Retro handheld consoles: a buyer's guide
Pick a retro handheld by the way you hold it, the screen shape you want and whether you need Wi-Fi. In the R36 family every model runs the same RK3326 chip with 1 GB of RAM, so none of them is faster than another. What changes is the layout, the screen, the Wi-Fi, the battery and the card slots, and that is what this guide compares.
What should you look for in a retro handheld console?
Five questions sort almost every choice:
- Do you want to hold it upright, or sideways like a controller?
- Which screen shape suits the games you play: 4:3 or square?
- Do you need Wi-Fi built in?
- How much battery do you want to carry?
- One microSD card or two?
Performance is not on the list, on purpose. The RK3326 is at home with 8-bit and 16-bit home consoles, arcade classics, early handhelds and some 32-bit systems. Heavier 3D systems depend strongly on the game and the settings, and a bigger screen does not change that.
Vertical or horizontal?
Vertical models stand upright in one hand, the way the old pocket consoles did: the R36S, R36 Max, R36S Plus, R36 Ultra, R36 Ultra X and R36XX. Horizontal models hold like a game controller, with the screen in the middle: the R36H and the R36H Pro Max.
If you play with both sticks for long sessions, picture your hands on a controller: that is the horizontal feel. If you want the smallest thing in a jacket pocket, vertical wins.
Which screen: 4:3, square or 1024 x 768?
Most retro home consoles output a 4:3 picture, so a 4:3 screen shows those games full screen with no bands. Handheld games of another shape keep bands unless you stretch them.
- 3.5-inch 4:3 at 640 x 480: the R36S, the R36H and the R36XX.
- Bigger 4:3 at 1024 x 768: the R36H Pro Max (4.2 inches) and the R36 Ultra X (4.5 inches, about 65% more area than the R36S, by calculation).
- Square 4-inch 720 x 720: the R36 Max and the R36 Ultra. As wide as the R36S screen and taller; a 4:3 game shown without stretching keeps bands above and below.
The R36S Plus shows a square 4-inch 720 x 720 screen in published tests, while the supplier sheet still lists 3.5 inches; we are confirming the screen of our batch.
Do you need Wi-Fi on a retro handheld?
Built-in 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi comes with the R36H Pro Max, R36S Plus, R36 Ultra, R36 Ultra X and R36XX. The R36 Max has no Wi-Fi, no built-in Wi-Fi is documented for the R36H, and on the R36S it varies by board revision, with a USB dongle as the usual route.
Depending on the installed system, Wi-Fi serves for updates, cover art for the games already on your card, and moving files from a computer on the same network. It does not bring online play, and none of these models has Bluetooth announced. If none of that matters to you, you can skip Wi-Fi.
How much battery do you need?
The R36 Max has the largest battery of the family, 4,000 mAh on its label, up to 6 h according to the manufacturer. The R36H Pro Max has 3,500 mAh, up to 8 h according to the manufacturer. The R36S is 3,200 mAh on most listings, and the others sit around 3,000 mAh. The R36S Plus battery is 3,000 to 3,200 mAh depending on the batch, behind a hatch on the back. Real time always depends on brightness, volume and the game.
One microSD slot or two?
Most R36 models have two slots: one card for the system, one for your games. The R36 Ultra X has a single slot, so the system and your games share one card. Our sheets do not confirm the slot count of the R36H and the R36 Ultra yet. Our microSD guide explains what each slot does.
The R36 family side by side
| Model | Layout | Screen | Built-in Wi-Fi | Battery | microSD | FunGrip price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R36S | Vertical | 3.5-inch, 640 x 480 | Varies by revision | 3,200 mAh on most listings | Two | 64 GB $79, 128 GB $89 |
| R36 Max | Vertical | 4-inch, 720 x 720 | No | 4,000 mAh | Two | 64 GB $89, 128 GB $99 |
| R36H | Horizontal | 3.5-inch, 640 x 480 | Not documented | 3,000 mAh listed | Not confirmed | 64 GB $79, 128 GB $89 |
| R36H Pro Max | Horizontal | 4.2-inch, 1024 x 768 | Yes, 2.4 GHz | 3,500 mAh | Two | 64 GB $89 |
| R36S Plus | Vertical | Square in tests, to confirm | Yes, 2.4 GHz | 3,000 to 3,200 mAh | Two | 64 GB $89 |
| R36 Ultra | Vertical | 4-inch, 720 x 720 | Yes, 2.4 GHz | 3,000 mAh listed | Not confirmed | 64 GB $89, 128 GB $99 |
| R36 Ultra X | Vertical | 4.5-inch, 1024 x 768 | Yes, 2.4 GHz | 3,000 mAh | One | 64 GB $89, 128 GB $99 |
| R36XX | Vertical | 3.5-inch, 640 x 480 | Yes, 2.4 GHz | 3,000 mAh | Two | 64 GB $79 |
Which R36 should you buy?
- The classic shape at the lowest price: the R36S, from $79. Want Wi-Fi in the same size? The R36XX, from $79.
- More screen, still vertical: the R36 Max for the biggest battery, the R36 Ultra for the same square screen with Wi-Fi, the R36 Ultra X for the biggest 4:3 screen.
- Sideways: the R36H keeps the R36S screen; the R36H Pro Max adds a 4.2-inch screen and Wi-Fi.
Every model ships free to the US with 30-day returns, so you can change your mind if the shape does not suit your hands.