Can the Android-powered mini gaming device 'AYANEO Pocket S Mini' play demanding games? A review after trying Fortnite and NTE.
The ' AYANEO Pocket S Mini ' is a gaming device released in Japan on March 26, 2026. It features a Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 SoC and allows users to install Android game apps and play with a physical controller. Curious about whether it had enough performance to play demanding 3DCG games, I actually tried playing '
AYANEO Pocket S Mini | AYANEO Japan Official Website
https://www.ayaneo.jp/ayaneo-pocket-s-mini
AYANEO is a company that develops numerous Android-powered gaming devices, and the AYANEO Pocket S Mini is one of their smaller models. Despite its small size, it is equipped with all the necessary buttons for a gaming device, such as L and R triggers and analog sticks, and its metal frame gives it a premium feel. The appearance of the AYANEO Pocket S Mini is detailed in the following article.
This is what the Android-powered mini gaming device 'AYANEO Pocket S Mini' looks like - GIGAZINE
The AYANEO Pocket S Mini is equipped with Qualcomm's 'Snapdragon G3x Gen 2' SoC for portable gaming devices. The results of running the popular benchmark app ' AnTuTu Benchmark ' are shown below. The overall score was 144464, which was rated as having performance exceeding 35% of users.The score for the mid-range smartphone 'Google Pixel 10a' as of May 2026 was 1,558,603, so it can be seen that the AYANEO Pocket S Mini has performance that is slightly lower than that of a mid-range smartphone.
Below is a video of NTE being played on the AYANEO Pocket S Mini. NTE is a title with fast-paced character movements and elaborate effects, but it plays smoothly without any freezes.
I also tried playing Fortnite. Around 14 seconds into the video, when I encountered an enemy, the screen became choppy, and I lost sight of the enemy. In competitive games like Fortnite, even a slight freeze can be fatal, so I recommend using the AYANEO Pocket S Mini as a dedicated single-player gamer.
Playing Fortnite on the 'AYANEO Pocket S Mini' mini gaming device - YouTube
The AYANEO Pocket S Mini is characterized by its small body, but I was concerned about how small the screen was. The LCD display is 4.2 inches with a resolution of 1280 x 960 pixels. Compared to the iPhone 16 Pro, which has a 6.27-inch screen, it's clear that the screen is considerably smaller.
In action games like NTE, small buttons are often displayed at the edge of the screen, making it difficult to distinguish between the different types of buttons on the small screen of the AYANEO Pocket S Mini.
Also, there were times when the buttons were too small to press correctly with your fingers. When playing games on the AYANEO Pocket S Mini, it's best to familiarize yourself with the button layout beforehand by using it on another device.
An interesting feature of the AYANEO Pocket S Mini is a quick menu called 'AYAWindow.' You can access AYAWindow by pressing the AYA button located to the lower left of the right stick.
Pressing the AYA button will display the AYAWindow as an overlay on the left side of the screen. The AYAWindow can display frame rate (FPS), CPU usage, CPU temperature, GPU usage, GPU temperature, and fan speed in real time.
Finally, we measured the temperature of the AYANEO Pocket S Mini during gameplay using the infrared camera '
The ventilation holes on the back are at a 29.3-degree angle.
The part that your fingers touch is 34.5 degrees Celsius. This is lower than body temperature, but since you're constantly gripping the entire device while playing games, your hands gradually start to get warm.
The AYANEO Pocket S Mini is available on Amazon.co.jp and other retailers. As of the time of writing, the 8GB RAM/128GB storage model is priced at 83,800 yen, and the 12GB RAM/256GB storage model is priced at 92,800 yen.
Amazon.co.jp: AYANEO Pocket S Mini Domestic Official Version Android Gaming Device 4.2-inch (1280x960) LCD 4700mAh Battery Hall Trigger & Joystick Gaming Tablet (Snapdragon G3X Gen2 8GB/128GB Obsidian Black): Toys
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