AMD's Z2 Extreme CPU for next-gen gaming handhelds will arrive in early 2025

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AMD's next-generation handheld chip is coming soon.

Ryzen Z1 Extreme
Ryzen Z1 Extreme (Image credit: AMD)

In a Q&A session that Tom's Hardware attended at IFA 2024, AMD revealed that the next generation of its Ryzen handheld gaming processor, AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme, will arrive early next year. The Z2 Extreme is the successor to AMD’s current Z1 Extreme, which powers devices like the ROG Ally X and Legion Go.

One AMD representative said, “So, we’ve our Z1 Extreme and Z1 in market today, right? Z2 is in the works. We’re working with a number of partners across the OEM ecosystem on that, and it will be coming to market probably in the early part of 2025.” 

Although we have these bits and pieces of news, nothing is written down in stone yet, as AMD hasn’t released any specific information about the Z2 Extreme. However, given that it has just launched the Ryzen AI 300 series chips with Zen 5 cores, RDNA 3.5 integrated GPUs, and an XDNA 2 AI engine, the Z2 Extreme processor could also have similar features.

If AMD can deliver on what it said during the Q&A session, then the Z2 Extreme could potentially improve the next generation of PC gaming consoles. So, we can’t wait for it to come out next year (CES 2025, maybe?), put all the new PC gaming handhelds that will feature this chip through the wringer, and find out how much improvement it brings.

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Jowi Morales
Jowi Morales
Contributing Writer

Jowi Morales is a tech enthusiast with years of experience working in the industry. He’s been writing with several tech publications since 2021, where he’s been interested in tech hardware and consumer electronics.

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14 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Amdlova
    This thing will be worse than samsung mobiles...
    You get the s24 today tomorrow will have the s25 lol. Better grab a steam deck
    Reply
  • Bikki
    1 thing about the amd mobile 300 is it's 16 core gpu starving for memory bandwidth. if they fix that with high frequency lpddr or even on package memory module it would unleased the potential of their rdna 3.5 core, entice people to replace z1.
    Reply
  • TheSecondPower
    If this follows in the footsteps of the Ryzen Z1 Extreme, it'll be essentially the same thing as the Ryzen 370. But it'd be cool if it were a dedicated chip. The full GPU but fewer CPU cores would lower cost without impacting most games. More memory channels and a bigger GPU would greatly expand the capabilities of handhelds.
    Reply
  • thestryker
    TheSecondPower said:
    More memory channels and a bigger GPU would greatly expand the capabilities of handhelds.
    I hope Strix Halo and the rumored Intel equivalent do happen and are successful because I could easily see a lower end version of those being fantastic for handhelds. Both companies have been too stingy attaching high end graphics only to high end SKUs. I've been hoping this will change with tiled packaging, but we're probably at least a year from seeing what that really will look like.
    Reply
  • heffeque
    Strix Halo requires a massive amount of power. It's not for handheld devices.
    Reply
  • Notton
    The differences between Z1 extreme and R7 7840U are minimal.
    It's power optimized with a disabled NPU, but retains the same 8 core CPU and 12CU GPU.

    Where as R9 HX 370 is a 4+8c core, 16CU GPU and 50 TOPS NPU.
    You have to remember this is an R9 product, where as Z1 extreme was based off of R7.
    So any number of cut down configurations would be possible from an HX 370.
    Wishful thinking: 4+4c CPU, 16CU GPU, disabled NPU.
    Reply
  • Pierce2623
    TheSecondPower said:
    If this follows in the footsteps of the Ryzen Z1 Extreme, it'll be essentially the same thing as the Ryzen 370. But it'd be cool if it were a dedicated chip. The full GPU but fewer CPU cores would lower cost without impacting most games. More memory channels and a bigger GPU would greatly expand the capabilities of handhelds.
    Bikki said:
    1 thing about the amd mobile 300 is it's 16 core gpu starving for memory bandwidth. if they fix that with high frequency lpddr or even on package memory module it would unleased the potential of their rdna 3.5 core, entice people to replace z1.
    The only thing they could really do is switch to GDDR memory as it’s more than double bandwidth or go to a 256 bit bus. Where did you come up with the on-package memory idea? From Lunar Lake? On- package memory would only affect latency and wouldn’t improve bandwidth at all.
    Reply
  • TheSecondPower
    Pierce2623 said:
    The only thing they could really do is switch to GDDR memory as it’s more than double bandwidth or go to a 256 bit bus.
    There have been consumer products with triple-channel memory, so 192 bit. That might rule out expandable LPCAMM memory though, which I think is 128 bit.
    Reply
  • Amdlova
    We need 192-bits... some CPU has memory starvation, But they say the memory controller eat too much space on die and take some power with it.
    For desktop maybe We will see in future, for portable devices I don't think so.
    Reply
  • Pierce2623
    Amdlova said:
    We need 192-bits... some CPU has memory starvation, But they say the memory controller eat too much space on die and take some power with it.
    For desktop maybe We will see in future, for portable devices I don't think so.
    You do realize AMD is releasing an APU with a 256 bit bus early next year, right? It also has up to 40CU of GPU.
    Reply