AYANEO Pocket S2 Review – The most powerful Android gaming handheld we’ve tested

Just last year, the AYANEO Pocket S established its reign as the king of Android performance. But in the world of handhelds, the throne is never safe. AYANEO, never content to sit still, is already challenging its own creation with the AYANEO Pocket S2 and the next-gen Snapdragon Gen 3 chip. It’s time, in our AYANEO Pocket S2 review, to see if the heir apparent is ready to steal the crown.

AYANEO Pocket S2 Review Video

AYANEO Pocket S2 overview

We start our AYANEO Pocket S2 review with an overview of the device and its features. The AYANEO Pocket S2 measures around 8.97 x 3.58 x 0.62 inches (22.8 x 9.1 x 1.59 cm), a little larger than the original model.  The Pocket S2 standard model weighs around 428g (0.94 lbs), and the Pro model slightly heavier at 440g (0.97 lbs). The CNC Aluminium Alloy frame does add a little extra weight, but this is a premium device and gives it that edge over full plastic.

The display, covered with the single sheet glass front, is a real standout. Now slightly larger at 6.3 inches, the 1440p IPS touchscreen builds on the original’s success, delivering fantastic, vibrant colours and a high brightness that gives it a truly premium look.

Surrounding the display are the usual gaming buttons with a D-Pad that can be swapped out for a classic Plus shape or fuller circle pad. There are also dual TMR Electromagnetic Analogue Joysticks. There are some additional buttons to bring up the homescreen and AYASpace overlay which we will cover later.

On the right side, you’ll find a handy shortcut button for easy performance management. It lets you cycle through the various modes, from Power Saving and Balanced all the way up to Gaming and Maximum, with a simple press.

Along the bottom edge, you’ll find the essential ports. There’s a covered micro SD card reader for easy storage expansion, the trusty 3.5mm headphone jack, and a single USB Type-C port that handles both charging and video output.

The top of the handheld has your shoulder buttons and textured Linear Hall Effect Triggers, along with a pair of customizable macro buttons. The right side holds the volume rocker and the power button which has an integrated fingerprint sensor for secure unlocking.

The AYANEO Pocket S2 is comfortable to hold, but not quite as comfortable as the Odin 2 Portal which has some grips on the back. The S2 feels like it should have some grips with how your palm and fingers are placed to hold it.

AYANEO Pocket S2 Technical Specifications

Next in our AYANEO Pocket S2 review we take a look at the technical specifications as well as run our own tests on the battery life, fan noise and temperatures.

DISPLAY	6.3″ IPS Borderless High-Brightness Natural Color Screen, 2560 x 1440, 466PPI, 600nits, 120% sRGB Color Gamut Volume, 90% DCI-P3
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon G3 Gen 3 Gaming Platform 8 Cores: 1 Prime Core, 5 Performance Cores & 2 Efficiency Cores, up to 20W
GPU	Adreno A33 GPU
RAM	8GB/12GB/16GB LPDDR5X 8533Mbps
STORAGE	128GB (UFS3.1) 256GB/512GB/1TB (UFS 4.0)
COMMUNICATIONS	Wi-Fi 7 Bluetooth 5.3
I/O	1 x Full Function USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C丨10Gbps 1 x Micro SD Card Slot丨100MB/s | 1 x 3.5mm Headphone Jack
BATTERY	Pocket S2: 8000mAh Pocket S2 Pro: 10000mAh
DIMENSIONS	8.97 x 3.58 x 0.62 inches (22.8 x 9.1 x 1.59 cm)
WEIGHT	Pocket S2: 428g (0.94 lbs) Pocket S2 Pro 440g (0.97 lbs)
OS	Android 14

The Pro model packs a beefy 10,000mAh battery (compared to 8,000mAh in the standard), so we decided to push it to its absolute limit. We ran a stress test using AnTuTu on the Maximum performance profile, with both the screen brightness and fan speed cranked to 100%. The battery lasted for a solid 2 hours and 50 minutes under this intense load. For more normal, everyday gaming, you can expect a much healthier 6 to 8 hours of battery life.

In our fan noise tests we got below 50dB on Balanced, 57dB on Game, and 71dB on Max performance profiles. And for temperatures we got a high of 44°C which is quite low..

Benchmarks

As part of our AYANEO Pocket S2 review we will see what this new Gen 3 processor can really do. As the first handheld to feature this chip, we have no direct comparisons. The real test, then, is to see how big of a leap it makes over the previous generation of devices. Let’s dive in!

Geekbench 6

In Geekbench 6, the Pocket S2 shows decent gains across the two tests. We see a  respectable 7% boost in single-core performance. It truly shines in the multi-core test with an impressive 29% leap over the AYANEO Pocket S with Snapdragon Gen 2 chip.

Antutu

In AnTuTu, which tests the device’s all-around performance, the Pocket S2 scored a massive 2.18 million. That’s a huge 34% jump over its predecessor and a real indication of the power of the new Snapdragon Gen 3 chip.

3DMark

The trend of impressive scores continued in the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme test. Focusing on combined CPU and GPU power, the Pocket S2 scored 5,408, which marks another big leap, a 25% increase over its predecessor.

Benchmark Summary

The benchmark results make one thing clear: the AYANEO Pocket S2 is the new performance champion. It delivers a solid 7% single-core improvement but completely demolishes its closest competition with a 25% to 34% increase in other tests. This is a massive leap forward, putting the S2 in a class of its own in our AYANEO Pocket S2 review.

OS and Software Overview

We continue our AYANEO Pocket S2 review with a brief look at the OS and software. The AYANEO Pocket S2 runs on Android 14 and heavily features their own software. The home screen is quick and easy to navigate and does the job just fine. You have access to the usual Android settings as well as AYA’s own software to change the device settings. 

You have everything from performance mode tweaking, controller settings, device configuration and software updates in easy to find menus.

There is also their own emulator front end software. It ideally needs importing from another frontend such as Emulation Station or RetroPie for fast setup. If you do not have one you will need to manually set it up, add your own local boxart etc. Come on AYA, add some automatic image scraping services to make this software top notch.

The AYA Overlay does an excellent job of providing information on the device, shortcuts to common functions such as changing the performance profile, controller settings, screenshots, screen mapping and plenty more. Top marks here!

Android Gaming

We wanted to include some Android gaming performance in our AYANEO Pocket S2 review. The AYANEO Pocket S2 has power to spare for Android gaming. It breezes through fast-paced titles like Horizon Chase, Metal Slug, and Prince of Persia with ease.

Even console-quality games like Alien: Isolation run flawlessly, proving it can handle the most demanding games on the platform. On top of this excellent baseline performance, you can even spoof the device model as a Xiaomi 14 Pro for example, to unlock maxed-out graphics settings in games that would otherwise restrict them.

A game like Metal Slug Awakening, which lacks native controller support, is a perfect test for the screen mapping software. The built-in tool works brilliantly. It’s a simple drag-and-drop affair: you map the physical control icons to the touch controls on the screen, and it just works. It’s an easy and effective way to play your favorite touch-only games with proper controls.

Emulation Performance

We could not miss out on some retro gaming in our AYANEO Pocket S2 review. The Gen 3 processor on the AYANEO Pocket S2 takes the already impressive emulation performance of the Gen 2 chip to the next level. While systems up to the PlayStation 2 run flawlessly, you now have the headroom to do more. 

You can either be efficient, dialling back the performance settings on older titles to extend your playtime, or you can push the hardware to its limits, upscaling games to as high as 4K resolution and adding modern graphical enhancements.

The extra performance is immediately obvious with older 3D consoles. PlayStation 1 and Dreamcast games can be effortlessly upscaled to the 1440p display, and you can even aim for 4K with graphics mods when connected to a TV. 

For the PlayStation 2 library, while compatibility and performance varies by game, getting smooth gameplay at the standard resolution should be fine. You’ll find that many titles have plenty of overhead to be bumped up to higher rendering resolutions, making them look sharper than ever.

The performance with older handheld consoles is excellent, both on the device and on a TV. Using Citra, you can upscale games to 1440p on the built-in screen for crisp graphics. For the big screen, you have the power to increase the rendering to up to 8x, letting you enjoy your games in 4K.

The Vita3K emulator also runs great with compatible games. You shouldn’t have any issues running most at the standard resolution. Depending on how demanding they are you can increase the rendering resolution. With TxK and Gravity Rush we were getting stable frame rates at 3X which is just over 1440P.

And now on to Ryujinx and Eden with the Turnip drivers installed. Our go to game Cruisn’ Blast runs at 60 frames per second as you would expect. The great Yokus Island Express runs at a solid 60 frames in docked mode as well. We found most games to run fine. Even the more demanding first party titles can get very playable speeds, that popular early action RPG game runs great as an example.

Final Thoughts

Time to sum up our AYANEO Pocket S2 review. Last year, the original AYANEO Pocket S took the throne as the best-performing Android handheld with its Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 chip. AYANEO isn’t a company that likes to sit still, so they’ve brought out the brand new Pocket S2 with a Gen 3 processor, aiming to overthrow the king. This new model is a real step up, with big performance gains that keep AYANEO at the top of the pile.

Right out of the box, the AYANEO Pocket S2 feels premium thanks to its CNC Aluminium Alloy frame and single sheet glass front. It’s a bit heavier, but it feels sturdier than fully plastic handhelds. It now has a slightly larger 6.3-inch 1440p IPS screen which, like the original, looks impressive with great colours and brightness. Inside, the new Gen 3 processor really shows what it can do, scoring up to 34% higher in benchmarks than the last generation.

This power boost makes a real difference in gaming. Android games run with no problems, and it gives you more options for retro gaming. Emulation for consoles up to the PlayStation 2 runs great, letting you push up rendering resolutions for a sharper picture. It also helps with more demanding consoles, where the extra power from the Gen 3 CPU simply helps them run better.

Some people might complain that it doesn’t have an OLED display, but to be honest, I don’t mind. The IPS screen is very high quality, and it’s a close call as we saw with the Pocket S IPS and AYN Odin 2 Portal OLED display.

After spending time with the AYANEO Pocket S2, I have to say it is an impressive Android handheld and a beast in terms of performance. If you are looking for a premium, high-performance handheld, the AYANEO Pocket S2 should be the first one you consider. It could very well be my Android gaming handheld of the year.

You can learn more and buy the AYANEO Pocket S2 here.

Thanks for reading our AYANEO Pocket S2 review we hope you have found it useful. If you do have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments.