Best Retro Gaming Handhelds · head-to-head

Retroid Pocket 5 vs AYN Thor

A sourced, side-by-side comparison. Retroid Pocket 5 is cheaper at $199. Every spec and price links to its source.

Which is better: the Retroid Pocket 5 or AYN Thor?

The AYN Thor wins 2 of the 2 specs we compare head to head; the other wins 0.

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Key specs, head to head

The numbers that decide it, drawn to scale — longer bar wins, the accent bar is the stronger figure.

Refresh rate (Hz)
Retroid Pocket 5 60
AYN Thor 120
Battery capacity (mAh)
Retroid Pocket 5 5000
AYN Thor 6000

Full spec sheet

marks the stronger figure where "more" — or "less", for price and weight — is unambiguously better.

Spec Retroid Pocket 5 AYN Thor
US price $199
BrandRetroidAYN
Released2024-09
Screen size (in) 5.5 6
Screen resolution 1920 x 1080 1080x1920
Panel type AMOLED AMOLED
Refresh rate (Hz) 60 120
Soc Snapdragon 865 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
RAM (GB) 8 8
Internal storage (GB) 128 128
Battery capacity (mAh) 5000 6000
Battery life hrs
Operating system Android 13 Android 13
Weight grams 280 380
Has Wi-Fi Yes Yes

Sources — Retroid Pocket 5: goretroid.com (verified 2026-07-11). AYN Thor: ayntec.com (verified 2026-07-11).

What's the difference between the Retroid Pocket 5 and AYN Thor?

Where the two actually differ on the specs we track (6 of 12). Matching specs are omitted.

  • Screen size (in): Retroid Pocket 5 5.5 vs AYN Thor 6
  • Screen resolution: Retroid Pocket 5 1920 x 1080 vs AYN Thor 1080x1920
  • Refresh rate (Hz): Retroid Pocket 5 60 vs AYN Thor 120
  • Soc: Retroid Pocket 5 Snapdragon 865 vs AYN Thor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
  • Battery capacity (mAh): Retroid Pocket 5 5000 vs AYN Thor 6000
  • Weight grams: Retroid Pocket 5 280 vs AYN Thor 380

What reviewers say

Sourced tester consensus for each — the "what people who used it think" layer, not just specs.

Retroid Pocket 5

Only one whitelisted tester, Engadget, published a hands-on evaluation of this exact model (Retroid Pocket 5). Engadget names it the best mobile emulation handheld for most people, praising its 1080p OLED screen, sturdy build and capable PS2/GameCube emulation, but flags heavy emulator tinkering and an awkward left-stick-under-d-pad layout. (1 sourced review, 1 lab-tested.)

Praised: 1080p OLED display looks vibrant, sharp and bright; Capable PS2/GameCube emulation and Android gaming for the price; Sturdy, portable build with good buttons and Hall-effect sticks.

Flagged: Requires extensive tinkering to get some emulators working optimally; Left joystick sits under the d-pad, awkward for modern games; Active cooling fan gets noisy at its highest setting.

AYN Thor

No sourced tester review yet.

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