Ayaneo's CEO has just completed a live stream session about an upcoming 8.4-inch screen-equipped gaming PC handheld. Dubbed the Ayaneo Kun, behind the device's 2.5K screen, you will find the AMD Ryzen 7 7840U 'Phoenix' processor (no surprise). Perhaps afforded by the larger form factor, another attractive specification of the Kun is its 75 Wh (19,500 mAh) battery inside. These specs and boundary-pushing handheld dimensions aren't going to come cheap though, with Ayaneo boasting that the Kun is a "high-end masterpiece."
At the time of writing, with the Ayaneo Kun in pre-launch and pre-Indiegogo campaign stages, we don't have a full set of specifications for the device. However, there are enough specs and features that have already been shared to make this device very interesting.
| Ayaneo Kun handheld key features | |
|---|---|
|
Screen |
8.4-inch diagonal IPS screen with 2.5K pixels |
|
Processor |
AMD Ryzen 7 7840U 'Phoenix' with 8C / 16T Zen 4 CPU cores and integrated Radeon 780M RDNA 3 GPU |
|
Battery |
75 Wh (19,500 mAh) battery |
|
Controls |
Dual intelligent touchpad, Four back buttons, 8-way D-pad, Hall sensing joystick and Hall trigger |
|
Dimensions |
312.4 x 132.5 x 21.9 mm |
|
Other features |
Built-in kickstand, Face recognition, Windows Hello, stereo speakers, AyaSpace 2 UI |
|
Colors |
White silk, black feather, silver wing |
In its pre-launch materials Ayaneo spends quite some time highlighting the Kun's controls, talking-up the variety and quality of the gaming control array. Being one of the biggest handhelds should also make it a comfortable hold (despite the probable extra heft) for adult hands.
Probably the best thing about offering a larger handheld is the opportunity for adding a beefier battery and more capable cooling system. These may be the biggest weaknesses with existing / rival handhelds, so it is good that Ayaneo has grasped the opportunity to improve in these areas.
Considering battery life first, the new 75 Wh cell sounds impressive. Remember that's nearly double Valve's Steam Deck battery and is approaching the limit of 99 Wh for laptops that are allowed on airplanes. Sadly, though it boasts about this battery, Ayaneo is remaining tight-lipped about expected gaming run times on this device.
Recent headlines about the Asus ROG Ally have been focused on an issue with its cooling system, resulting in fried MicroSD cards. Such bad publicity should focus device developers minds on adequate system-wide cooling, and Ayaneo's Kun hopefully makes use of its extra chassis capacity for bigger / better cooling components. The firm says that the Kun has "perhaps the strongest heat dissipation of Windows handhelds to date." Moreover, we learned that the cooling system uses a large main fan coupled with a trio of copper heat pipes.
As mentioned previously, the Ayaneo Kun is still at a pre-launch stage. Therefore the firm is keeping some powder dry with respect to offering the full specifications. Details like pricing, configurations, and availability are also being held back. Today the Ayaneo CEO said we should expect all these details "at the end of August." We expect the Ayaneo Kun to be quite pricey, but there will be early bird pricing alongside the Indiegogo launch, and a special gift box for those among the first adopters, too.
A fortnight ago Ayaneo was in our headlines for preparing what might be the thinnest and lightest AMD Phoenix handheld yet seen. The Ayaneo Air 1S Ultra contrasts with the Ayaneo Kun by featuring a relatively small 5.5-inch screen, measuring 18 mm (0.7 inches) thick, and weighing 405 g (0.89 pounds).
