A new player is about to enter the world of gaming smartphones, ready to compete with the few established names, plus the recent influx of fun handhelds, and even the Nintendo Switch 2.
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It’s called the Ayaneo Phone, and it comes from portable games console experts Ayaneo. The company teased the phone during a recent live stream, where it also discussed a wide range of new products and its strategy for the coming year.
Bringing back a lost design
Ayaneo will likely be a name familiar to fans of retro-inspired handheld gaming consoles and games, along with its competitors such as Anbernic. Its hardware includes devices reminiscent of the Nintendo DS, Gameboy, and the Atari Lynx, and in addition to Windows-powered devices, it has recently introduced devices powered by Android too.
The Ayaneo Phone will be the company’s first phone, and a true “phone for gamers,” according to the early news. What makes it fascinating is the design the brand has settled on. The teaser image shows a phone with a slide-out section, and the tagline states, “the magic lies in the slide.”
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Long-time gaming phone fans may remember the Sony Xperia Play, or the PlayStation Phone as it was also known, which came out in 2011 when Sony was still partnered with Ericsson. It was unique because a set of game controls slid out from under the screen, allowing it to be held and used like a more traditional handheld gaming device. It seems Ayaneo is about to bring this unusual design back.
It fits with Ayaeno’s brand
The Xperia Play was ahead of its time, as although mobile games were popular, the choice was nowhere near as extensive or graphically impressive as titles today, and gaming for hours on a phone was a very niche pastime. The hardware design itself didn’t catch on, and in the future game controllers became optional accessories, rather than part of the device itself.
Bringing back a lost mobile hardware design seems to fit in well with Ayaneo’s brand, and because the slide-out controls never caught on, it’ll be just as unique today as it was in 2011. The increase in the amount of games available, and the vibrant community around retro game ROMs, could mean it’s more useful today too.
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Ayaneo claims it’s not a spur of the moment thing, and it has wanted to make a gaming phone for a while. However, it has not discussed the specification or software, and it has not shown the physical hardware yet either. It has already used Android on other devices though, and included Qualcomm Snapdragon processors too, so there’s a good chance it’ll compete with modern smartphones.
Strong competition in a niche space
The world of gaming smartphones is mostly controlled by Asus with the excellent ROG Phone series. While brands like RedMagic and Lenovo also compete, Asus’s strong gaming brand and knowledge of the space make phones like the ROG Phone 9 the ones to beat. Ayaneo is interesting because it already works in gaming, but will almost certainly approach the market from a different angle to Asus.
Take the Ayaneo Pocket S, with its 6-inch screen and Qualcomm G3x Gen 2 processor, as an example of what it may be planning. The handheld costs $600 from Amazon (or less if you personally import one), which is considerably lower than the $1,200 Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro and even the $900 RedMagic 10 Pro. If Ayaneo can bring the Ayaneo Phone out at a similarly competitive price, with a decent specification, and also sell it globally through online stores like Amazon, it stands a good chance of not only attracting its current user base, but keen, value-conscious gamers looking for a new phone too.
Ayaneo Pocket S
$441 $592 Save $151
- Brand
- Ayaneo
- Screen
- 6″
- Storage
- 128GB, 512GB, 1TB
- CPU
- Snapdragon G3x Gen 2
- Battery
- 6,000mAh
- Connectivity
- Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 7, DP 1.4
Ayaneo is at an advantage because gaming fans, particularly those into retro titles, will likely love the reimagined slider-phone design, as will casual gamers looking for something with a little more everyday utility than a simple handheld. That said, dedicated gaming phones are still a niche market, and the phones rarely appeal to casual gamers, who usually get all they need from any powerful phone.
Ayaneo has not announced a release date for the Ayaneo Phone, but it does appear on its 2025 strategy summary, so there’s a good chance it’ll arrive before the end of the year. The design alone makes it one to look forward to.
