Following a teaser last week, the Retroid Pocket 6 is now official, by means of a no-frills reveal on social media. Despite the lack of fanfare, this new Android gaming handheld looks like it might be worth shouting about, boasting an improved design and souped-up hardware, but no
For those who don't know, last year's Retroid Pocket 5 is still a top pick from our guide to the best retro handhelds, thanks in part to its low price and impressive performance. It looks like we can expect more of the same from the Pocket 6. The new device features a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, which is a significantly more powerful chip than the Snapdragon 865 in the 5, and is launching for just $229.99, or $209.99 for early birds who pre-order online.
Outside of the price and processor, the Retroid Pocket 6 has a few notable design differences from its predecessors, most notably a selection of buttons underneath the display and a more rounded shell that should make it a little more comfortable to hold. However, despite the clamor from users for change, the left-sided thumbstick remains below the d-pad. As a fan of the Pocket 5, I've never had a problem with the thumbstick placement, but I can see how it might be more frustrating for fans of FPS games, racing games, or those with Nintendo Switch muscle memory.
If all that wasn't enough, the Pocket 6 has a bigger 6,000mAh battery, allowing for even longer gaming sessions without having to reach for your charger. As for colors, there are more options to pick from compared to the Pocket 5, including black, orange, turquoise, light purple, silver, and 16-bit, the last of which is essentially white with different colored buttons. It's also worth noting that while the $229.99 version comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, you can pay slightly more and get an even more souped-up handheld with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It all depends on how much space you need.
As ever, we'll be keen to get our hands on the Retroid Pocket 6 to see how it runs all the best mobile games. We might have a little while to wait, though, with shipping not kicking off until January 2026, according to the official Retroid site. If you're looking for some top-tier hardware in the meantime, be sure to check out our guides to the best gaming phones and the best gaming tablets while you're here.