A few quick notes about the device that slipped my mind in the video and some updates since posting it: The screen is definitely glass, the dust stickers in the kit are just terrible. The battery life is excellent, easily lasting you all day, though further testing is necessary as I've only had the device for a short time. Sleep mode functions perfectly, this should last for nearly a week in it. Lastly, addressing the volume issue, updating to the latest firmware has resolved it. You can find the firmware update here (this also adds saturation and other panel tweaks): github.com/trimui/firmware_smartpro/releases
You might want to mention in this pinned comment that the device has dropped to $50 USD frequently on sites like AliExpress since launch (it was that price just last week), making it the indisputable value king, shaming even devices like the RG35XX+ and Miyoo Mini Plus in terms of hardware for the money. Custom firmware support is also getting there slowly, with Knulli (batocera port) in Alpha, and Min UI now officially support it.
I chose this device over others of similar size based solely on looks. That was four months ago and I have no regrets. Its definitely an awesome device for vertical arcade gaming!
Can the vertical mode be use either way so it can use D-Pad instead of the analogue stick? It’s the most attractive thing about it for me, I currently have a gameforce chi which performance wise is more or less the same territory.
@@weyoun6535 Yes, I generally play vertical games using the d-pad on top with the buttons on bottom, it makes the device much more stable in my hands. Some games you may have to use the "video/output/rotate" way instead of "TATE" mode to set up that way.
@@darkbulbs absolutely, just make sure there are plenty of sales & reviews on the shop page you are on. The pages are individual business based so that is who you are buying from.
Great review. I liked that you covered price and visited to vendor. The temperature checks were very interesting as well. Like to see this with custom firmware and if it can be used for streaming games from a gaming pc. Thanks for the good work!
nice video of this system I'm thinking of getting one of these I have the retroid pocket 2 plus and I love it and had no problems with it hopefully I'll like this to when I buy one😊
Im another canuck eying this bad boy up and think your video convinced me to grab one. I have a 35XX (original) and just something about having a bigger screen seems much much more appealing for SNES and GBA games. And I agree, hard to find it for under $100 CAD
I do have one of these and while I would recommend it, I unfortunately already have an RP3 (not plus) which beats this handheld in almost every category feature-for-feature so if you can find that second hand for around $80-$90 get it instead of this
That GB Color footage looks like it has Color Correction enabled - an option in retroarch to simulate the dampened colours of the original un-backlit screen.
I've tried the 35xx but not the 35xx h. Every Anbernic panel I've tried has some odd tint with yellows, they don't look as accurate as mentioned in the review.
@@KeiRetroGaming Got it thanks. I've got a MM+ already and had no panel issues like you mentioned. It's a shame you had a bad one because they are a great little device. I was looking at a sub $100 for the wife, wondering on the Trim, H or MM+ so your review was well timed. Thanks!
Glad to help! My recommendation would definitely be the TrimUI Smart Pro between the three. After an easy update it's basically good to go out of the box.
Theres a neat build by a specific company (tech dweeb covers it) that adds portmaster and a different interface, its enough to have me thinking of selling my original and grabbing that 100 dollar console with the included game/ui card. Its all setup from a reputable ui, better than kinolli and tomato os i believe and more supported/ updated than those, especially tomato.
That particular brand of screen protector has terrible dust removal stickers. They have done the same thing to me on my phone that is definitely glass. It will stick hard and then leave sticker residue. I noticed those stickers get worse as they age too. Most of the time I just use a piece of packing tape to remove dust these days since it doesn't stick so aggressively. I'm pretty sure the screen lense on this device is glass by the way.
Great review. I'm not really into this device and don't really get why they went for vita sticks? The plastic screen is kind of weird too but I guess you can't expect too much from a budget device.
IMO the Vita sticks are less of the issue than them being inset so much. I get wanting to go for pocketability but Vita sticks at their normal height feel much nicer than these
It was mostly the way that stickers adhered to the screen and the feeling it had on the front. Felt like plastic. Maybe they're shipping some with glass?
I have a question. I’m considering getting this device but I really want to know if Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story is playable on this device. The game requires a microphone input in some parts but I heard the microphone doesn’t work on it. Is it possible to use a fake microphone input to get through those parts of the game? I’d appreciate any info on this because I can’t justify buying this otherwise.
you should buy an SD card, not because of the performance but because the cards that come with these devices tend to be super cheap and prone to randomly kicking the bucket out of nowhere
Hi, Im new to handhelds, I see there ar emultiple options for this handheld, (no card, 64gb, 128gb) which one should I get? is 128gb enough and how many games do you get?
I would just get the 64gb option and put your own games on there. The micro SD card is set up in a very particular way so I'd copy the files from the 64 over to a brand name card.
Since bittboy 10 years ago these devices haven't had any problem up through gba. Stop taking 5 minutes to tell us it runs Gameboy with no latency 😂 Sa2 on Dreamcast is a good test. Just go straight to that
this device was sent to me by... but it's my own opinion. best device under 100 dollars. of course! your independent, own opinion. others don't find the device particularly good. weird.
RG35XX plays all PS1 games, MOST ds/dreamcast/64 games, and even some PSP games. you're just biased because u had a quality assurance issue with one anbernic device
As I wanted to give it another chance I bought a new one to take a look at in a future review. I was an avid user of the 35xx until it just died. Excited to see how the 35xx plus stacks up to the TrimUI Smart Pro.
@@KeiRetroGaming great to hear that you're giving it another chance! ill admit im a bit biased myself since the RG35XX+ is the only handheld emulator i own. But ive been nothing short of impressed with the performance. I hear stock OS has a bit better compatibility with the higher demanding systems but i really love using Batocera. the only place i got frustrated with was PSP because its hit or miss depending on the title. the added Wi-Fi and bluetooth for the Plus is a great benefit to! i love being able to plug it into my tv, bluetooth it to a controller and im playing any game on PS1 in minutes AND earning RetroAchievements! its hard to find a better deal for
@@KeiRetroGaming did ur OG RG35XX die because of the "USB" charging issue? that was the only thing that kind of bothered me about the device. if you use a charging block thats too powerful u can brick the battery.
I think the charging is what bricked the battery yeah. I remember when I first picked up the 35xx, I instantly liked it more than the mini I had at the time. I even put a nice decal on the front and it looked great (old video though so audio isn't the best): th-cam.com/video/BUelZqFkli8/w-d-xo.html
@@KeiRetroGaming those decals look pretty good and super affordable! I'll definitely be picking one up! thanks for being responsive and an honest reviewer! you just earned another subscriber and a few more likes. keep up the good work, friend!
A few quick notes about the device that slipped my mind in the video and some updates since posting it: The screen is definitely glass, the dust stickers in the kit are just terrible. The battery life is excellent, easily lasting you all day, though further testing is necessary as I've only had the device for a short time. Sleep mode functions perfectly, this should last for nearly a week in it. Lastly, addressing the volume issue, updating to the latest firmware has resolved it. You can find the firmware update here (this also adds saturation and other panel tweaks): github.com/trimui/firmware_smartpro/releases
You might want to mention in this pinned comment that the device has dropped to $50 USD frequently on sites like AliExpress since launch (it was that price just last week), making it the indisputable value king, shaming even devices like the RG35XX+ and Miyoo Mini Plus in terms of hardware for the money.
Custom firmware support is also getting there slowly, with Knulli (batocera port) in Alpha, and Min UI now officially support it.
I got this for $50 on sale and I'm very happy for price to performance. Very solid PSP performance
I chose this device over others of similar size based solely on looks. That was four months ago and I have no regrets. Its definitely an awesome device for vertical arcade gaming!
Can the vertical mode be use either way so it can use D-Pad instead of the analogue stick? It’s the most attractive thing about it for me, I currently have a gameforce chi which performance wise is more or less the same territory.
@@weyoun6535 Yes, I generally play vertical games using the d-pad on top with the buttons on bottom, it makes the device much more stable in my hands.
Some games you may have to use the "video/output/rotate" way instead of "TATE" mode to set up that way.
Safe to buy from Aliexpress?
@@darkbulbs absolutely, just make sure there are plenty of sales & reviews on the shop page you are on. The pages are individual business based so that is who you are buying from.
Lovely review. Quite informative and very thorough. I just snagged one with a 64gig SD card for 49USD on Aliexpress.
Not a bad deal! Hope you like it.
Great review. I liked that you covered price and visited to vendor. The temperature checks were very interesting as well.
Like to see this with custom firmware and if it can be used for streaming games from a gaming pc.
Thanks for the good work!
your videos are really awesome! Very professional and informative, fantastic work!
nice video of this system I'm thinking of getting one of these I have the retroid pocket 2 plus and I love it and had no problems with it hopefully I'll like this to when I buy one😊
Im another canuck eying this bad boy up and think your video convinced me to grab one. I have a 35XX (original) and just something about having a bigger screen seems much much more appealing for SNES and GBA games. And I agree, hard to find it for under $100 CAD
I think you'll be pretty impressed with it, but I'd be interested to hear what you think when it arrives. Hope you found a good deal on one.
I do have one of these and while I would recommend it, I unfortunately already have an RP3 (not plus) which beats this handheld in almost every category feature-for-feature so if you can find that second hand for around $80-$90 get it instead of this
Why bother buying it then.. Surely you knew the rp3 was superior 🤷♂️
@doozeruk2000 I have a problem 😭 Maybe i'll give it to a friend as a gift
with 30-35$ i can't complains xD good
That GB Color footage looks like it has Color Correction enabled - an option in retroarch to simulate the dampened colours of the original un-backlit screen.
Oh I'll have to take a look at that, thanks! I definitely want to disable it.
Great review, Don't suppose you have or have tried a 35xx H? I was looking at possibly one of these two to purchase in the near future.
I've tried the 35xx but not the 35xx h. Every Anbernic panel I've tried has some odd tint with yellows, they don't look as accurate as mentioned in the review.
@@KeiRetroGaming Got it thanks. I've got a MM+ already and had no panel issues like you mentioned. It's a shame you had a bad one because they are a great little device.
I was looking at a sub $100 for the wife, wondering on the Trim, H or MM+ so your review was well timed. Thanks!
Glad to help! My recommendation would definitely be the TrimUI Smart Pro between the three. After an easy update it's basically good to go out of the box.
Theres a neat build by a specific company (tech dweeb covers it) that adds portmaster and a different interface, its enough to have me thinking of selling my original and grabbing that 100 dollar console with the included game/ui card. Its all setup from a reputable ui, better than kinolli and tomato os i believe and more supported/ updated than those, especially tomato.
Gonna buy 2 for myself and my son for an upcoming long flight, it's going for 50 bucks now so why not?
Great purchase for a flight. I'm sure you guys will have a blast playing them. Decide which colors you're going with?
@@KeiRetroGaming I'm gonna go with black for myself and White for my son, definitely looks like a good handheld especially for the price
where are you ordering from?
@@darkbulbs I got mine from AliExpress
That particular brand of screen protector has terrible dust removal stickers. They have done the same thing to me on my phone that is definitely glass. It will stick hard and then leave sticker residue. I noticed those stickers get worse as they age too. Most of the time I just use a piece of packing tape to remove dust these days since it doesn't stick so aggressively. I'm pretty sure the screen lense on this device is glass by the way.
That's great to know! I won't use those dust stickers if I buy from them again.
Great review. I'm not really into this device and don't really get why they went for vita sticks? The plastic screen is kind of weird too but I guess you can't expect too much from a budget device.
I think they were really aiming for ultra pocketability with those joysticks. But yeah it's an odd choice.
IMO the Vita sticks are less of the issue than them being inset so much. I get wanting to go for pocketability but Vita sticks at their normal height feel much nicer than these
Does it comes with NDS games Puzzle Quest and Puzzle Quest 2? :)
Hey thanks for the video. How can you tell that it’s a plastic screen? I have one and it seems like normal glass to me. Thanks!
It was mostly the way that stickers adhered to the screen and the feeling it had on the front. Felt like plastic. Maybe they're shipping some with glass?
I have a question. I’m considering getting this device but I really want to know if Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story is playable on this device. The game requires a microphone input in some parts but I heard the microphone doesn’t work on it. Is it possible to use a fake microphone input to get through those parts of the game? I’d appreciate any info on this because I can’t justify buying this otherwise.
Great review but one thing to note is that the screen is glass, not plastic.
Yep sorry for the mistake, just bad dust stickers apparently. I'll update the pinned comment.
Should I buy a sd card with high reading and writing speed for trimui for better performance?
you should buy an SD card, not because of the performance but because the cards that come with these devices tend to be super cheap and prone to randomly kicking the bucket out of nowhere
Hi, Im new to handhelds, I see there ar emultiple options for this handheld, (no card, 64gb, 128gb) which one should I get? is 128gb enough and how many games do you get?
I would just get the 64gb option and put your own games on there. The micro SD card is set up in a very particular way so I'd copy the files from the 64 over to a brand name card.
@@KeiRetroGaming do you get a lot of games if you get the 128gb version?
It's never worth buying the bigger included micro SD for the games.
@@KeiRetroGamingThat depends on who you are and what kind of pc/internet access you have.
i think yours is not on the latest firmware, mine already has bluetooth enabled
Are you sure that the screen is really plastic and didn't just have a plastic screen protector on it? A lot of people claim that it is glass
It's glass. I updated the pinned comment.
good job
Since bittboy 10 years ago these devices haven't had any problem up through gba.
Stop taking 5 minutes to tell us it runs Gameboy with no latency 😂
Sa2 on Dreamcast is a good test. Just go straight to that
I dont know whether to get this one the 35xxh or the rg40xx h
I would get the TrimUI Smart Pro over the other two personally.
Is the firmware on the SD card? Or is it just games on the card
Just the games.
Can I download Sony 2 games and how?
If you mean PS2 games then no you can’t.
Are this device have wifi?
Yep! It supports Wi-Fi but no 5ghz band unfortunately so you likely wouldn't want to use it for streaming.
@@KeiRetroGaming unfortunatly i feel over heat on screen .my finger is burn
I bought this and wasn’t great then it stop turning on get ANBERNIC 405M OR RP4 PRO
both those devices are double the cost of the TMS, you can't compare them.
4x the cost
its a shame most of these devices still cant match the value of a ps vita.
A used ps vita is alot more expensive so not comparable
this device was sent to me by... but it's my own opinion. best device under 100 dollars. of course! your independent, own opinion. others don't find the device particularly good. weird.
you dont expect $100 device to play dreamcast lol. >< come man its an allwinner a133
Test psp games
This is 40 dollar
Theres no wsy u pulled put a heat gun to complain ts crazy literal baby
RG35XX plays all PS1 games, MOST ds/dreamcast/64 games, and even some PSP games. you're just biased because u had a quality assurance issue with one anbernic device
As I wanted to give it another chance I bought a new one to take a look at in a future review. I was an avid user of the 35xx until it just died. Excited to see how the 35xx plus stacks up to the TrimUI Smart Pro.
@@KeiRetroGaming great to hear that you're giving it another chance! ill admit im a bit biased myself since the RG35XX+ is the only handheld emulator i own. But ive been nothing short of impressed with the performance. I hear stock OS has a bit better compatibility with the higher demanding systems but i really love using Batocera. the only place i got frustrated with was PSP because its hit or miss depending on the title. the added Wi-Fi and bluetooth for the Plus is a great benefit to! i love being able to plug it into my tv, bluetooth it to a controller and im playing any game on PS1 in minutes AND earning RetroAchievements! its hard to find a better deal for
@@KeiRetroGaming did ur OG RG35XX die because of the "USB" charging issue? that was the only thing that kind of bothered me about the device. if you use a charging block thats too powerful u can brick the battery.
I think the charging is what bricked the battery yeah. I remember when I first picked up the 35xx, I instantly liked it more than the mini I had at the time. I even put a nice decal on the front and it looked great (old video though so audio isn't the best):
th-cam.com/video/BUelZqFkli8/w-d-xo.html
@@KeiRetroGaming those decals look pretty good and super affordable! I'll definitely be picking one up! thanks for being responsive and an honest reviewer! you just earned another subscriber and a few more likes. keep up the good work, friend!
RG35xx is better 😎
So small
all you do is mumble
Youre deaf af lmao