Best Gaming Handhelds of 2025: Surprising Winner Revealed

Key Takeaways

1. Marques Brownlee reviews the top and bottom smartphones of 2025, gaining over 3 million views.
2. ETA Prime focuses on x86-based gaming handhelds, amid the rise of budget and premium ARM devices.
3. GPD Win 5 is highlighted as the most powerful handheld, followed by MSI Claw 8 AI+ and ROG Xbox Ally X for battery life.
4. The Steam Deck OLED and Legion Go 2 are praised for their superior OLED displays, with the Legion Go 2 named ETA Prime’s top choice for 2025.
5. The handheld gaming market has significantly evolved, showcasing advancements in technology and design.

With 2025 nearing its end, creators are evaluating their favorite gadgets of the year. Just this week, Marques Brownlee expressed his opinions on the top and bottom smartphones of 2025. His video has already been watched over 3 million times and discusses various ‘bests’, which we have detailed in a separate piece.

Gaming Handhelds Take the Stage

Now, ETA Prime has added his own insights, focusing on gaming handhelds. He has only looked at x86-based devices this time. A few years back, this would have been clear-cut, but now there are many budget and premium ARM-based devices available. For example, Anbernic is still leading in the budget Linux sector. In addition, Ayaneo has teamed up with Ayn Technologies to introduce several high-end Android handhelds.

Top Picks of the Year

ETA Prime primarily evaluates devices launched this year, highlighting the GPD Win 5 as the most powerful option thanks to its AMD Strix Halo processors, with the MSI Claw 8 AI+ following in second place. The ROG Xbox Ally X is noted for having the longest battery life, ranking just below the Legion Go S (currently priced at $899 on Amazon) for the most comfortable x86 handheld of the year.

At present, ETA Prime believes the Steam Deck OLED and Legion Go 2 boast the finest displays since they utilize OLED technology instead of IPS panels. The MSI Claw A8 also receives an honorable mention for its design and overall look. After all that has been said, ETA Prime names the Legion Go 2 as his top choice for 2025, thanks to its 144 Hz OLED display, the powerful Ryzen Z2 Extreme chipset, and detachable controllers. On the other hand, the Steam Deck OLED continues to be a favorite due to its impressive price-to-performance ratio. For more details, check out the video above and our hands-on review of the Legion Go 2 below for a complete overview of Lenovo’s latest gaming handheld.

ETA Prime’s findings showcase how much the handheld gaming landscape has evolved in a short time.

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