next generation knows what real gamming is... right now they only know shit pay to win/ gatcha trash, I hope those portables help with that
 

Fafalada

Fafracer forever
This thread made me research more on the AokZoe A1 pro, reading up on specs and watching videos about it, and damn I'm so tempted to pull the trigger on one, despite already having blown 1.8k on a ROG Ally + XG Mobile, lol. But the thought of having the Ally as a kind of stationary desktop "console" device, and the AokZoe A1 pro as a handheld is very enticing.
If you're already docking the handheld, why not just pick it up when you travel?
That's how I have mine setup - there's mag-safe type USB connectors now to make it even easier to plug&play and not worry about wearing down the port (though A1 Pro makes this nicer since you can actually dock it on the top/bottom depending on what works better (as both top and bottom USB-C is 4.0).
 

64bitmodels

Reverse groomer.
Good job on getting a used one but we are still too far from mainstream at these prices.. we need whatever performance this gets at around $300-400 for things to take off.
the 300-400 dollar sector will always be wheere consoles (and Steam Deck, i guess) lie. It's just like regular PC gaming, pay more for a better experience. If you're too short on money, there's always the Switch Lite (which BTW, is going for outrageously cheap prices on Ebay right now. You can get one for like 110. great for kids)

besides, the premium many of these companies offer for their devices fucking drop off immediately once you enter the used market. Ayaneo's consistently 1k+ dollar handhelds can be found for around 500-600 on ebay. At that price compared to the 512gb deck, it's a steal
 
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Klosshufvud

Member
If it had SteamOS or something other than windows it would be temping.

Whats the performance on the rdna3 apu?
Having used both SteamOS and W11 on handhelds now, I just prefer Windows. All my games just work. No weird Proton bugs. No online incompatibility. I press Start and then I'm in-game. Desktop Linux was just too much to learn in handheld form. With some neat shortcut buttons, W11 works.



The Phawx has the best benchmarks. The 7840u really shines at 20W.
 
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