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The RG-351M is a 3.5 inch 3:2 Linux handheld that plays everything up to DS (no touchscreen) well, made by Anbernic. It came out in January 2021 at $140. Inside is the RockChip RK3326 with 1 GB of RAM.
Who it's for
Buy it if
- You want to play everything up to DS, plus some PSP.
- You want it in a jeans pocket: the front is 151.5 x 70 mm.
Skip it if
- You want N64 games: it scores 50 out of 100, so many games struggle.
- You only play up to PS1: handhelds under $60 do that.
RG-351M videos
What it plays
Plays up to: DS (no touchscreen). Chip: RockChip RK3326.
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 thought my rg351m was toast because it died even though it was plugged in.”
“I've had my rg351m for about a week and I love playing GBA games on it!”
“I have an RG351M which is much too big to be a good recommendation.”
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
GBA at exactly 2x
240 x 160 times 2 is the screen's own 480 x 320, so GBA 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 22 other handhelds
The RockChip RK3326 also powers the Anbernic RG 35, BATLEXP G350, D-007, GAMEMT E6 and more. The same chip means similar speed, though memory and cooling can differ.
Based on: Our handheld database (chip field)
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)
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 without touch
There is no touch screen, so DS games that need the stylus use a pointer moved by a stick.
Based on: Layout data: no touch screen
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 DS (no touchscreen) well
- Metal shell
Not so good
- N64 games can struggle
- No video out
Screen fit
Screen: 3.5 inch, IPS, 3:2, 320 x 480.
| System | Original | Sharpest scale | Screen filled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game Boy | 160 x 144 | 2x (320 x 288) | 60% |
| GBA | 240 x 160 | 2x (480 x 320) | 100% |
| NES and SNES | 256 x 224 | 1x (256 x 224) | 37% |
| Genesis | 320 x 224 | 1x (320 x 224) | 47% |
| PS1 and N64 | 320 x 240 | 1x (320 x 240) | 50% |
| DS, one screen | 256 x 192 | 1x (256 x 192) | 32% |
| PSP | 480 x 272 | 1x (480 x 272) | 85% |
Whole-number scales keep every pixel the same size. Bold rows fill the screen with a perfect fit. Screen 320 x 480.
Size
151.5 x 70 x 18 mm, 271 g. Fits a jeans pocket
- RG-351M (151.5 x 70 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 | RockChip RK3326 |
| CPU | Cortex-A35 |
| Cores | 4 |
| Clock speed | 1.3 GHz - 1.5 GHz |
| GPU | Mali-G31 MP2 |
| RAM | 1 GB DDR3 |
| Cooling | Yes |
| Screen | |
| Size | 3.5" |
| Type | IPS |
| Resolution | 320 x 480 |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz |
| Pixel density | 164 ppi |
| Aspect ratio | 3:2 |
| Dual screen | No |
| Controls | |
| D-pad | Cross, Upper placement |
| Analog sticks | Yes |
| Stick layout | Double, symetrical |
| L3 / R3 | Yes |
| Shoulder buttons | Side By Side |
| Rumble | Yes |
| Gyroscope | No |
| Connectivity | |
| Storage | External MicroSD |
| SD card | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (?) |
| Bluetooth | No |
| USB-C | Yes |
| Video out | No |
| Headphone jack | Yes |
| Build | |
| Form factor | Horizontal |
| Dimensions | 151.5 x 70 x 18 mm |
| Weight | 271 g |
| Battery | 3500 mAh |
| Shell | Metal (Aluminum), (Plastic side panels) |
| Speakers | Bottom |
| Software | |
| Operating system | Linux |
| Android version | 11) |
| Custom firmware | ROCKNIX, AmberELEC, UnofficialOS, 351Droid |
| PortMaster | Yes |
Questions
Can the RG-351M play PS2 games?
Not well. PS2 scores 0 out of 100. It plays everything up to DS (no touchscreen) well.
Is the RG-351M good for GBA?
Yes. GBA games scale to exactly 2x and fill the whole 320 x 480 screen.
Does it have a headphone jack?
Yes.
How big is the battery?
3,500 mAh. The middle Linux and other handheld in our database has 3,000 mAh.
Can it connect to a TV?
No, it has no video out.
How much does the RG-351M cost?
It launched at about $140 in Jan 2021. Prices on the used market change, so check current listings.
Price and newer models
$140 at launch $120 to $250
The newest in its line in our database, out since Jan 2021.
Compared with
Similar handhelds
Specs and emulation scores from the retrocatalog.com handheld database. The score out of 10 is our own.