There’s no shortage of weird and wonderful gaming handhelds in 2025, but the Sugar Cubes N97 Elite might be one of the most peculiar. Inspired by the famous Nokia N97 – you know, the 2009 cell phone with the sliding screen – the device has just arrived in China, and despite a mixed reception so far, we can’t help but be a little intrigued by its form factor and emulation potential.
While it might not look like a gaming powerhouse, the Sugar Cubes N97 Elite has a surprisingly impressive specs sheet, even when compared with some of the top picks from our guide to the best retro handhelds. It packs 512GB of storage, 12GB of RAM, a 4.7-inch adjustable display, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ chip. Admittedly, that Snapdragon chip is hardly brand new, arriving back in 2019, but it should still be capable enough of running some of the best mobile games, especially those that don’t demand too much of a device’s processor.
However, there are a couple of more concerning drawbacks to this fascinating little handheld. For a start, there’s no analog stick, just a D-pad. While this might not be a problem if you’re playing games from the 90s, most modern titles rely on multi-directional movement thanks to the almost universal use of analog sticks. The buttons also look very small, which isn’t ideal if you’re playing something that requires precise inputs. Simply put, while I can imagine playing something like the original Metal Gear on this thing, it doesn’t seem nearly as ideal for games such as Hades or Vampire Survivors.
It’s worth saying that we don’t know whether we can expect a global release for the N97 Elite, as Sugar Cubes doesn’t quite have the pull of bigger Chinese handheld brands such as Ayaneo or Retroid. Still, given the device is currently retailing for CNY 1,499, the equivalent of just over $200, we’d love to see it get a wider launch and compete with the likes of the Retroid Pocket 5 and the Anbernic RG556.
Of course, we’ll keep an eye out to see if the Sugar Cuber N97 Elite comes to more regions, and we’ll be keen to get our hands on one if it does. For now, find some more great gaming tech with our guides to the best handheld consoles and the best gaming tablets, with plenty of options to suit all needs and budgets. Or, if you’re looking for a new phone to play games like Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail on, see our list of the best gaming phones.