AYANEO Air 1S Review: It Finally Makes Sense
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 พ.ค. 2024
- The new AYANEO Air 1S is the first "Air" device that actually makes sense. With an OLED screen and the powerful (and efficient) Ryzen 7 7840U chipset inside, this handheld PC finally achieves an excellent balance in size, performance, and battery life. The last question that remains is whether this extreme portability is worth some noteworthy compromises to achieve this small form factor.
More info here: www.indiegogo.com/projects/ay...
This was a review unit sent to me by the manufacturer. All opinions are my own, they did not see this review ahead of time, and no money was exchanged in any way.
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Timestamps:
00:00 introduction
02:19 tech specs and pricing
05:32 controls and ergonomics
09:08 unboxing, fan noise, and audio
11:59 size and weight comparisons
14:17 AYASPACE 2 app
18:44 PC game testing
22:23 emulation testing
27:05 JELOS (Linux) demonstration
28:32 battery life
30:44 summary (likes and dislikes)
32:30 conclusion
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#AYANEO #handheldPC #PCgaming #steamdeck #emulation - เกม
One thing I forgot to film is how the screen performs in bright conditions. Since this device is so portable, how it looks outside might be an important factor in your buying decision. Here is a clip of me testing it in outdoor (but shaded) and direct sunlight conditions. Overall I would say it'll be just fine in the shade, but like with just about every other device on the market, it's not going to be a great experience in direct sunlight. imgur.com/a/PB0sgWQ
Love all the content! Especially the RetroArch Starter Guides...really useful. As someone whose childhood was around the SNES and NES camps id be interested to know whats in your 'Retro Gaming Highlights / Rom Folder'. As it would be a real eye opener to perhaps some gems i missed....would be a great video.... :) Which ROMS do you move over to your devices?
Straight up bonafides when I heard that phrase
Hi, when you receive the prototype of the ayaneo slide ?
"It's a hadoukenable, but not shoryukenable d-pad" - What a great way to describe that d-pad 😂
Needs to become the standard when reviewing dpads
there’s also the contra test, where you crouch low in contra on the nes and jiggle the dpad left and right. if you stand up during the test, you lose.
its is kenough...
not really. I don't play any fighting games and this makes zero sense to me. contra test I understand
@@Kyss007 thats not even a matter of not playing fighting games, that’s just you being completely out of touch.
This is the size I want. Even though the steam deck is more powerful I still always go back to my switch because its lighter and I just enjoy using it more and holding it.
Never been a part of a premiere before, this is awesome!!
Welcome!
I'm strongly tempted by this device. I love the form factor and the OLED screen, but I can't get over how good the Onexfly is looking! Great review, as always, thanks!
I'm waiting to see the aokzoe a2 as well, looks just as compact as the onexfly, but has a sleeker bezeless design, would be awesome if it ends up having an oled screen as well
Thanks for the video Russ! Seriously considering selling my GPD Win Max 2 for this. Love my Win Max, but Aya Space 2, OLED, form factor, and the level of polish Aya demonstrates, is slowly convincing me to switch devices.
On the subject of sound, remember that previous Ayaneo Air devices were eligible for a free speaker upgrade. It doesn’t excuse the release sound quality, but the upgrade is better. I’d imagine the sound between old and new is exactly the same, with upgrade.
I truly want this new Air, but my old one is still going strong. It’s been my favourite handheld to use so far, just so small and that screen is nice.
Not at the end of this one yet, but got to say your handheld reviews are the best around.
the fact that they jammed a 7840U chipset on a device that small is nuts :o
Yup, we really are getting into peak computing. It's wild.
Do u do award ceremonies? Like which handheld pc has the best battery life or has the best screen etc? I'd be very interested your take on specific aspects on a handheld pc and your views of which deserves your vote
I think the thing that stands out most about this for me is the fact that a 4 terabyte drive is an option.
While I generally believe that any PC that's purely about gaming and nothing else doesn't really need more than 2TBs of storage, the 4TB option starts to actually make some sense when you look at M.2 storage pricing.
The cost of a 4TB M.2 2280 drive costs about as much as a 2TB drive did 2-3 years ago. Storage is dirt cheap right now.
@@watchmejumpstart69 Dude, with a 2TB drive you can literally install roughly 20 100GB games and you can easily put you console ROMs onto a Micro SD card.
Are you seriously telling me that you need more than 20 100GB games at one time on your internal drive? Seriously?
I have a 1TB drive in my Steam Deck and I'm perfectly happy with it...
Yeah, that's awesome. I have one in my rog Ally.
@@pieceofschmidtgamerFirst time?
Incredibly good looking and powerful. That oled and and form factor are untouchable also.
AYANEO needs to work on that screen size. :D
I absolutely love the Air/Air Pro/Air 1S form-factor.
I loved the Air Pro but my old eyes don't work for the 5.5" screen (yeah, not its fault, it's my eyes). I'm loving the Air Plus with the 6" screen.
Agree, 6" is the same as my phone it makes for a very comfortable screen size, I use AirPlus as well.
Same here
5.5 inches IS AVERAGE. AS A METTER OF FACT MY GF SAYS THAT A SCREEN THAT SIZE IS PROBABLY JUST TOO BIG ANYWAYS!
@@TheeCapNit's ok captain, it's about what you play with it.
@@TheeCapN 8 inches, aokzoe, that's what I'm talking about. i love mine
Seems like an excellent option for those who value portability/smallness above all else in their handhelds. Not for *me* personally, as I like a much bigger display and am willing to sacrifice true pocketability to obtain that. But I'm enjoying seeing other form factors release, that way there's something for *everyone* in the handheld PC space. And big bonus for those who *want* a smaller device with a smaller display: this one is OLED. Can't beat OLED. :)
This device looks really nice. I'm not really in the market for a handheld PC (i just got a Steam Deck in the last summer sale) but if i had a spare $1k i would actually be tempted by this.
You only need 799
@@mariozt4rrfor 32 gb ? If you're buying 16gb Ram model then it's gonna be problem in near future
@@bendover-bz4bcprobably in 2032 16gb will be a problem
Would you please create a video on setting up RTSS (especially now that is part of Ayaspace 2) to set up performance overlay like the ones you used in this video? thanks in advance
This is why I did my best to find an Air Pro 5825U, it make sense even since then when the Air Pro 5600U isn't able to held itself
Another review from the great Retro Game Corps
Good video, nice B-roll.
Please test and show the screens in direct sunlight at max brightness, they are handhelds for on the go after all.
Also missed USB-C port info, does it have DP over USB etc.
Yes, it does have DP
@@ev2477what is DP?
@@bendover-bz4bc Display Port
I added a pinned comment with footage in direct sunlight, and yes it has DP out, the footage you see of Spider-Man and Link's Awakening with my capture card is taken via the USB4 port.
Any chance you can do a video on the updated new bios and performance? Thanks Russ!
It's super crazy that I can buy this (for the very high price of AUD $1450) in big box stores in Australia, but not a Steam Deck.
Super-frustrating.
Anyway, rant over. Thanks for your reviews of these things.
I really wish this had been the first one to come out. I liked the original Air well enough, but it's power was simply not good enough for all my use cases. This is closer, but still not there (Since what I really want is Switch emulation), but I would have loved for it to be the one I tried; I might have ended up not picking up Steam Link as my main method of gaming now.
I thought the 7840u could handle switch just fine? I thought the 6800u could too? Hell my steam deck does switch emulation
This can handle switch games.
Whenever something like this comes out you realise how insane the value proposition is on the Steam Deck, shame I can't get one in my country.
Oof, that’s rough. Hopefully one day Gaben will grace your country with the Steam Deck.
I have one and it’s great. Maybe not the most powerful thing, but I’d never spend $1000 on a handheld when I have pc.
Can you get the ROG Ally? I have both and find myself using the Ally way more often, even though I still think the Steam Deck is amazing.
I absolutely don't get it, why they are excluding so many people...
@@Splackavellie85 I would get it but its too pricey for me. I'll stick with my switch lite for now. The battery is too much of a concern IMO, Steam deck hits that sweet spot for me, ROG doesn't.
Can you do another video on this unit, we need more !
It's gotten to the point with AyaSpace 2 that I wish I could use it on other handhelds like the GPD Win 4.
Very true, up until now AYASPACE was something that I tried to avoid as much as possible. Now it's a stellar feature.
@@RetroGameCorps they are learning a lot from SteamOS. It would be nice if the app was usable on other devices
Is there a good hard case out there for the air/air1s? The case that came with the device looks cool (and it came free with the backer's gift package, so the price is right) but it actually turns the device on, since it presses up against the power button. Which is the opposite of cool. I think the Waterfield case for Switch Lite would work, but wonder if other options exist ...out there in wild. Thanks!
Living the size. I have the Odin, and it’s still my favorite piece of hardware
Almost qualifying to be on the buy list if it was not for that crappy audio. For a device at 1k$ that is not acceptable. The small buttons could be an issue too for someone but I think I could live with them.
very good point! @@Macs
Mines on the way to my house and I can't wait
I really love the color scheme of this. But I really want a more budget version of this design because I don't need a lot of power to play the old PC games I'm gonna play.
pretty nice device, hey you think the UM790 Pro is better than the HX99G, for 3d softar? thanks !
Considering a relocation, so besides the m2 2280 what really gets me excited is the adapter for Antarctica 😂
mate the power plug you pulled out is for Australia as well
Russ, quick question: If the Air itself is "set" to a 20+ TDP, will it use ALL of that 20+ wattage? I remember on my Geek running Afterburner on Retroarch, and even when I was at the 22w preset, it was only using 5w because that's all Retroarch would need. Then when playing Gamecube games, it would fluctuate between 12 and 16 watts. This makes me wonder what the point of "setting" a TDP if the device won't use all of the set wattage if it doesn't need it. (Excluding SmartTDP, by the way)
Setting a TDP is very useful but for battery life and not performance. Most pc games will try to pull as much power as needed in the name of a steady framerate. This is why you're seeing TDP fluctuate in some cases. Now that might be fine at home when you can plug in but on the go you might want to have a couple fps drops to save 5-10 watts of power. Sometimes if also just a matter of the game always having a fps drop somewhere but with a TDP lock it won't pull extra power when it doesn't have to. TDP is all about maximizing battery life so it's useful to learn for when your on the go and you want max your battery time.
Will you review the geek 1s? Would you get it over the rog ally?
will the smartTDP be available for the first gen Ayaneo air?
Would you recommend the Air 1S over a used AyaNeo 2? I just picked up a b.duck 16GB + 1TB and I'm kinda regretting it looking at this now haha
Great jumping into premieres; it totally makes sense for your platform, especially with a typically-iterative AYANEO device!
No pressure, but curious: any plans on having videos/streams/premieres for any Maui fire relief efforts?
Glad you liked the Premiere format! I think I will do it more often when I have an opportunity to do so. As far as Maui relief, we have already been donating privately and I'm hoping to release a big batch of handheld PCs on my auction store with proceeds going to Maui. I'm not quite set up for a streaming platform yet, but it is something I'm working towards.
@@RetroGameCorps Cool! Thanks for taking the time to respond to me, and happy to hear your plans. Your documentation chops & channel has definitely inspired me to tinker with Retroids, DS's, and a bit on macOS. Keep up the good work, and I'll keep an eye out for that auction.
i dont know how i feel about the usage of the real estate, its wider than the gpd win4 by a smidgedn but the screen is way smaller 5.5 vs 6, the thinness is incredible tho very pocketable.
The display size doesn't match the size of the device. It's a strange combo in 2023.
@@RandomPlaceHolderName True. Especially strange consider AirPlus has the 6 inch screen, so Ayaneo has access to those parts in fact.
I don't agree with "way smaller" it is half an inch.
The OLED screen is only sourced at 5.5 inches, the air plus has an inferior 6inch IPS screen
@@animetodamaximum That's make or break sizes for many people when buying a phone, these handhelds have displays of the same size, and when the range of these devices is generally 5.5 to 7 every step matters.
I'll be trying to grab the Odin2 once it releases! Hopefully I can grab it when its at $299 lol... But I doubt it, if not I'll just grab the Odin pro on sale I guess 😢
Basing the battery life on games makes a lot of sense. This device is amazing, but it's just so expensive.
Are the face buttons a bit stiff still? They tend to fatigue my thumb tip if i play for a while.
Very interesting device, wish more windows handhelds had an Oled screen and smart TDP it is an amazing feature. Does this device support bypass charging? Would be nice to have something like this super lightweight, portable and amazing screen but plug it into the OneXgpu when you want to dock it on the tv. Always paranoid about battery degradation or possible overcharging battery with 100w charger
this one is pretty much what i had i envisioned when i imagined a "steam deck lite". well, everything except the price. sure it's a fair price for what you're getting, but it is out of my price range. i guess my retroid pocket 3+ and the steam deck will still have to make due.
id like to see a video guide on how you play fps titles on handheld. as a PC gsmer forever, fps games on the deck just feel awkward and idk if im doing something wrong
I'm planning to get this one. Will the 16GB RAM version be enough? Some examples of the games I'd like to play on this are Monster Hunter: World and Diablo IV.
You mention the Antarctica plug in a couple of vids now? Do you mean Australia which is often a 3 pin but can come in 2 slanted pins?
It’s a running joke, I pull a random plug and declare it to be from Antarctica.
My air plus seems to be able to handle more, at better framerates. I know the tdp plays its part, but could it also be because the 7840u is unrefined?
judging from your band tees you have great music taste
What system would you recommend me, I wanna play Folklore ps3 But it uses Controller sensors as you draw souls out, how would this work in these handheld. Such a amazing game
Hadoukenable/shoryukenable D-pad? I love this description so much. 🤣
Hi, I was wondering if I can get a Air Plus 6800U 16GB for 539USD? Would it be a compelling value over the 1S? I am looking to play God of War/Devil May Cry/Last of Us/PC JRPGs on the go (Desktop at home) rather than emulation. Also would 16GB be sufficient?
Man ypu have so many handheld console me nlne😭 lol but im having fun watching reviews fro this channel
Great video
But please test street fighter 6 in your future reviews
does it have a rumble effect like on the switch?
The best handheld price/size/fan/power is the OneXFly for me. Its just the overall best compromise.
Ill check ut out. How much is it
oh man, RGC is a mewithoutYou fan? That is so cool.
Honestly something like this i think i would rather it just be completely flat but have a really good option of a grip to put it in like the switch lite. Could be slightly more portable without those back bumps but still be good for long sessions at home if you just throw a grip on it
Now these are the kinds of specs I'm talking about...but not at those prices. Maybe in another year or so.
This is nice but for a pocket game system I go for maybe Trimui smart pro because of price and if i don’t care about size then the Odin 2 pro. Because they are cheaper but maybe better especially the Odin 2
I always wonder if reviewers never mention heat disipation problems because they are ok with the device getting super hot or if their units don't have that problem. My Ayaneo Air is great during the first few minutes of use but then gets so hot that it phisically hurts my hands. I never handles it to my kid because she could easily get hurt with how hot the screen and back gets. At first I thought it was because of the size of the device but then I see reports of people having the same issue with the Ayaneo 2 and Geek, and now they're putting an even bigger processor in the same small shell. So what's the deal here? Are some of us getting faulty devices or is there a reason why this issue isn't been mentioned?
Mine definitely get hot under a heavy load. The heat issues are something I covered in detail in all my other Air review videos. It's one of the major negatives for this device previously. But the 1S is different -- the 7840U is an efficient chip, and doesn't get hot until you go past 15W over an extended period. And you can play so many more games at under 15W compared to the other Air models. That's one of the reasons I think this one "makes sense", because it doesn't become a hot potato when playing it. I discuss this in the game testing section during the PC gaming (around the 8W region).
@@RetroGameCorps I see that you were getting around 40° with the smaller indies and only reached 60° with The Witcher and up. Which isn't too bad for light play but I would guess renders the device unusable for bigger titles which is unfortunately their main selling point for this one, specially if the heat focuses on the screen like it does in the OG Air. Anyway I know heat isn't as big of a talking point as power and ergonomics but it would be cool to see it reported more thoroughly more often. It's a pretty big deal.
Don't own air or air 1s, but the air plus does get quite hot at the back near the right grip but still bearable for me.
CPU temp can't really be used as an indicator of comfort, it's how they placed their component and how they shield and redirect heat internally that matters, and how it's designed to be gripped.
The ayaneo 2 high screen temp when on high brightness sounds bad though, especially the official "lower brightness" response from their support.
Find a reviewer that does it, or suggest a solution or a reviewer in an adjacent industry doing it. I think some reviewers do heat tests(guns, touch points, or whatever) , I don't remember who.
Also remember, when creators make a video, they have to pick and choose. Having only started to do it, it's extremely hard to pick and choose. If a Creator really wanted to say everything they could about something it would be a 5 hour plus video. You have to cut. And it's painful to do so. No matter what you do someone is going to ask why you didn't include XYZ information
Holy shit the mewithoutyou shirt goes so hard
Come on AYA we need a Hadukenable and Shoryukenable d-pad that also passes the Contra test or no sale.
their ayaneo 2s dpad does that
I like the ayaneoa air 1s but I am addicted to my keyboard on the gpd win 4 I do like the display of the 1s.
I want something lighter than the gpd but again that keyboard
That plug you said is for Antartica is an Australian design plug
Thanks, it a running joke on this channel.
The AyaNeo Airs always looked interesting to me, but it's really hard to justify when I already have a Steam Deck and 2 Switches.
It is very tempting though.
22:11 Did.. did you just face-plant Spiderman to the street there? Jesus lol
Cheers Russ. Not for me but pretty darned cool.
Honestly you should use the newer Street Fighter like Ultra Street Fighter 4 or 5 to test the d-pad not SF2 on emulator because old games are not very compatible with new controllers. I read about it and also tested it on my Steamdeck.
I'm trying to use Batocera on my PC but I just can't get it to work. It boots fine the first time but after that I get the opening video and it's just a black screen until I power it down 🤬
Damn this OLED screen is looking crazy. In the beginning I thought this was just a dummy model with a screenshot of the menu printed on.
this vs the geek 1s which is better? In my country the geek 1s is almost $200 cheaper, but thats the 16gb 512gb model of the geek vs the this model with 32gb 2tb.
Does anyone here know where I could get a new display for an ayaneo air pro 5.5 amoled display.
Y'know, when I see videos like this that display PS3 playing nicely on this system and the fact that he says that it is even easier in respect to PS2 in many ways, I can't help but think about the recent news that Sony is trying to convince us that the PS5 is having trouble emulating PS3. They really want us to believe that they not only weren't able to get an emulator up and running at launch and we are forced to stream them over the cloud, but that they are trying and they just can't seem to get it working well enough.
That system is far superior to this handheld. WTF!?
Small request, can you running linux on some of these if there are builds for them??
Hi, I show Linux running on this device! It’s called JELOS, and it’s near the end of the video. It booted just fine from a flash drive.
Man i love the form factor and size they have but god damn that price!! Like i realy feel like damn near a grand would get you a little better on emulation vs say like a quarter of that price on an android system
we should be waiting for the price to come down :]
i love my air pro but this one fix it all so yeah definitely need upgrade to 1s thanks Russ 😁
Run it all at 720p, lowest settings possible with 13W TDP and you'll get the most out of the battery no matter what you play in handheld mode.
Where's the Retroid Pocket 2S review?
is this high end handheld got free games if u buy it ? like retroid p3+?
No
The Air Plus was super underrated imo- I get people were upset about the pricing on the lower end models, but the 6800u was a great device. I hope it gets the new chip down the line.
I have one, and it is quite cool. AyaSpace 2.0 also improved many things on this „older“ one.
Ayaneo devices without the windows plattform and the drivers for the hardware may result in some buttons and functions not working!
Peace be upon you, I am confused between anbernic devices. Anthony needs the best equipment. ps2 games i have several devices can play ps2 games and it is rg351v. Does this device play bs2 games for me? Is its price suitable for me? Is its grip comfortable?
I have a switch lite and I think this would be a great switch replacement. eShop games are too expensive and rarely has any big discounts for popular titles
Nice shirt! I have that same one.
RIP mewithoutYou
"for example this one here is for Antarctica" bro you got me dying. The plug for Australia, New Zealand, AND Antarctica you chose to say Antarctica 😂
How is this thing last longer than Ayaneo Slide?
Thought they advertising this having superb speakers or something, they can't ever seems to get them right for a premium priced product 😂, maybe another upgrade kit needed.
Hope their future screens either support HDR or offers a srgb clamp mode in future as only hdr contents are mastered for dci p3 color and higher.
SDR contents just looks oversaturated when displaying on a > 100% srgb sceen.
Some may find it appealing but its definitely not accurate/natural.
Too much of a reddish tone/tint here
If this thing comes in black and other colors, that could make it an option over the ROG Ally. But super the small size affecting the battery is also a thing. IDK
Just buy the ROG Ally, the $700.00 compared to the $800 - $900 means better investment.
But they do have the same battery capacity, so what's your point about battery size? (and before you eat me alive, 38.ish Wh vs 40Wh does not make a difference)
Honestly I wish companies like aya, onex, and ayn would just slow down on releasing handhelds. I feel like every month there is like 3 new PC handhelds announced. Its oversaturation.
Why don’t you ever show the thickness differences? :/
Russ has got to be one of the nicest people in real life. Somehow, he can tell you a device is trash without actually saying it.
Don't wanna lose the review units...
He pretty much did that with the Powkiddy X18s Black edition
Remember he's just an handheld influencer with a lot of knowledge he has to sound nice with that being said we don't know him personally, he could be a dick for all we know
I mean he doesn’t like the ergonomics and dpad but he was fairly complimentary on the performance. This isn’t my kind of device but he did it justice
He didn't say it was trash at all. He presented the pros and cons fairly. Units you like, I'll think are trash. Even when he has a glowing review, doesn't mean I like it. Because he covers it fairly. This didn't sound bad to me at all, because the cons to me are meh, and the pros are what I want. He's right, the device "makes sense." previous air devices I wouldn't buy. This I would buy the light version. I always use external batteries.
The Steam deck is far too big for me, as a person who prefers portability and consoles that are smaller. The Ayaneo is always tempting for me, then I look at the price tag and cry 😭😢
I really want an Aya neo, but with that price it's best to just build a mini PC LOL
19:59 tell me please the name of the Game) looks good!
All games are labelled in the top-left, that one is Lumines Remastered. It's a great game, one of my favorite PSP titles!
thank you! @@RetroGameCorps
I find the massive screen bezel pretty distracting and disappointing especially given Ayaneo's emphasis on aesthetics and thin bezels on all the other models. It just looks like the screen is an inch too small.
Is there a Windows handheld that's $300-$500 that has good performance for Ps2 and GameCube
That fan noise...... The sound quality is still not there. I was expecting a bigger improvement after they release the speaker upgrade kit that they never sent me
How does Risk of Rain 2 run when it gets a lot of action? The later stages represent how the game actually runs.
If this had 80Whr battery in exhange for an extra 100g Id order it right now. I just cant do 1.5 hrs for AAA. Steamdeck OLED is double that. Windows handhelds need 80Whr, no exceptions. Give me weight under 650g with 80Whr battery and Im all in.