TL; PhD
- A new Android gaming handheld device appeared on Indiegogo, starting at about $195
- Odin handheld console is equipped with Snapdragon 845 or Dimensity 1000C SoC.
Android-powered gaming handheld devices are a reliable alternative to Nintendo Switch and the like, providing access to the world of native Android games and emulators. However, apart from GPD XP, we have not seen any other major new versions.
Now, the new company AYN has released a cheap Android handheld device called Odin (h/t: Lilipting and Redditor berd95).the company’s IndieGogo preview page The devices that will be offered in three variants are shown, namely Odin Base, Odin Pro and Odin Lite.
All three devices are equipped with a 5.98-inch FHD LCD panel (16:9, Dragontrail Glass), Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, HDMI output, USB-C port, headphone port and stereo speakers. But there are several notable differences.
| Odin Lite | Obutyl Land | Odin Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen |
Odin Lite: 5.98 inch IPS LCD display |
Obutyl Land: 5.98 inch IPS LCD display |
Odin Pro: 5.98 inch IPS LCD display |
| chipset |
Odin Lite: MediaTek Dimensity 1000C |
Obutyl Land: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 |
Odin Pro: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 |
| Memory/storage |
Odin Lite: 4GB/64GB |
Obutyl Land: 4GB/64GB |
Odin Pro: 8GB/128GB |
| Battery |
Odin Lite: 5,000mAh |
Obutyl Land: 5,000mAh |
Odin Pro: 6,000mAh |
| operating system |
Odin Lite: Android 11 |
Obutyl Land: Android 10 |
Odin Pro: Android 10 |
Compared with Odin Pro’s 8GB RAM, 128GB storage space and 6000mAh battery, the Odin Base and Lite variants have 4GB RAM, 64GB UFS 2.1 storage space and a 5,000mAh battery. Strangely, the Base and Pro models come with Android 10, while the Lite model comes with Android 11.
The Base and Pro models also provide the Snapdragon 845 chipset, while the Lite model provides the Mediatek Dimensity 1000C processor. It is worth noting that MediaTek’s chipset has updated CPU cores, but we guess that Qualcomm’s GPU may be better.
Either way, this seems to be a significant upgrade to most other Android handheld devices on the market, which tend to offer lower mid-range specs. Snapdragon 845 especially powers the flagship product in 2018, but it should still be able to run many games in the Dolphin emulator.
In terms of actual control input, there are two staggered analog joysticks, one arrow key, four face buttons, four shoulder buttons (two of which are analog triggers) and vibration support.
The AYN Odin IndieGogo campaign has not yet started, but the preview page shows that the standard retail price of Odin Lite is HK$1,519 (~US$195), Odin Base will usually cost you HK$1,753 (~US$225), and the standard price of the Pro version is HK$2,142 ( ~275 USD). However, early bird prices are HK$1,285 (~US$165), HK$1,550 (~US$199) and HK$1,940 (~US$249).
We do recommend that you use this product with caution, because crowdfunding projects from unknown companies may be very risky. That being said, shipping is listed in November and December 2021, so you may not have to wait too long to see if this is worth seeing.
Would you buy an Android-based gaming handheld device? Tell us by voting below.