Most of the handheld gaming PCs launched over the past few years have been powered by AMD’s Ryzen processors. But with Intel’s new Meteor Lake chips for mobile devices promising big gains in graphics performance, we’re starting to see companies opt for Intel chips in select models.
Earlier this year the MSI Claw became the first Meteor Lake-powered handheld to hit the streets. And now Chinese handheld maker AOKZOE is preparing to launch the AOKZOE A2 Ultra with Intel Core Ultra 5 125H and Core Ultra 7 155H processor options… for better or worse.
AOKZOE released some details about the upcoming handheld gaming PC in April, and now the company has revealed pricing for the Chinese market, where the AOKZOE A2 is expected to go on sale starting May 16, 2024.
We’re still waiting for international pricing details, but here are the configurations expected in China:
- Core Ultra 5 125H/16GB/512GB for 4,999 CNY ($692)
- Core Ultra 7 155H/32GB/1TB for 6,399 CNY ($885)
- Core Ultra 7 155H/32GB/2TB for 7,199 CNY ($996)
Each model is expected to have a 7 inch, 1920 x 1200 pixel display, LPDDR5x-7467 memory, and an M.2 2280 slot populated by a PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD. Other features include support for WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, two USB Type-C ports, a USB Type-A port, a 3.5mm audio jack and a microSD card reader.
The handheld’s game controllers include hall sensors for the analog sticks and triggers, and RGB lighting for the analog sticks.
| AOKZOE A2 Ultra specs | |
| Display | 7 inches 1920 x 1200 pixels |
| Processor | Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 16 cores / 22 threads 6 P-cores, 8 E-cores, 2 LP E-cores Up to 4.8 GHz 28W TDP Intel Core Ultra 5 125H 14 cores / 18 threads 4 P-cores, 8 E-cores, 2 LP E-cores Up to 4.5 GHz 28W TDP |
| Graphics | Intel Arc (Core Ultra 7 155H) 8 Xe cores Up to 2.25 GHz Intel Arc (Core Ultra 5 125H) 7 Xe cores Up to 2.2 GHz |
| RAM | 16GB, 32GB or 64GB LPDDR5x-7467 |
| Storage | 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB PCIe 4.0 M.2 2280 |
| Ports | 2 x USB Type-C 1 x USB Type-A 1 x 3.5mm audio 1 x microSD card reader |
| Wireless | WiFi 7 BT 5.4 |
| Battery | 12,600 mAh Up to 3 hours gameplay |
| Weight | 666 grams 1.47 pounds |
There are still some details that haven’t been announced yet. I haven’t seen anything explaining how fast those USB ports are (although I’d be surprised if there wasn’t at least one 40 Gbps USB-C port). And pricing and availability haven’t been announced yet.
But thanks we do know that the handheld has stereo speakers and a set of controllers that includes dual analog sticks with RGB backlighting and hall sensors, hall sensor triggers, a D-Pad, and action buttons.
The AOKZOE A2 Ultra joins the existing AOKZOE A2 in the company’s product family. That model, which launched late last year, has an AMD Ryzen 7 7840U processor and a similar design. Prices for that model started at $699 during crowdfunding for a configuration with a 7 inch, 1920 x 1200 pixel IPS LCD display, 32GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. It currently sells for around $779 and up.
Whether the new model deserves the “Ultra” name remains to be seen. AOKZOE correctly notes that Intel’s new Core Ultra processors have upgraded integrated GPUs that offer up to twice the gaming performance of the company’s previous-gen mobile chips. But that still might not be good enough to compete with AMD’s latest mobile processors.
