A few days ago, images began to surface on the net of yet another one of ANBERNIC’s rumoured upcoming retro gaming handhelds. Say hello to the ANBERNIC RG503!
In this article, we’ll be going over what we know about the ANBERNIC RG503, and will update this article as more information comes to light!
RG503 Specifications
The current rumoured specifications for the (combining existing info with info we have sourced ourselves) are as follows:
| CPU/SoC | Rockchip RK3566 (Quad-Core Cortex-A55, up to 1.8GHz) |
| RAM | N/A |
| Storage | 2x microSD |
| Display | 4.95-inch OLED |
| Battery | 3500mAh |
| OS | N/A (SoC supports both Android and Linux) |
| Wi-Fi | 5GHz |
| Other Features | Mini HDMI Output 2x USB-C (USB/DC + OTG) Dual Speakers |
RG503 vs the RG552
The most immediate comparison to make for this handheld is against ANBERNIC’s most recent release, the ANBERNIC RG552.
The RG503 features a Rockchip RK3566 SoC. This is in comparison to the RG552’s RK3399 SoC.
While no direct, real-world performance comparisons exist at this point in time, it is possible to get a sense of the raw difference between the two by checking benchmarks online.
From this, we can expect the RG503 to be roughly around 60-to-70% as fast as the RG552. While this won’t make too much of a difference in retro titles, you may notice it in more difficult-to-run 3D titles.
Also yet to be announced is the RAM capacity and type featured in the ANBERNIC RG503. At smaller scales, a difference of 1-2GB of RAM can make a huge difference in the overall performance of the system.
The RG503 is also stated to include 5GHz Wi-Fi functionality. Making it more compatible with game streaming (i.e., Moonlight) than the RG552 than to the improved bandwidth.
The screen of the RG503 is also slightly smaller (4.96 inches instead of 5.36 inches).
Overall, from the information we have available, we can conclude the following:
- The RG503 will be weaker and have a smaller display, but will have better Wi-Fi performance. The battery life may also be better thanks to the lower-spec SoC.
- The RG552 is more expensive, but is more powerful and has a larger display.
Meaning the RG503 will sit in an odd midpoint between the third generation (RG351) and fourth generation (RG552) of ANBERNIC handhelds. Perhaps we could call this a Gen 3.5 handheld?
RG503’s Supported Games
According to the preliminary specifications, the RG503 will feature emulators for the following platforms out-of-the-box:
- Playstation Portable (PSP)
- Nintendo 64 (N64)
- Dreamcast (DC)
- Sega Saturn (SS)
- Playstation 1 (PS1)
- Capcom Play System 1 (CPS1)
- Capcom Play System 2 (CPS2)
- Final Burn Alpha (FBA)
- Game Boy (GB)
- NEOGEO
- Game Boy Advance (GBA)
- Game Boy Color (GBC)
- Super Famicom (SFC / SNES)
- Famicom (FC / NES)
- Sega Megadrive / Sega Genesis (MD)
- Sega Master System (SMS)
- MSX
- PC-Engine (PCE)
- Wonderswan Color (WSC)
It is likely that more emulators may be added after launch by the custom firmware community, although that depends on how popular the device is.
Improved Ergonomics?
For the first time since… well, ever. ANBERNIC have begun to depart from their iconic „bar” shaped handheld layout. With the RG503 featuring bumps, grooves, and an overall more rounded appearance compared to its predecessors.
We think this should help greatly with the ergonomics. As an issue with the RG552 is that the rectangular shape did not translate too well to the larger size (as the body gets larger, you need to consider how the device will rest in the hand).
Visually though, the device is not the most appealing. It also appears to lack stacked shoulder buttons still (stacked shoulder buttons sacrifice device thinness, but they tend to be more comfortable in terms of ergonomics).
RG503 Release Date, Pricing, etc.
Currently no release date or price has been announced for the RG503.
We cannot estimate a release date at this point in time, but in terms of price, we (sincerely hope) it will be cheaper than the RG552.
