Just Look at Ayaneo's Absolute Unit of a Windows Gaming "Handheld"

Why It Matters

The Next II raises the performance ceiling for handheld PC gaming while highlighting trade‑offs between power, portability, and regulatory constraints, forcing competitors to rethink design priorities.

Key Takeaways

• Weighs 3.14 lb, far heavier than rivals.
• 9.06‑inch OLED, 165 Hz, 1,155 nits brightness.
• Powered by Ryzen AI Max+ 395, RTX 4060‑level performance.
• 116 Wh battery exceeds airline carry limit.
• Starts $1,999, high‑end $4,299 targets gaming whales.

Pulse Analysis

The handheld PC market has accelerated since the Steam Deck’s debut, with manufacturers chasing the sweet spot between console‑grade performance and true portability. Ayaneo’s Next II pushes the envelope by embracing a laptop‑like form factor, signaling that a segment of gamers values raw horsepower over the convenience of a pocket‑sized device. This shift mirrors broader consumer trends where high‑end mobile workstations and gaming rigs are gaining traction, especially among users who demand desktop‑level graphics for cloud‑agnostic titles.

Technically, the Next II’s Ryzen AI Max+ 395 SoC, paired with a Radeon 8060S GPU, offers a performance tier that rivals mid‑range gaming laptops and even some desktop GPUs such as the RTX 4060. The 9.06‑inch OLED panel, with a 165 Hz refresh rate and 1,155 nits peak brightness, provides a premium visual experience rarely seen in handhelds. However, the 116 Wh battery, while delivering extended playtime, breaches the 100 Wh airline limit, introducing logistical hurdles for travelers. Ayaneo’s dual centrifugal fans and vapor‑chamber fins aim to mitigate thermal throttling, but the sheer size and weight may limit adoption among users who prioritize ergonomics.

From a business perspective, Ayaneo’s pricing strategy clearly targets the “gaming whale” demographic—enthusiasts willing to invest upwards of $4,000 for top‑tier performance. By launching on Indiegogo, the company gauges demand while offsetting inventory risk. Competitors like OneXPlayer and GPD will need to either upscale their own specs or differentiate through price, battery compliance, or form‑factor innovation. As handheld PCs continue to blur the line between console and laptop, the Next II could catalyze a new tier of premium, albeit bulky, devices, prompting regulators and retailers to adapt to larger, higher‑capacity batteries in consumer electronics.

Just look at Ayaneo's absolute unit of a Windows gaming "handheld"

The Ayaneo Next II pushes past 3 pounds, is 13 inches wide, and costs up to $4, 300. · Credit: Ayaneo

Kyle Orland – Senior Gaming Editor at Ars Technica (since 2012). He writes about the business, tech, and culture behind video games and holds journalism and computer‑science degrees from the University of Maryland. He once wrote a whole book about Minesweeper.

---

In 2023, we marveled at the sheer mass of Lenovo’s Legion Go, a 1.88‑pound, 11.8‑inch‑wide monstrosity of a Windows gaming handheld. In 2026, however, Ayaneo unveiled details of its Next II handheld, which puts Lenovo’s big boy to shame while also offering heftier specs and a higher price than most other Windows gaming handhelds.

Size and weight

The Ayaneo Next II weighs in at a truly wrist‑straining 3.14 pounds, more than twice as heavy as the Steam Deck OLED (and considerably heavier than the 2022 original Ayaneo Next, which weighed 1.58 pounds). It measures 13.45 inches wide and 10.3 inches tall, giving it a footprint about 60 % larger than the Switch 2 with Joy‑Cons attached.

Performance

The high‑end version sports a Ryzen AI Max+ 395 chipset with 16 Zen 5 cores, paired with a Radeon 8060S GPU (40 RDNA 3.5 compute units). This should deliver performance comparable to a desktop equipped with an RTX 4060 or a high‑end gaming laptop such as last year’s ROG Flow Z13.

The Next II sports a massive screen and some adult‑size controls. – Credit: Ayaneo

Ayaneo isn’t the first maker to package the Max+ 395 chipset into a Windows gaming handheld; the OneXPlayer OneXfly Apex and GPD Win 5 feature essentially the same chipset (the latter with an external battery pack). However, the Next II outclasses the competition with a 9.06‑inch OLED screen (2400 × 1504 resolution, up to 165 Hz refresh rate, 1,155 nits brightness).

Battery and cooling

Inside, the Next II houses a 116 Wh battery, exceeding the 100 Wh limit for airline‑carryable batteries and requiring special documentation to fly. The large battery powers two “turbo centrifugal fans” and dual vapor‑chamber “cooling fins” designed to keep the system from getting “nuclear hot” in your hands.

Pricing

• Low‑end model: Max 385 chipset, 32 GB RAM, 1 TB storage – $1,999 (or $1,799 for early‑bird pre‑orders).

• High‑end model: Max+ 395 chipset, 128 GB RAM, 2 TB storage – $4,299 (or $3,499 early‑bird).

Verdict

The Ayaneo Next II targets gaming “whales” who prioritize raw power over form factor or price. For handheld PC gamers who scoff at the size, power, and relative affordability of the Steam Deck, the Next II is available for preorder through Indiegogo, with planned shipments to the US this summer.