Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
TL;DR
- ANBERNIC’s RG Rotate handheld has now gone on sale via its website.
- The handheld has a recommended starting price of $87.99, but is currently retailing for as low as $82.99.
- Expect a swiveling slider form factor, albeit at the expense of analog sticks and a big battery.
ANBERNIC drew attention earlier this year when it teased the arrival of the RG Rotate. This curious Android handheld used a screen-swiveling form factor akin to the Motorola Flipout smartphone of yore. There’s good news, as the device has just gone on sale.
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ANBERNIC just listed the RG Rotate on its website, with a recommended retail price of $87.99 for the Polar Black variant and $107.99 for the Aurora Silver option. However, both handhelds are currently retailing for $82.99 and $99.99, respectively.
The Polar Black model is mostly made out of plastic, while the Aurora Silver model uses aluminum. On the upside, the Polar Black variant weighs just 167 grams versus the Aurora Silver’s 204 grams.
Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
Otherwise, the RG Rotate brings mostly budget-tier specs. Expect a middling Unisoc Tiger T618 chipset that likely won’t play most PS2 and GameCube games, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of expandable storage, and a square, 3.5-inch IPS LCD panel (720 x 720). Nevertheless, the processor in particular is still a step above the likes of the ~$95 ANBERNIC RG DS.
One area of concern is the 2,000mAh battery, though. This is a tiny cell by most standards, but we hope the combo of lightweight emulation and a small, low-resolution screen makes for decent endurance. Expect a mere 10W wired charging, but slow charging might not be an issue given the small battery size to begin with.
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Swivel the screen, and you’ll find physical controls underneath it. Unfortunately, there aren’t any analog sticks, but we’ve got a D-pad, four face buttons, start and select keys, and a home/back button. The back of the device conceals four shoulder buttons.
ANBERNIC confirms that the device comes bundled with a screen protector, a lanyard, a USB-C cable, and a pair of larger L2 and R2 shoulder buttons. The latter is handy if you’re not happy with the default, flush L2/R2 keys, but installation requires removing the back panel and disconnecting the speaker.
The good news is that we’ve got an RG Rotate review unit. So keep an eye out for our review in the coming weeks if you’re interested in this quirky handheld.
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