1. AYN has switched from UFS 4.0 to UFS 3.1 storage for the Thor and Odin 3 handhelds due to rising component costs and supply shortages.
2. The storage downgrade affects all models except the Thor Lite, which already uses UFS 3.1.
3. The change takes effect starting with the next pre-order batches for both devices, with shipping expected to begin in mid-June.
Recently, AYN has made some significant changes concerning their handheld consoles. Not long ago, they increased the prices for their popular dual-screen Thor and their flagship Odin 3, citing rising component costs, and these changes had to be implemented sooner than expected, moving from April to March. Now, there’s more challenging news for consumers.
Changes in Storage Options
In a message shared on their Discord channel, AYN explained that the escalating costs for parts led to a reconsideration of their storage choices. The company revealed that shortages in supply chains coupled with huge price hikes made it unfeasible to keep using the latest UFS 4.0 storage in their devices. Because of that, they will now go with a more budget-friendly but slower storage standard UFS 3.1.
Impact on Thor Devices
For the Thor series with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, this switch impacts models like the Thor Base with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, Thor Pro with 12GB RAM and 265GB storage, and Thor Max with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage. The Thor Lite, which already features the Snapdragon 865 chip, uses UFS 3.1 storage and remains unchanged.
Odin 3 Storage Switch
The Odin 3 lineup, powered by Qualcomm’s Dragonwing Q8 chip, will also see changes, affecting all four models: the Base with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, the Pro with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, the Max with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, and the Ultra with 24GB RAM and 1TB storage. The transition to UFS 3.1 applies across these variants.
Pre-Order and Shipping Details
This shift begins from the upcoming batches of pre-orders: the Thor will start with Batch 6 and the Odin 3 with Batch 7. AYN did not specify the exact date for pre-order entries but confirmed that it will be soon. According to their website, the shipment for Batch 6 pre-orders of the Thor and Batch 7 pre-orders of Odin 3 are scheduled to commence in mid-June.