Released in January of this year, the GKD Pixel wasn’t really all that popular out of the gate. Too expensive, the hardware was old, and if you really pushed the device you could feel it get warm in your hand. Skip all the way to August and, well none of those are fixed that’s just how the device is. BUT. We’ve seen three other small handhelds hit the scene with the 28XX, Miyoo A30, and XU Mini M. 

While those three all have their own purposes and will get talked about later, the GKD Pixel stands alone as the only vertical of the mini bunch, paired with a smaller 2.4” display. So how’s it doing 7 months later? And is it something I can really recommend? Well, let’s talk about it in what I’d call a briefer review. 

Specs

• Display: 2.4” IPS Panel
• Resolution 320×240 (4:3 Display)
• Processor: Ingenic X1830
• GPU: N/A
• Ram: 128mb
• Battery: 1,300mAh
• Extras: No Wifi, 1x USB-C Port, 1x Micro SD Slot, 1x 3.5mm Headphone Jack
• Dimensions: 80x56x18mm
• Weight: 106 grams
• Colors: Green, Gray, Purple, Red, Blue, Yellow, Black

So I’ll get the important stuff out of the way first. It’s a small low-resolution panel, that honestly while not great gets the job done at such a small screen. The processor is old at this point. We’ve already seen it in the GKD 350H and the GKD Mini released in December 2019, and March 2021 respectively. There’s no dedicated GPU, so you’re safe to assume it’s really up to PS1 at best, but you’re going to have trouble with some tough SNES games as well.

But that’s all made up for by the small size, and solid construction. The weight of this device puts it right here among some of my other mini handhelds.

• Playdate – 85 Grams
• GKD Mini – 106 Grams
• Miyoo Mini – 107 Grams
• Miyoo A30 – 113 Grams
• RG28XX – 126 Grams

Overall, nothing impressive but it gets the job done.

Ergonomics and Controls

I mean half of this is easy out of the gate. It’s a tiny vertical, unfortunately, it’s not going to be as comfortable as something like the RG28XX or the Miyoo A30. Due to its size, it’s less comfortable to me than the Miyoo Mini. However, there is one thing that saves it for me, and that’s how easy it is to play games one-handed.

I know people talk about that with the Miyoo Mini, but personally, it was always a strain to reach my thumb that far, and the RG Nano was the opposite. I would be on the face buttons, and covering all of them in one go. If you want a solid one-handed device for RPGs or similar, this is totally the move. 

As for the buttons? They’re passable. The shoulder buttons are clicky, but R1 and L1 slide out of place easily for me with a little bit of pressure. The face buttons have a nice thunk but are met with a small rattle thanks to the metal shell. And the D-pad is actually quite nice. Using Pico-8 I managed to get to the monument in Celeste with 0 deaths in just 1 minute and 36 seconds. Take that Stubbs. 

CFW and Performance

When it comes to the Operating system, there’s one proper answer for this one. MinUI. No, it doesn’t have as many systems, but it makes the user experience much better and resolves a lot of the tinkering I didn’t want to do with this. Out of the box, you’ll get Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, NES, SNES, Genesis, and PS1. But if you happen to grab the add-on from RetroGameCorps, you can add in a number of Arcade emulators as well as my personal favorite Pico-8. 

As for performance, I said it before I’ll say it again. Essentially everything included in the MinUI firmware and the add-on pack will run perfectly fine. You’ll struggle with PS1, and if you really need a joystick, don’t play it here. But for the most part, if you put it on, you’ll likely be happy with the performance. 

One item worth noting is that in Pico-8 you don’t have access to official Pico-8, only the Fake-08 emulator. While that version of it runs fine, you will run into more audio issues than you would on a more powerful device. An example is a random high-pitched ping that I would hear while playing Celeste 2. 

If it says anything, the one thing that impressed me performance-wise, was the tension in the spring on the microSD card reader. I flung that card a few feet away or directly into my eye more times than I’d like to admit. 

Final Thoughts

When it comes down to it, I can say off the bat, MinUI has absolutely saved this device, and Russ from RetroGameCorps add on pack was a big help as well. Without those I don’t think this would be a device worth recommending. As for if I recommend it at all? Not at the $70-$80 price. Yes it’s metal, it’s compact and portable, but unless you need those things specifically, you’re better off spending your money elsewhere. 

The TrimUI Smart, RG28XX, and Miyoo A30 are all better minis in the horizontal scene, and the Miyoo Mini V4 is better as a vertical. However, they’re all larger. If you need under PS1 gameplay in a rugged shell. This is probably my go to recommendation over the RG Nano. Otherwise, it’s probably a skip. Me though? I’m actually going to just leave this in the sunglasses pocket of my backpack. It has a solid standby battery life, and will make good as a travel device. Which is something I can do because I’m irresponsible and buy 68 handhelds all in one go.

Spend your money responsibly.

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