Retroid Reveal: The Retroid Pocket 5 Is Here
Pre-orders begin September 9 for the Retroid Pocket 5 and Pocket Mini, with early bird discounts.
After a two-week hype train around its newest pair of gaming handhelds Retroid has finally unveiled the price tag for the Retroid Pocket 5 and Retroid Pocket Mini — and when we’ll be able to order them.
Both devices will come equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 processor and an AMOLED display (5.5-inch and 3.7-inch, respectively). Based on devices currently on the market we were guessing that two would land somewhere between $200 and $250 USD. Retroid is coming in on the lower end of that, with significant discounts for customers who preorder the device on Day 1 — which is this coming Monday.
Here’s the complete breakdown from Retroid:
The Retroid Pocket 5 will sell at a standard price of $219 (USD), with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Those who preorder the device will save $10, and early-bird adopters who order during the first 24 hours will save $20 — putting the price of the next-gen device at an eye-opening $199. (That matches the current price of the Odin Pro, which is armed with the weaker Snapdragon 845 processor.)
The Retroid Pocket Mini will sell for $199, with a $10 preorder discount and $15 off for early-bird buyers — bringing the smaller device down to $189. It will also have 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, along with that Snapdragon 865 chip.
And for those looking to pick up both devices, Retroid is offering a bundle price of $399 — or $369 for early birds during those first 24 hours. That’s a nice $49 off the full retail price of the two devices sold individually after the preorder period.
Devices will go up for preorder at Retroid’s official Web site starting at 9 p.m. Eastern (6 p.m. Pacific) on Monday, September 9.
This is a competitive price list, especially for those who are able to get in on the pre-order. Even at the full $219 the Pocket 5 is a strong contender versus its closest competitors, Anbernic’s RG556 ($185 with a Unisoc T820 and AMOLED), the AYN Odin Pro ($199 with an SD845), and Retroid’s own Pocket 4 Pro ($199 with a Dimensity 1100).
New Details from Retroid
The company has also been busy responding to customer queries on social media, revealing several additional details this week:
- Both the RP5 and Mini will be compatible with the company’s newly released dock.
- Both devices support display output via USB-C.
- The RP5 screen has 500 nits of brightness.
- 4GB of the 128GB internal memory can be designated as virtual RAM (bringing the operable total to 10GB).
- Retroid will be releasing an updated version of its Retroid Launcher software.
Retroid has also stated that there is no “RP5 Pro” waiting around the corner, alluding to the controversial announcement of the RP3+ in 2022 just weeks after the arrival of the RP3. “No, that won’t ever happen again” a company rep tweeted.
Linux Support
Finally, in what might end up being the killer app for the Retroid Pocket 5 and Pocket Mini, the company announced this week that the devices will support popular Linux gaming distros Batocera and Armbian, as well as providing an open Linux kernel for the device.
For players this means that the RP5 will be able to dual-boot into either Android (by default) or Linux (from a configured microSD card), providing the best of both worlds for per-system emulation. Batocera and other packages provide a tailor game experience without the overhead of Android and its sometimes bulky and distracting interface, and has the potential to cut input latency in half.
Linux will also open up the RP5 to access to popular tools such as PortMaster.
Consoles that don’t currently have Linux builds available, such as the PS2, will still be playable via Android.
Will you be picking up one of Retroid’s next devices? Which one do you have your eye on? Let us know in the comments!
