Key Takeaways
1. Zotac entered the gaming handheld market later than competitors, releasing the Zone model in September 2024, 18 months after the ROG Ally.
2. Zotac is still in the prototyping stage for the Zone 2, with no clear release date announced.
3. The upcoming Zone 2 will feature the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 APU and a new Manjaro Linux-based operating system.
4. More details about the new Zotac Zone are expected to be revealed at Computex 2025 from May 20 to May 23.
5. The new model will maintain a design similar to the original while incorporating an OLED display.
The Zotac Zone entered the gaming handheld market quite late, especially when it comes to devices powered by the AMD Ryzen 7 8840U. To give you a bit of background, this latest model was released in September 2024, which is around eighteen months after Asus began taking pre-orders for the ROG Ally, currently priced at $499 for a renewed unit on Amazon. Sadly, it appears that the same delay might be in store for the Zone 2, which Zotac first hinted at in December and then showed off a prototype in January during the CES 2025 event.
Ongoing Prototyping
Fast forward four months, and it looks like Zotac is still in the prototyping stage for their next gaming handheld. At this point, there’s no clear indication of when the Zone 2 will hit the market. Instead, they’ve included some information in a press release about Computex 2025, which states:
The ZOTAC GAMING ZONE Handheld is coming back with an upgraded prototype, featuring the AMD Ryzen™ AI 9 HX 370 APU, and it will run on a new Manjaro Linux-based operating system specifically made for Handheld PCs.
Anticipated Details
We are expecting to see more about the new Zotac Zone next week, from May 20 to May 23, in Taipei. It would be great if Zotac could provide more insights into their transition from Windows to Linux and elaborate on what this ‘all-new Manjaro Linux-based OS’ actually entails. Meanwhile, the Computex 2025 microsite from the company highlights that the Zone will pair AMD’s Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 APU with an OLED display, maintaining a design similar to the original model.
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