A vertical R36 with a 4-inch square IPS screen at 720 x 720, a 4,000 mAh battery and a double grip on the back.
The 4-inch panel shows 720 x 720 pixels. Next to the 3.5-inch 4:3 screen of the R36S it keeps the same width and gains height: about 36% more screen area, by calculation.
A 4:3 game shown without stretching keeps its proportions, with bands above and below. Display options depend on the system and the emulator.
Taken from the supplier sheet and the label printed on the back of the console.
| Screen | 4-inch IPS, 720 x 720, square 1:1, fully laminated |
|---|---|
| Chip | Rockchip RK3326, four Cortex-A35 cores up to 1.5 GHz, Mali-G31 MP2 graphics |
| RAM | 1 GB |
| Storage | Two microSD slots, system (right) and games (left), cards up to 128 GB |
| Battery | 4,000 mAh Li-Po, printed on the rear label |
| Charging | USB-C port marked DC, 5 V adapter of at least 1.5 A (not included), USB-A to USB-C cable supplied |
| Ports | USB-C DC, 3.5 mm headphone jack and USB-C OTG, all on the bottom edge |
| Wireless | No built-in Wi-Fi, no Bluetooth |
| Controls | D-pad, ABXY, two analog sticks, L1 L2 R2 R1 on the back |
| Size | 83 x 153 x 35 mm, as announced (35 mm at the grips) |
| System | Open-source Linux with an EmulationStation menu |
Same chip and the same 1 GB of RAM. The screen shape and the battery make the difference. See the R36S
| R36 Max | R36S | |
|---|---|---|
| Screen | 4-inch, 720 x 720, square | 3.5-inch, 640 x 480, 4:3 |
| Battery | 4,000 mAh | 3,200 mAh on most listings |
| Chip and RAM | RK3326, 1 GB | RK3326, 1 GB |
| Built-in Wi-Fi | No | Varies by revision |
| microSD slots | Two | Two |
No. The R36 Max2 is a different model with a 4.5-inch 1024 x 768 screen and built-in Wi-Fi. This page is about the first R36 Max, released in November 2024.
No built-in Wi-Fi and no Bluetooth. A USB Wi-Fi dongle on the OTG port may work depending on the firmware; it is sold separately.
No. A USB-A to USB-C cable is supplied. Charge through the port marked DC with a 5 V wall adapter rated for at least 1.5 A.
Yes, if you want more screen and more battery than the R36S in the same vertical shape. It has a 4-inch 720 x 720 IPS screen, fully laminated, a 4,000 mAh battery printed on the label, and a double grip with four rear triggers. It keeps the RK3326 chip and 1 GB of RAM, so it plays the same kind of games as the R36S. No Wi-Fi, no Bluetooth.
Not faster: both use the RK3326 chip with 1 GB of RAM. The R36 Max wins on screen and battery. Its 4-inch square screen is as wide as the 3.5-inch 4:3 screen of the R36S and taller, about 36% more screen area by calculation. Its battery is 4,000 mAh, against 3,200 mAh on most R36S listings. Shown without stretching, a 4:3 game keeps bands above and below on the square screen.
The same range as the R36S, since it has the same RK3326 chip: 8-bit and 16-bit home consoles, arcade classics, early handhelds and some 32-bit systems run well. Heavier 3D systems depend strongly on the game and the settings, and some are out of reach. The bigger screen does not change that. Performance changes from one game to the next, so we do not promise any specific title.
It comes down to battery or Wi-Fi. Both have a 4-inch 720 x 720 square IPS screen, the RK3326 chip and 1 GB of RAM. The R36 Max has a 4,000 mAh battery and no Wi-Fi. The R36 Ultra lists 3,000 mAh and adds built-in 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. Both are on sale at FunGrip.
Yes, that is how the R36 Max works. The slot on the right (TF1) holds the system card and the slot on the left (TF2) holds your games. Both take cards up to 128 GB. A bigger games card holds more files but does not make the console faster. Back up both cards before you change the firmware.