Best budget retro handhelds: what a low price buys

Budget retro handhelds are entry-tier models whose makers list prices in the tens of dollars. The cheapest, the Anbernic RG28XX, shows $36.99 and the dearest pick, the RG353V, $97.99 (checked Oct 2026, currency not named, not converted). UK prices are not checked yet.

This guide is about what that money does and does not get you, using only the figures the makers publish. We have not tested any device.

What a low price buys

Look across the entry-tier pages and the same pattern repeats. Five of the eight picks use the H700, which Anbernic lists as a quad-core Cortex-A53 at 1.5GHz, paired with 1GB of RAM; four of those five have a 640 x 480 IPS screen. Those five run a 64-bit Linux system rather than Android. The Miyoo Mini Plus, RG DS and RG353V differ on chip, RAM and card, as the rest of this guide shows.

• A card slot and often two. The RG28XX, RG35XX H, RG35XX SP, RG34XX and RG40XX H all list dual TF slots, with the maker quoting up to 512GB per card.
• Battery in the 3000 to 4000 mAh range. Where makers state battery life they quote 6 to 8 hours, though those are the maker's figures and conditions are not given.
• Wireless on most. The Anbernic models in this guide list 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2, with the RG28XX the exception: its page states neither.

What a low price does not buy

The same pages show where the money is saved. Read these before you read the star features.

• Not much memory. The H700 models list 1GB of RAM, the RG353V 2GB and the RG DS 3GB. The Miyoo A30, sold out when checked, lists 512MB, and the Miyoo Mini Plus does not state its RAM at all.
• Not many pixels. 640 x 480 is the norm; the RG34XX and RG34XXSP go to 720 x 480, the Powkiddy V10 drops to 480 x 320, and the square-screen devices are 720 x 720. None of these is a full HD panel.
• No fan. None of these devices lists active cooling; the Anbernic RG556 and the Retroid devices in our main buying guide list a fan or active cooling.
• No promise about systems. Anbernic writes "30+ emulators" or "ported games" and names none. The maker's page does not say which systems run well, so we cannot either.

In short, these pages state modest RAM and screens, and none of them says which systems it runs well. The mid-tier and flagship devices in the main guide list more RAM, though their makers do not name systems either.

The picks and the rest at a glance

Of the four Also listed rows, the Powkiddy V10, Miyoo A30 and Powkiddy RGB30 are marked sold out on the maker's page, so they are listed for reference only.

Picks by what you want from a cheap handheld

1. Anbernic RG28XX: best for the lowest price and lightest stated weight

At 125g and 12.5 x 5.65 x 1.65 cm, it has the lightest stated weight in this guide, with an 8-hour battery claim from 3100 mAh. Anbernic shows $36.99 against a $47.99 regular price. The compromises are on the same page: a 2.83 inch 640 x 480 screen, 1GB of RAM, no analogue stick, and no stated Wi-Fi or Bluetooth beyond 2.4G wireless controller support. It has HD output to a TV. See the RG28XX page.

2. Anbernic RG35XX H: best for a landscape layout in stock

It lists a 3.5 inch screen, a 3300 mAh battery, 8 hours of battery life, 180g, a 64GB card included, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2. It costs $57.99 with a $67.99 regular price, and the page showed it in stock. It has the same 1GB of RAM as the cheaper RG28XX, so what you are paying extra for is the larger screen, wireless and a bigger battery. See the RG35XX H page.

3. Anbernic RG35XX SP: best for a folding body

The SP uses the same H700, RAM and 640 x 480 screen but folds shut: the maker lists a magnetic lid with a Hall switch. It weighs 192g, measures 8.9 x 8.5 x 2.7 cm as the maker lists it, quotes 8 hours and costs $57.99 (regular $64.99). Anbernic notes that Bluetooth works only with Bluetooth controllers. Another maker page lists the length and width the other way round. Compare it with its sibling that has a 720 x 480 screen on the RG35XX SP against RG34XXSP data page, or read the RG35XX SP page.

4. Miyoo Mini Plus: best for a named NES, SNES and GBA line-up

Miyoo lists a two-core Cortex-A7 at 1.2GHz, a 3.5 inch 640 x 480 IPS screen, a 3000 mAh battery and Wi-Fi. It names NES, SNES and GBA and a total of "20+ emulators". RAM, weight, dimensions and Bluetooth are all unstated on its page. The price is $58.99 in USD, with a $79.99 regular price shown (checked Oct 2026). See the Miyoo Mini Plus page.

5. Anbernic RG CubeXX: best for a square screen

The 3.95 inch screen is 1:1 at 720 x 720, which is a different shape from the 4:3 panels above (640 x 480 is 4:3, 720 x 720 is 1:1). Anbernic lists a 3800 mAh battery (6.5 hours), 246g, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 and RGB lighting around the joysticks. It is $64.99 against a $66.99 regular price. See the RG CubeXX page.

6. Anbernic RG40XX H: best for the larger 4:3 screen

Four inches at 640 x 480 is the largest single-screen 4:3 panel among these picks, with a 3200 mAh battery (6 hours stated) and 208g. Joystick lighting is the headline extra. It costs $67.99 (regular $69.99). Note that the screen is bigger but the pixel count is not, so the picture is not sharper than on the 3.5 inch models. Its sibling, the RG40XX V, lists the same screen, battery and price but a different body: 216g and 13.9 x 9.2 x 2.2 cm, against 208g and 16.3 x 7.9 x 1.6 cm for the H. See the RG40XX H page.

7. Anbernic RG DS: best for a dual-screen budget

The RG DS is the outlier because it spends more on hardware: an RK3568 at up to 2.0GHz, 3GB of RAM (the maker's spec line reads "3+32GB" without labelling which figure is RAM) and two 4 inch 640 x 480 touch screens with stylus support. The battery is 4000 mAh (6 hours stated), it weighs 321g and the maker lists Android 14 and Linux without saying how the two are chosen. Storage is 32GB built in plus a TF slot listed up to 2TB, and no card is listed in the box. The price is $94.99 against $99.99 regular. The maker names no systems, so the extra RAM does not tell you what it will run. See the RG DS page.

8. Anbernic RG353V: best for Android on a budget

The RG353V lists Android 11 plus Linux, an RK3566, 2GB of LPDDR4 RAM, a 3.5 inch multi-touch 640 x 480 screen, a 3200 mAh battery and 180g. Its price is $97.99 (regular $120.99, checked Oct 2026), the highest of the eight. See the RG353V page.

What the mid tier costs

The catalogue's mid-tier devices carry maker prices of $99.99 for the Mangmi Air X, $119.99 for the Anbernic RG405M, $159 for the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro and $179.99 for the Anbernic RG556 (checked Oct 2026). The last two are in our main guide.

What to check before you buy

• Currency and delivery. Prices are the maker's, mostly without a named currency. Ask about UK delivery, import charges and returns.
• Stock. Three of the devices in the table were sold out on the maker page when checked.
• Which card you get. Card inclusion varies: the RG28XX lists a 32GB card, the RG353V a 16GB card, the RG DS lists none and Miyoo offers a 64GB card or no card. Read our card guide before buying a large one.
• The gaps. Where a maker is silent on RAM, weight or wireless, assume nothing.

For a wider decision checklist, see how to choose a retro handheld.