– Ayaneo Pocket Play is a smartphone inspired by the Sony Xperia Play with a sliding landscape display.
– It features touchpads replacing analog sticks, a D-pad, face buttons, and four shoulder buttons for gaming.
– The device has a high-quality hinge but is bulky, with a 6.8-inch OLED display and thick build.
– It uses a MediaTek Dimensity 9300 processor and a 165 Hz OLED display, positioning it as a premium mid-range device.
– No release date or price has been announced yet.
Ayaneo have so far been known primarily for gaming handhelds, but with Pocket Play, the manufacturer will soon be launching a smartphone on the market that was obviously inspired by the Sony Xperia Play. The design has many similarities, first and foremost a sliding mechanism. This allows the display to be pushed upwards when the smartphone is held in landscape format.
Unique Design and Controls
Two touchpads, which replace analog sticks, as well as a D-pad and face buttons are hidden under the screen. In combination with four shoulder buttons, not only retro games can be played via emulators, but also modern Android titles and game streaming services. While Ayaneo Pocket Play has so far only been seen in videos from the manufacturer, PCWorld was able to try out the gaming smartphone at Computex and publish the hands-on video embedded below.
Performance and Build Impressions
According to PCWorld, the round touchpads work surprisingly well as a replacement for analog sticks. The hinge looks high-quality, but the Ayaneo Pocket Play is a little bulky. On the one hand, the device is not particularly small with a 6.8-inch OLED display, and on the other hand, the Pocket Play is extremely thick due to the hinge and the dedicated buttons. Ayaneo also makes compromises when it comes to the cameras.
Ayaneo has not yet confirmed when or at what price the Pocket Play will be launched on the market. With a MediaTek Dimensity 9300 processor, the 165 Hz OLED display and the unusual design, the device could turn out to be as expensive as premium mid-range smartphones.