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The Retroid Pocket 2S is a 3.5 inch 4:3 Android handheld that plays everything up to PSP well. It came out in August 2023 at $99. Inside is the UNISOC Tiger T610 with 3 GB of RAM.
Who it's for
Buy it if
- You want to play everything up to PSP, plus some GameCube.
- You want it in a jeans pocket: the front is 155 x 80.6 mm.
Skip it if
- You want 3DS games: it scores 50 out of 100, so many games struggle.
Retroid Pocket 2S videos
What it plays
Plays up to: PSP. Chip: UNISOC Tiger T610.
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 the specs mean
4:3 screen
NES to PS2 era home consoles were 4:3, so they fill it. GBA and PSP games show bars above and below.
Based on: Display math: native screen shapes of each system
PS1 and N64 at exactly 2x
320 x 240 times 2 is the screen's own 640 x 480, so PS1 and N64 pixels stay perfectly even with no filter and no bars.
Based on: Display math: native resolution x whole-number scale = screen resolution
Small battery for its class
Only 16 of 103 Android handhelds in our database have a smaller battery than this 4,000 mAh (the middle one has 5,000 mAh). The heavier the system you run, the sooner it runs out.
Based on: Our handheld database: battery of 103 Android handhelds
D-pad on top, sticks below
The d-pad has the natural thumb spot, which suits 2D games. In 3D games your thumb lives on the lower stick.
Based on: Layout data (d-pad placement)
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 11
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 PSP well
- Hall effect sticks, so no stick drift
- Video out to a TV
- Metal shell
- Analog triggers
Not so good
- Not built for PS2 games
Screen fit
Screen: 3.5 inch, IPS, 4:3, 640 x 480.
| System | Original | Sharpest scale | Screen filled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game Boy | 160 x 144 | 3x (480 x 432) | 68% |
| GBA | 240 x 160 | 2x (480 x 320) | 50% |
| NES and SNES | 256 x 224 | 2x (512 x 448) | 75% |
| Genesis | 320 x 224 | 2x (640 x 448) | 93% |
| PS1 and N64 | 320 x 240 | 2x (640 x 480) | 100% |
| DS, one screen | 256 x 192 | 2x (512 x 384) | 64% |
| PSP | 480 x 272 | 1x (480 x 272) | 43% |
Whole-number scales keep every pixel the same size. Bold rows fill the screen with a perfect fit. Screen 640 x 480.
Size
155 x 80.6 x 16-28 mm, 200 g. Fits a jeans pocket
- Retroid Pocket 2S (155 x 80.6 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 | UNISOC Tiger T610 |
| CPU | Cortex-A75 |
| Cores | 8 |
| Clock speed | 1.8 GHz - 2.0 GHz |
| GPU | Mali-G52 MP2 |
| RAM | 3 GB LPDDR4X |
| Cooling | No |
| Screen | |
| Size | 3.5" |
| Type | IPS |
| Resolution | 640 x 480 |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz |
| Pixel density | 228 ppi |
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 |
| Touch screen | Yes |
| Dual screen | No |
| Controls | |
| D-pad | Cross, Upper placement |
| Analog sticks | Yes |
| Stick layout | Double, symetrical |
| Hall effect sticks | Yes |
| L3 / R3 | Yes |
| Shoulder buttons | Stacked |
| Analog triggers | Yes |
| Connectivity | |
| Storage | 32 GB |
| SD card | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (5) |
| Bluetooth | Yes (5.0) |
| USB-C | Yes |
| Video out | Yes |
| Headphone jack | Yes |
| Build | |
| Form factor | Horizontal |
| Dimensions | 155 x 80.6 x 16-28 mm |
| Weight | 200 g |
| Battery | 4000 mAh |
| Shell | Plastic, or, Metal (Aluminum) |
| Speakers | Front |
| Software | |
| Operating system | Android |
| Android version | 11 |
Questions
Can the Retroid Pocket 2S play PS2 games?
Not well. PS2 scores 30 out of 100. It plays everything up to PSP well.
Can it play GameCube games?
Partly. GameCube scores 50 out of 100.
Is the Retroid Pocket 2S good for GBA?
GBA runs at full speed. At 2x it fills 50% of the screen with even pixels.
Does it have a headphone jack?
Yes.
How big is the battery?
4,000 mAh. The middle Android handheld in our database has 5,000 mAh.
Can it connect to a TV?
Yes, it has video out.
How much does the Retroid Pocket 2S cost?
It launched at about $99 in Aug 2023. Prices on the used market change, so check current listings.
Price and newer models
$99 at launch $60 to $120
Newer in the same line: the Retroid Pocket Classic (Apr 2025) and the Retroid Pocket 6 (Jan 2026). Compare before you buy this one new.
Compared with
Similar handhelds
Specs and emulation scores from the retrocatalog.com handheld database. The score out of 10 is our own.