When Retroid announced the Pocket Flip 2 and Pocket Classic specs, there was one surprising omission. While we learned that the Flip 2 would use the Snapdragon 865, Retroid only revealed that the Classic relies on a “4nm Qualcomm” processor.
This led to a bunch of speculation, with some suggesting that Retroid would rely on the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2. As it turns out, Retroid had a surprise in store for us all. At GDC 2025, Qualcomm announced a trio of new processors, including the Snapdragon G1 Gen 2, which is the chipset that will power the Pocket Classic.
With the Snapdragon G1 Gen 2, Qualcomm claims it offers a massive 80% jump in CPU performance over the G1 Gen 1. As for GPU performance with the Adreno A12, we’re potentially looking at up to a 25% boost.
While it lacks some newer inclusions such as Wi-Fi 7, the G1 Gen 2 does FHD+ (2220 x 1080) screens at a 120Hz refresh rate. All that being said, the Retroid Pocket Classic could end up as one of the best vertical handhelds of the year, despite more focus being on the Pocket Flip 2.
As a reminder, you can head over to the Retroid website and pre-order the Retroid Pocket Classic, saving yourself a few bucks in the process. Pre-orders kick off at 9:30 PM ET, with prices starting at $114.
Was That the Retroid Pocket 6?!
Okay, so this one took us off guard, given that the Pocket Flip 2 and Classic aren’t even available for pre-order yet. But, when the rest of the Qualcomm news dropped at GDC 2025, we learned about yet another Retroid handheld.
As you can see from the image above, there’s not really much to go off of here, other than it being a horizontal handheld. But whatever Retroid is cooking up will be powered by the new Snapdragon G2 Gen 2. Naturally, our first inclination is to assume this will be the Retroid Pocket 6, but that’s just us speculating.
This will make it Retroid’s most powerful handheld to date, as the Snapdragon G2 Gen 2 appears to be an excellent chip. It’s said that the G2 Gen is 2.3x better in CPU performance, and almost 4x better on the GPU side of things. It also supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, and QHD+ displays with up to a 144Hz refresh rate. While not exactly an indication of what the Retroid Pocket 6 could bring, it at least gives us a good idea of where to start.
Unfortunately, no other details about this mystery Retroid device were shared. So in the meantime, we’ll just have to keep our excitement focused on the Pocket Flip 2 and Classic.
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Wifi 5 is strange. Qualcomm advertises that the G1 is designed for cloud gaming, but Wifi 5 would be terrible for that. Even streaming at home with Moonlight, I wouldn’t want Wifi 5. I feel like the G1 is Qualcomm getting rid of unused silicon. I’m more interested in seeing what the G2 and G3 can provide.