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The Retroid Pocket Mini is a 3.7 inch 4:3 Android handheld that plays everything up to PS2 well. It came out in September 2024 at $189. Inside is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 with 6 GB of RAM.
Who it's for
Buy it if
- You want to play everything up to PS2, plus some Switch.
- You want a 3.7 inch screen and carry it in a bag or a jacket.
Skip it if
- You want Switch games: it scores 56 out of 100, so many games struggle.
- You only play up to PS1: handhelds under $60 do that.
Retroid Pocket Mini videos
What it plays
Plays up to: PS2. Chip: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865.
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
“I bought the Retroid Pocket Mini because it has a 4:3 screen, and has a pixel-perfect integer scale of 640x480.”
“My Retroid Pocket Mini has been running Mario Kart DS at 5x resolution very smoothly.”
“I bought my RPMini specifically for GameCube and am happy with that decision.”
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 4x
320 x 240 times 4 is the screen's own 1280 x 960, 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
Same chip as 7 other handhelds
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 also powers the AYANEO Pocket Micro 2, Mangmi Air Y Pro, Mangmi Pocket Max, Retroid Pocket 5 and more. The same chip means similar speed, though memory and cooling can differ.
Based on: Our handheld database (chip field)
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
6 GB of memory is tight for Switch
The Switch has 4 GB of memory of its own. An emulator has to hold all of it and Android on top, so with this much, larger Switch games are the first to fail.
Based on: Hardware fact: the Switch has 4 GB of RAM (inference from it)
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 10=>13
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 PS2 well
- AMOLED screen with deep blacks
- Hall effect sticks, so no stick drift
- Video out to a TV
- Analog triggers
Not so good
- Nothing stands out.
Screen fit
Screen: 3.7 inch, AMOLED, 4:3, 1280 x 960.
| System | Original | Sharpest scale | Screen filled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game Boy | 160 x 144 | 6x (960 x 864) | 68% |
| GBA | 240 x 160 | 5x (1200 x 800) | 78% |
| NES and SNES | 256 x 224 | 4x (1024 x 896) | 75% |
| Genesis | 320 x 224 | 4x (1280 x 896) | 93% |
| PS1 and N64 | 320 x 240 | 4x (1280 x 960) | 100% |
| DS, one screen | 256 x 192 | 5x (1280 x 960) | 100% |
| PSP | 480 x 272 | 2x (960 x 544) | 43% |
Whole-number scales keep every pixel the same size. Bold rows fill the screen with a perfect fit. Screen 1280 x 960.
Size
165.28 x 77.62 x 16.5 - 29.3 mm, 215 g. Too big for a jeans pocket
- Retroid Pocket Mini (165.28 x 77.62 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 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 |
| CPU | Cortex-A77 |
| Cores | 8 |
| Clock speed | 1.8 GHz - 2.84 GHz |
| GPU | Qualcomm Adreno 650 |
| RAM | 6 GB LPDDR4X |
| Cooling | Yes |
| Screen | |
| Size | 3.7" |
| Type | AMOLED |
| Resolution | 1280 x 960 |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz |
| Pixel density | 432 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 |
| Rumble | Yes |
| Gyroscope | Yes |
| Connectivity | |
| Storage | 128 GB UFS 3.1 |
| SD card | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (6) |
| Bluetooth | Yes (5.1) |
| USB-C | Yes |
| Video out | Yes |
| Headphone jack | Yes |
| Build | |
| Form factor | Horizontal |
| Dimensions | 165.28 x 77.62 x 16.5 - 29.3 mm |
| Weight | 215 g |
| Battery | 4000 mAh |
| Shell | Plastic |
| Speakers | Front |
| Software | |
| Operating system | Android, Linux |
| Android version | 10=>13 |
| Custom firmware | ROCKNIX, GammaOSNext |
| PortMaster | Yes |
Questions
Can the Retroid Pocket Mini play PS2 games?
Yes. PS2 scores 88 out of 100 on our emulation scale.
Can it play GameCube games?
Yes, GameCube scores 100 out of 100.
Is the Retroid Pocket Mini good for GBA?
GBA runs at full speed. At 5x it fills 78% 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 Mini cost?
It launched at about $189 in Sep 2024. Prices on the used market change, so check current listings.
Price and newer models
$189 at launch $120 to $250
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.