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The TRIMUI Smart is a 2.4 inch 4:3 Linux handheld that plays everything up to PS1 well. It came out in August 2022 at $40. Inside is the Allwinner S3 with 128 MB of RAM.
Who it's for
Buy it if
- You want to play everything up to PS1.
- You want it in a jeans pocket: the front is 110 x 58 mm.
Skip it if
- You want N64 games: it does not run them.
- You use wired headphones: there is no headphone jack.
TRIMUI Smart videos
What it plays
Plays up to: PS1. Chip: Allwinner S3.
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 have a TrimUI Smart, and it's my favorite of the bunch so far.”
“I have the trimui smart with minui and it has been my favorite handheld by far.”
“The rest feel mostly the same but for whatever reason my Trimui Smart feels more indestructible than all my other non-metal handhelds. Yes it's cheap but it just feels solid, like I could throw it across the room and it'd be fine.”
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 1x
320 x 240 times 1 is the screen's own 320 x 240, 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 12 of 117 Linux and other handhelds in our database have a smaller battery than this 1,200 mAh (the middle one has 3,000 mAh). The heavier the system you run, the sooner it runs out.
Based on: Our handheld database: battery of 117 Linux and other handhelds
Only one pair of shoulder buttons
PS1 games that use L2 and R2 need those moved to other buttons.
Based on: Layout data; the PS1 controller has four shoulder buttons
No analog sticks
N64 games and later PS1 games were made for a stick. Here they run on the d-pad, which works for some and ruins others.
Based on: Layout data; N64 and PS1 DualShock games use analog control
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
No headphone jack
Audio goes over Bluetooth or the speakers. Bluetooth adds a delay you can notice in rhythm games.
Based on: Layout data; Bluetooth audio latency is a known limit of the standard
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 PS1 well
- Low price
Not so good
- No analog sticks
- N64 games can struggle
- No video out
- Small 1,200 mAh battery
Screen fit
Screen: 2.4 inch, IPS, 4:3, 320 x 240.
| System | Original | Sharpest scale | Screen filled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game Boy | 160 x 144 | 1x (160 x 144) | 30% |
| GBA | 240 x 160 | 1x (240 x 160) | 50% |
| NES and SNES | 256 x 224 | 1x (256 x 224) | 75% |
| Genesis | 320 x 224 | 1x (320 x 224) | 93% |
| PS1 and N64 | 320 x 240 | 1x (320 x 240) | 100% |
| DS, one screen | 256 x 192 | 1x (256 x 192) | 64% |
Whole-number scales keep every pixel the same size. Bold rows fill the screen with a perfect fit. Screen 320 x 240.
Size
110 x 58 x 15 mm, 100 g. Fits a jeans pocket
- TRIMUI Smart (110 x 58 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 | Allwinner S3 |
| CPU | Cortex-A7 |
| Cores | 1 |
| Clock speed | 1.2 GHz - 1.5 GHz |
| RAM | 128 MB LPDDR3 |
| Cooling | No |
| Screen | |
| Size | 2.4" |
| Type | IPS |
| Resolution | 320 x 240 |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz |
| Pixel density | 166 ppi |
| Aspect ratio | 4:3 |
| Dual screen | No |
| Controls | |
| D-pad | Cross, Upper placement |
| Analog sticks | No |
| Stick layout | No Thumbsticks |
| Shoulder buttons | No L2/R2 |
| Rumble | No |
| Gyroscope | No |
| Connectivity | |
| Storage | 8 GB eMMC |
| SD card | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (4) |
| Bluetooth | Yes (4.0) |
| USB-C | Yes |
| Video out | No |
| Headphone jack | No |
| Build | |
| Form factor | Horizontal |
| Dimensions | 110 x 58 x 15 mm |
| Weight | 100 g |
| Battery | 1200 mAh |
| Shell | Plastic |
| Speakers | Front |
| Software | |
| Operating system | Linux |
| Custom firmware | MinUI |
Questions
Can the TRIMUI Smart play PS2 games?
Not well. PS2 scores 0 out of 100. It plays everything up to PS1 well.
Is the TRIMUI Smart good for GBA?
GBA runs at full speed. At 1x it fills 50% of the screen with even pixels.
Does it have a headphone jack?
No. Use Bluetooth headphones or the speakers.
How big is the battery?
1,200 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 TRIMUI Smart cost?
It launched at about $40 in Aug 2022. Prices on the used market change, so check current listings.
Price and newer models
$40 at launch Under $60
Newer in the same line: the TRIMUI Smart Pro (Nov 2023) and the TRIMUI Smart Pro S (Dec 2025). 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.