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The KT-R1 is a 4.5 inch 3:2 Android handheld that plays everything up to Wii well, made by KT Pocket. It came out in July 2023 at $170. Inside is the MediaTek Helio G99 with 4 of RAM.
Who it's for
Buy it if
- You want to play everything up to Wii, plus some PS2.
- You want a 4.5 inch screen and carry it in a bag or a jacket.
Skip it if
- You want PS2 games: it scores 50 out of 100, so many games struggle.
- You only play up to PS1: handhelds under $60 do that.
KT-R1 videos
What it plays
Plays up to: Wii. Chip: MediaTek Helio G99.
Scores out of 100. 100 means the system runs at full speed with no known issues on this device. 80 or more plays well (green), 50 to 79 plays partly (yellow).
What owners say
“My KTR1 is my travel handheld, and it has made many a plane flight and business trip much more enjoyable.”
What the MediaTek Helio G99 runs
- PS2 and GameCube: Game by game. Owners report most lighter games running at the original resolution, while heavy action and racing games stutter.
- Wii: A good share of Wii games run once the emulator settings are tuned.
- 3DS: Lighter games such as RPGs run well. Demanding 3D games are hard work for it.
- Vita: A fair number of Vita games run. Some 3D games show broken textures, and the usual fix, a custom graphics driver, only exists for Qualcomm chips.
- Switch: Light Switch games and indies at best, and some owners say not even that. Big 3D games are out of reach.
What the specs mean
3:2 screen
GBA games fill it edge to edge. Home consoles from NES to PS2 were 4:3, so they show bars at the sides.
Based on: Display math: native screen shapes of each system
Sharpest fit: GBA
At 6x, GBA fills 79% of the screen with even pixels. Filling the rest means stretching, which some people smooth with a filter.
Based on: Display math: largest whole-number scale that fits the screen
Same chip as 5 other handhelds
The MediaTek Helio G99 also powers the AYANEO Pocket Micro, AYANEO Pocket Micro Classic, GAMEMT EX8, KinHank K59 and more. The same chip means similar speed, though memory and cooling can differ.
Based on: Our handheld database (chip field)
Big battery for its class
Only 12 of 103 Android handhelds in our database have a bigger battery than this 7,000 mAh (the middle one has 5,000 mAh).
Based on: Our handheld database: battery of 103 Android handhelds
4 GB of memory rules out Switch
The Switch has 4 GB of memory of its own. An emulator has to hold all of it and Android on top, which does not fit here.
Based on: Hardware fact: the Switch has 4 GB of RAM
Digital triggers
The GameCube's triggers were pressure sensitive, and a few games use a light press, such as spraying while you walk in Super Mario Sunshine. Here the triggers are on or off.
Based on: Hardware fact: GameCube controller triggers are analog; this device is not listed with analog triggers
Shoulder buttons in a row
L1 and L2 sit side by side along the top edge instead of stacked. PS2 games that need L1 and L2 together mean sliding one finger between them.
Based on: Layout data (shoulder button layout)
DS on one screen
DS games show both screens shrunk side by side, or one big screen you swap. The touch screen stands in for the stylus.
Based on: Layout data: single screen with touch
Android 12
Besides emulators it runs Android games and game streaming apps, from your PC or the cloud.
Based on: Operating system data
Rating
How we score: what it plays 30%, how many players own and recommend it 20%, screen 15%, price compared with handhelds that play as much 10%, controls 10%, size and weight 10%, battery size for its chip 5%.
Good
- Plays everything up to Wii well
- Hall effect sticks, so no stick drift
- Big 7,000 mAh battery
- Metal shell
Not so good
- No video out
Screen fit
Screen: 4.5 inch, IPS, 3:2, 1620 x 1080.
| System | Original | Sharpest scale | Screen filled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game Boy | 160 x 144 | 7x (1120 x 1008) | 65% |
| GBA | 240 x 160 | 6x (1440 x 960) | 79% |
| NES and SNES | 256 x 224 | 4x (1024 x 896) | 52% |
| Genesis | 320 x 224 | 4x (1280 x 896) | 66% |
| PS1 and N64 | 320 x 240 | 4x (1280 x 960) | 70% |
| DS, one screen | 256 x 192 | 5x (1280 x 960) | 70% |
| PSP | 480 x 272 | 3x (1440 x 816) | 67% |
Whole-number scales keep every pixel the same size. Screen 1620 x 1080.
Size
169.8 x 79.5 x 18.3 mm, 260 g. Too big for a jeans pocket
- KT-R1 (169.8 x 79.5 mm)
- iPhone 15 (71.6 x 147.6 mm)
True scale, front view. Jeans pocket = front no bigger than an iPhone 15 Pro Max in a case (160 x 82 mm).
Specs
| Performance | |
|---|---|
| Chip | MediaTek Helio G99 |
| CPU | Cortex-A76 |
| Cores | 8 |
| Clock speed | 2.0 GHz - 2.2 GHz |
| GPU | Mali-G57 MC2 |
| RAM | 4 LPDDR4X |
| Cooling | Yes |
| Screen | |
| Size | 4.5" |
| Type | IPS |
| Resolution | 1620 x 1080 |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz |
| Pixel density | 432 ppi |
| Aspect ratio | 3:2 |
| Touch screen | Yes |
| Dual screen | No |
| Controls | |
| D-pad | Cross, Customizable placement (multiple models) |
| Analog sticks | Yes |
| Stick layout | Customizable |
| Hall effect sticks | Yes |
| L3 / R3 | Yes |
| Shoulder buttons | Side By Side |
| Rumble | Yes |
| Gyroscope | Yes |
| Connectivity | |
| Storage | 64 |
| SD card | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (5) |
| Bluetooth | Yes (5.2) |
| USB-C | Yes |
| Video out | No |
| Headphone jack | Yes |
| Build | |
| Form factor | Horizontal |
| Dimensions | 169.8 x 79.5 x 18.3 mm |
| Weight | 260 g |
| Battery | 7000 mAh |
| Shell | Plastic, or, Metal (Aluminum) |
| Speakers | Front |
| Software | |
| Operating system | Android |
| Android version | 12 |
| Custom firmware | GammaOSNext |
Questions
Can the KT-R1 play PS2 games?
Some. PS2 scores 50 out of 100, so it depends on the game. Game by game. Owners report most lighter games running at the original resolution, while heavy action and racing games stutter.
Can it play GameCube games?
Yes, GameCube scores 80 out of 100.
Is the KT-R1 good for GBA?
GBA runs at full speed. At 6x it fills 79% of the screen with even pixels.
Does it have a headphone jack?
Yes.
How big is the battery?
7,000 mAh. The middle Android handheld in our database has 5,000 mAh.
Can it connect to a TV?
No, it has no video out.
How much does the KT-R1 cost?
It launched at about $170 in Jul 2023. Prices on the used market change, so check current listings.
Price and newer models
$170 at launch $120 to $250
The newest in its line in our database, out since Jul 2023.
Compared with
Similar handhelds
Specs and emulation scores from the retrocatalog.com handheld database. The score out of 10 is our own.