This Retroid Pocket 5 killer packs serious power for just over $200

Last week we got our first glimpse at the ANBERNIC RG-557, which looks like a great alternative to other popular horizontal handhelds like the Retroid Pocket 5. The teaser video showed impressive Wii U and PS2 emulation performance, but now we have a better look at exactly what the device is packing.

A user on the Retro Handhelds Discord (via Retro Handhelds) shared the information while visiting the Global Sources tradeshow in Hong Kong. ANBERNIC showcased the RG-557 at its booth, with a specs sheet revealing that it will come with a Dimensity 8300 chipset and 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM. Combined with the 5.48-inch 1080p AMOLED panel and a 5,500mAh battery, it’s by far the most powerful device ANBERNIC has ever released. Check out the full spec sheet below.

The Dimensity 8300 is a mid-range chipset with performance that’s a step above the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. However, driver support for the Mali GPU will be worse than its Snapdragon counterpart. This may lead to worse overall performance for demanding emulators like the Nintendo Switch.

In terms of pricing, the ANBERNIC representative revealed that it will cost around $205 before shipping and tariffs are factored in. That’s a very attractive price for what this device is capable of, although it’s on the high end for an ANBERNIC device. Typically, ANBERNIC sticks to the lower end of the market, so this is uncharted territory for the brand.

The representative also revealed that the device is expected to begin shipping later this month. Of course, this was a B2B tradeshow, so it may be a while longer before it’s available to the general public. Still, it’s shaping up to be a very attractive retro gaming handheld and you probably won’t have to wait long to get your hands on it.