XU Retro laid out their plan to design and build a handful of handhelds earlier and now we are seeing the results of their hard work.
There have been some updates to the XU35 H40 & H50 variants we will share with you. Keep in mind there isn’t a ton of info but we have seen an upgrade from the original SOC’s which they shared.
Specs
The XU35’s will both *edit XU35 H40 be using the MediaTek Helio P65 chipsets. [The XU35 H50 will be using the MTK G85 per update prior to publishing, that SOC performance is listed below] This isn’t a super powerful SOC and will give them similar performance to handhelds like the TrimUI Smart Pro running the A133P or the T618 in the Anbernic RG405M and RG505. This CPU should offer solid performance through N64 and then some other stuff trickled in.
We haven’t seen the Helio P65 used in any handhelds yet, but if it’s structure is similar to the A133P it has a chance of being a good PortMaster device if they aren’t delivered with AndroidOS installed. Aside from the power it should help keep the costs down.
The other pre-release info we know is the screen sizes. There is some debate around resolution which is difficult to determine based on the renders provided.
The XU35 in the H40 variant will have a 4” display while the H50 variant will have a 5” display. The debate around resolution stems from the H50 being either 16:9 or maybe 3:2 and if the H40 is a 1:1 or 4:3 display.
The 1:1 displays were all the rage last year but we haven’t heard much with them this year and 4:3 is kinda the sweat spot. This will vary much come down to how XU Retro wants to make their mark on the hobby. If I was betting it would be 4:3 but I have a 50/50 shot of getting it right.
XU35 H50 Update
While writing this article we recived an update around pricing, specs and the release time of the XU35 H50.
The XU35 will come equipped with a 5” 1280×720 display. It will also be equipped with the MediaTek MTK G85 SOC supported by 4GB RAM and 64GB internal memory. There will also be HallEffect Joysticks and Triggers allowing for input accuracy and reduced ability to acquire stick-drift.
The MTK G85 has been compared to the Unisoc T612 SOC with slightly higher scores, gaining 2pts in gaming on AnTuTu. This should line it up in direct competition with the recently announced Mangmi Air X (though the Mangmi is running an older Snapdragon SOC).
Not only is performance similar to the Mangmi Air X, but features across the board are close to one for one. The two handhelds are even priced about the same.
The XU35 H50 will have an Early Bird release price of $75 with it retailing for $85. That is a stellar deal for everything you get here. The XU35 H50 will also be releasing in October.
There is obviously more information coming out daily. I had to update this mu;title times while writing. It’s a very fun time for the industry and hobby alike.
I’ll get you more information as it becomes available. In the meantime checkout the links below to see more about these great handhelds. XU Retro should have the XU35 handhelds up soon.
GameOn
CellPhish
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