Retroid Pocket 5
Retroid · Released Sep 2024 · 5th Gen
A premium-feeling Android handheld with a beautiful AMOLED screen that demolishes PS2, PSP and GameCube libraries for a remarkably low price.
Pros
- +Stunning 5.5" 1080p AMOLED screen for the price
- +Excellent build quality and Hall effect sticks
- +Handles PS2/PSP/GameCube beautifully
- +Outstanding value
Cons
- −Android setup and per-emulator tweaking has a learning curve
- −Switch emulation is hit-and-miss
- −Wi-Fi 5 only
What can it play?
Emulation performance by platform, based on real-world testing.
Full specifications
Hardware
- Chipset (SoC)
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
- CPU
- Octa-core Kryo 585, up to 2.84GHz
- GPU
- Adreno 650
- RAM
- 8GB LPDDR4X
- Storage
- 128GB UFS
- Weight
- 248 g
- Dimensions
- 210 x 90 x 17 mm
- Cooling
- Active (fan)
Display
- Size
- 5.5″
- Resolution
- 1920x1080
- Panel
- AMOLED
- Refresh rate
- 60 Hz
- Touchscreen
- Yes
Battery & Connectivity
- Battery
- 5000 mAh
- Real-world life
- ~6 hours
- Wi-Fi
- Wi-Fi 5
- Bluetooth
- Bluetooth 5.0
- Ports
- USB-C (DisplayPort), 3.5mm headphone, microSD
- Expandable storage
- Yes (microSD)
Controls
- Analog sticks
- 2
- D-pad
- Yes
- Face buttons
- Yes
- Analog triggers
- Yes
- Gyroscope
- Yes
- Hall effect sticks
- Yes
Software & custom firmware
Ships with: Android 13
Also plays natively: Android games, Cloud gaming, Streaming (Moonlight)
Custom firmware
Our verdict
The Retroid Pocket 5 is the value champion of dedicated emulation handhelds. Its 5.5-inch 1080p AMOLED display is genuinely class-leading, the Snapdragon 865 chews through everything up to PS2/GameCube/PSP, and the build quality with Hall effect sticks feels far more expensive than it is. Android's flexibility is a double-edged sword — expect to spend time configuring emulators — but the payoff is one of the best portable retro experiences available under $250.