Unless you’re into handheld gaming, whether that be Android handhelds or more powerful devices, you probably don’t know much about AYANEO. It seems that might not be the case for too much longer, as the company is now branching out into smartphones with the AYANEO Phone.
The company surprised everyone by dropping a teaser video that gives us just the slightest glimpse of what’s to come. From the almost two-minute video, all we know is that the AYANEO Phone will feature the company’s Retro REMAKE branding, which debuted in 2023 and brings retro-styled colorways to modern handhelds such as the AYANEO Pocket DMG and Pocket DS.
From there, a silhouette of the phone begins to appear, revealing the dual rear camera setup. Initially, I was getting some Sony Xperia vibes, until I noticed that this isn’t going to be just any ordinary phone. After the phone comes completely into view, you can make out what appears to be bumpers on both the top and bottom of the left side (right-side if the screen was facing you.)
There’s really not much else to go off of here, besides the inclusion of the triggers and the dual-camera setup. However, after tossing a screenshot from the YouTube video into Photoshop and cranking up the brightness, we can get a better look at the design. Needless to say, it’s probably a good thing that AYANEO isn’t trying to go for style points here.
Technically, this isn’t the first time that we’ve heard about AYANEO getting into the smartphone business. Earlier this year, the AYANEO Phone was teased during a livestream where the AYANEO Pocket DS and KONKR Pocket FIT were introduced. However, that was back in August, and we haven’t seen or heard any rumblings about it since then.
Once released, it will provide an alternative to a segment of the market that is largely dominated by the likes of RedMagic and ASUS. Of those, only RedMagic is easily accessible here in the U.S., as the company’s latest phones usually arrive on Amazon shortly after they are released. Meanwhile, ASUS’ ROG Phone lineup is only readily available in select markets, leaving those in the States to rely on importing or picking one up from the second-hand market.
It’s too early to tell which category the AYANEO Phone will fall into, as the U.S. market is notoriously difficult to penetrate, especially for newcomers.
