This Tiny $89 Handheld Looks Like a Game Boy

Ayaneo has opened preorders for the Konkr Pocket Block at $79, with a list price starting at $89. The company says shipping will start by the end of October. Engadget

Konkr is a sub-brand of Ayaneo. The Pocket Block is an upright handheld shaped like a Game Boy. It runs Android, the phone software many people know, and Ayaneo describes it as combining classic retro design with modern technology. AYANEO

The design is simple. There is no thumbstick. It has a D-pad for up, down, left and right moves, plus face buttons and shoulder buttons. That matches handhelds from the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The screen is a 3.3-inch LCD with a 960 x 720 picture and a squarish 4:3 shape, like an old TV. The processor is an MTK Helio G85 chip, a common mid-range phone chip. The base model has 2GB of memory with 32GB of storage. The other model has 3GB of memory with 64GB of storage.

It has a 3.5mm headphone jack, a microSD slot to add storage, and a USB-C port. It supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The official product page is live on Ayaneo's site. AYANEO

Price and color are linked. The 2GB plus 32GB model starts at $89 and comes only in gray. The 3GB plus 64GB version starts at $99 and comes in gray, purple and white.

Ayaneo called the Pocket Block the "world's first AI handheld" when it was first announced.

The broader context here is what was left out. No thumbstick and a small square screen keep the inside simpler, use less power and cost less to build. In plain terms, this is a pocket device for older games and light Android apps, not for modern twin-stick 3D games.

In my view, the chip and memory tell the same story. Storage space sets a clear limit. The two-model split is practical. Gray-only holds the $89 entry price, while $99 buys more room and color choice. Worth flagging is that at this price, small memory differences matter more than on costly hardware, especially for background apps and saved media.

Looking at what this means for buyers, price does most of the work. At $79 to $89, it is cheap enough as a second device if you already own a phone, PC or handheld. I have watched my own children carry and drop small gadgets on that basis. Low cost invites daily carry, and daily carry decides if an unusual shape survives.

The "world's first AI handheld" label needs a careful read. Ayaneo has not detailed a specific on-device model or system-level AI feature in the listed specs, which cover display, chip, memory, storage and connectivity. Until software is documented, it is safest to judge it as a cheap Android retro handheld with modern connections, with AI treated as positioning rather than capability.