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The RG-552 is a 5.36 inch 5:3 Android handheld that plays everything up to PSP well, made by Anbernic. It came out in December 2021 at $200. Inside is the RockChip RK3399 with 4 GB of RAM.
Who it's for
Buy it if
- You want to play everything up to PSP.
- You want a 5.36 inch screen and carry it in a bag or a jacket.
Skip it if
- You want 3DS games: it does not run them.
- You only play up to PS1: handhelds under $60 do that.
RG-552 videos
What it plays
Plays up to: PSP. Chip: RockChip RK3399.
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 honestly love my RG552, beautiful screen, comfy buttons, seems quite solid too.”
“I have the RG552 and integer scaling was one huge reason I bought the device. The 1152p does divide up so well with many retro systems. While 5:3 isn't perfect I certainly consider it better than 16.9.”
“I have the RG552 and the latest release of Jelos is really amazing.”
What the specs mean
Sharpest fit: PSP
At 4x, PSP fills 94% 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
Big battery for its class
Only 16 of 103 Android handhelds in our database have a bigger battery than this 6,400 mAh (the middle one has 5,000 mAh).
Based on: Our handheld database: battery of 103 Android handhelds
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 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
- Video out to a TV
- Big 6,400 mAh battery
Not so good
- Not built for PS2 games
Screen fit
Screen: 5.36 inch, IPS, 5:3, 1920 x 1152.
| System | Original | Sharpest scale | Screen filled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game Boy | 160 x 144 | 8x (1280 x 1152) | 67% |
| GBA | 240 x 160 | 7x (1680 x 1120) | 85% |
| NES and SNES | 256 x 224 | 5x (1280 x 1120) | 65% |
| Genesis | 320 x 224 | 5x (1600 x 1120) | 81% |
| PS1 and N64 | 320 x 240 | 4x (1280 x 960) | 56% |
| DS, one screen | 256 x 192 | 6x (1536 x 1152) | 80% |
| PSP | 480 x 272 | 4x (1920 x 1088) | 94% |
Whole-number scales keep every pixel the same size. Screen 1920 x 1152.
Size
198.1 x 85.6 x 20 mm, 362 g. Too big for a jeans pocket
- RG-552 (198.1 x 85.6 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 | RockChip RK3399 |
| CPU | Cortex-A72 |
| Cores | 6 |
| Clock speed | 1.4 GHz - 1.8 GHz |
| GPU | Mali-T860 MP4 |
| RAM | 4 GB LPDDR4 |
| Cooling | Yes |
| Screen | |
| Size | 5.36" |
| Type | IPS |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1152 |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz |
| Pixel density | 417 ppi |
| Aspect ratio | 5:3 |
| Touch screen | Yes |
| 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 | 64 GB eMMC |
| SD card | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (4) |
| Bluetooth | No |
| USB-C | Yes |
| Video out | Yes |
| Headphone jack | Yes |
| Build | |
| Form factor | Horizontal |
| Dimensions | 198.1 x 85.6 x 20 mm |
| Weight | 362 g |
| Battery | 6400 mAh |
| Shell | Plastic |
| Speakers | Bottom |
| Software | |
| Operating system | Android, Linux |
| Android version | 11 |
| Custom firmware | ROCKNIX, AmberELEC, UnofficialOS |
| PortMaster | Yes |
Questions
Can the RG-552 play PS2 games?
Not well. PS2 scores 20 out of 100. It plays everything up to PSP well.
Is the RG-552 good for GBA?
GBA runs at full speed. At 7x it fills 85% of the screen with even pixels.
Does it have a headphone jack?
Yes.
How big is the battery?
6,400 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 RG-552 cost?
It launched at about $200 in Dec 2021. Prices on the used market change, so check current listings.
Price and newer models
$200 at launch $120 to $250
The newest in its line in our database, out since Dec 2021.
Compared with
Similar handhelds
Specs and emulation scores from the retrocatalog.com handheld database. The score out of 10 is our own.