There have been a lot of people asking questions about the upcoming release of Anbernic’s New RG477M so I’m accumulating it all here. The real question we are trying to answer, is Anbernic going to price the RG477M outta market.
We previously posted known information and speculation around the Anbernic RG477M here in June. I said we would update once more info was available, so I’ve got that update here now.
History
I know there is some questions in the community around if this is the upgrade to the Anbernic RG405M which are valid. I however am convinced this is Anbernic’s attempt to upgrade the RG405M. Yes I understand things that made the RG405M popular like screen size and pocketability are different here.
I’m not convinced Anbernic looks at pocketability as a factor when creating their handhelds. I’m also not convinced that 0.7”’s makes a device that much less pocketable when it’s already 4”’s.
We should expect an overall upgrade to the build quality, display clarity, SOC performance and software when upgrading a handheld. We are seeing all that here.
The RG477M is coming equipped with the custom made 4.7” 120Hz 1280×960 LPS OCA display that was used on the RG Slide. This is an obvious update to the 4” 640×480 IPS Display found on dozens of handhelds today include the RG405M. I also believe this new display will likely appear on more handhelds this year as Anbernic will want to get the most outta their custom screen.
Unfortunately Anbernic is leaving the RG477M with inline shoulders and triggers, keeping things uncomfortable but more streamlined. The benefit here and argument made with the RG405M is that this makes it more pocketable.
We are also seeing a similar cast assuming aluminum shell. The build looks similar and like the RG405M the RG477M looks like it’s built for adults. The bronze color screams gaming in a law firm boardroom all day long.
The SOC is an obvious upgrade. The RG405M came equipped with the Unisoc T618. This was a good mid level SOC when released and still performs better than some of the handhelds releasing today. The RG477M is much more powerful however.
It is hard to talk to an upgrade to the software experience without having the RG477M in hand. It is however no secret that many if not most RG405M users looked to other Android/Lineage builds to get a better overall experience.
Specs
- System: Android 14
- Display: 4.7” 120Hz LPS OCA
- Resolution: 1280×960
- Processor: Dimensity 8300
- GPU: Mali G615 MC6
- RAM: 8GB/12GB LPDDR5X
- Storage: 128GB/256GB USF4.0
- WiFi: WiFi 6E
- Audio: Stereo
- I/O: BT5.3, 3.5MM, USB-C, DisplayPort
- Battery: 5300mAh
- Storage: up to 2TB Ext SD Cards
Price & Release Date
We got the pricing from reliable poster to the RH Discord ‘jutleys‘. The post has since been removed likely to an embargo that was added to the Anbernic RG477M. We were able to get a screen grab that had been reposted however.
As you could see in the specs there are 2 different versions here. The versions as is common in the Retro Handhelds space are based off of RAM and Storage size. The lower having 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. I’m not sure if other gamers have this issue but if you either play a lot of Android games, emulate PSVita, use GameHUB/Winlator, emulate Switch or a combination of mentioned , 128GB of storage disappears pretty quickly.
The following pricing and dates could change as Anbernic is already receiving some backlash from the community.
Early Bird Pricing July 29th 18:00 PDT
- 8GB RAM 128GB Storage $239.99 USD
- 12GB RAM 256GB Storage $289.99 USD
Standard Pricing
- 8GB RAM 128GB Storage $219.99 USD
- 12GB RAM 256GB Storage $269.99 USD
If you missed it the Release Date is July 29th according to the source.
The date lines up perfectly with Anbernics typical release schedule. The pricing we are seeing here is by far at the high end of our guess but not outside what we expected from Anbernic. Early bird will likely see a $5-$10USD $20 discount on the RG477M for the first 72-hours based in past releases.
The Dimensity 8300 has turned out to be a very expensive SOC relatively speaking. We saw this when the RG557 release with roughly $100USD added to the price tag over the RG556.
The 8300 SOC does perform well but unfortunately due to its Mali GPU currently lacks the ability to use external drivers. This is where Retroid has seen the advantage with their arguably weaker performing CPU’s reaching higher levels of emulation in this year’s handhelds.
This line of handhelds has traditionally been Anbernics more premium line. That said I’m struggling to see how Anbernic is going to align with their base customers releasing a handheld that is on the edge of “just get a Steam Deck bro” category.
We should start seeing updates about the Anbernic RG477M on Anbernic’s Blog shortly. Check Anbernic’s Blog here for updates to the RG477M release and other info.
Are you excited about the Anbernic RG477M? How do you feel about the pricing.
If I get an update I’ll update you.
GameOn
CellPhish
This article may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to purchase an item I may earn a commission which comes at no additional cost to you and supports future content.
