The long Anbernic dry spell of 2025 is at an end. Up until a kindly delivery driver rang my doorbell this morning, it had been all quiet from the handhelds company that managed to release 12 individual SKUs in 2024. Now, the much hyped RG557 is finally here. Will this long-awaited update that the community has been asking for finally deliver?
Join me as I explore the brand new Anbernic RG557 for the first time, and read along for some of my initial impressions. Our full review will still be coming, but this is just an overview of my day-one thoughts out of the box.
Anbernic RG557: Specs
Anbernic announced that the RG557 will launch on April 25, 2025, at an MSRP of $249.99. There will be a 72-hour initial sale period, with the device selling for $234.99.
| Specification | Description |
|---|---|
| Color | Transparent Purple, White |
| Screen | 5.48-inch AMOLED, 1920*1080, OCA full lamination |
| CPU | Dimensity 8300, 4nm, Octa-core (1*A715@3.35GHz + 3*A715@3.20GHz + 4*A510@2.2GHz) |
| GPU | Mali-G615 MC6 |
| RAM | 12GB LPDDR5X |
| Storage | 256GB UFS4.0, expandable up to 2TB with TF card |
| System | Android 14 |
| WIFI/Bluetooth | WIFI 6E (my 6e network came right up), Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Games | Supports third-party software, Android games, and 30+ simulator types |
| Language | Multi-language |
| Speaker | High-fidelity dual speakers |
| Battery | 5500mAh polymer lithium, 8 hours battery life |
| Charging | 5V/9V—27W |
| Joysticks | High-resolution, anti-magnetic interference capacitive joystick |
| RGB Lighting | 16 million color RGB, customizable, with breath, rainbow, marquee, and chasing effects |
| Other Features | Six-axis gyroscope, hall triggers, active cooling, FOTA wireless upgrades, online multiplayer, streaming, wireless screen projection, USB Type-C with 1080p display port output, vibration motor, 3.5mm stereo audio headphones, energy-saving settings, customizable settings |
Anbernic RG557: Ergonomics and Controls
The RG557 is the same shell design as its predecessor. If you liked the feel of the RG556 in your hands, and most folks did, you should find the RG557 just as comfortable. For me, this is one of the most comfortable designs on the market.
The plastic used on the shell isn’t the most premium I’ve ever felt, but it’s sturdy and has a pleasing smoothness to it while being almost totally see-through here in the purple variant. If you have any concerns about fingerprints and smudges, they are valid with the transparent model that I received. I imagine the solid white would provide a good deal more protection.
Controls
I don’t mind the tiny sticks, but I can see how some people would.
If you’ve already encountered any of the impressions out there of folks who have tried the 557, the first thing you’ll hear coming back is the same. “Wow, are these ever some small thumb sticks.”
The size of the analog sticks wasn’t something I was able to easily see from pictures, and even glancing at the device in the box in front of me, they didn’t strike me as being too different from the sticks on the 556. Once you get your thumbs around them, though, you see what everyone was talking about. These feel like the smallest analog sticks that I’ve used on a premium emulation handheld, and perhaps ever.
These new sticks are not Hall Sensors. These are listed by Anbernic as the next great step in controller technology. It’s unclear if these are the TMR technology sticks, but Anbernic touting the fact that they shouldn’t be susceptible to magnetic interference would certainly bolster that theory.
A smooth, solid pad and a tiny joystick
The phrase “I have bigger hands” has turned into something of a cliché among handheld emulation enthusiasts. Surely there can’t be that many of us floating around, can there? Well, I swear to you that I do, in fact, have larger hands. I’ll post pics of palming a basketball or something, but I will say this: While I found it immediately noticeable how small the sticks are on the RG557, I was surprised at how much it was NOT an impediment to me gaming on the handheld.
The D-pad on the RG557 is a totally smooth design. This isn’t my personal preference, as I tend to like something with a bit of texture, but the pad itself is great. Fighting games play just fine, and I’d be happy to use this pad for them.
*Update*
Anbernic have confirmd that retail units of the RG557 will ship with the below pictured thumbstick caps.
Anbernic will include thumb caps for the stock sticks
Display and Sound
The screen looks as great as it ever has
If there was one thing the community could certainly agree on unanimously with the RG556, it was that the included AMOLED screen made for a stunning display experience. I’m happy to say that there is nothing to worry about for fans of the previous screen. In fact, I’m pretty certain this is the same exact display.
Speakers on the RG557 leave a bit to be desired, at least at this point in time. The sound out of the device has a tinny quality to it. It gets loud, but doesn’t generate what you might call a full sound. Pops and hiccups are likely down to emulation issues, but as it stands, the speakers on the device are only OK.
Software
Why do they insist on doing this?
If you’ve ever used an Anbernic handheld that runs on Android in the past, you won’t be too shocked by the setup they’ve used with the RG557. The handheld is running a build of Android 14, but comes packed with the usual selection of included bloatware.
Questions about the legality and use cases of some of these paid apps aside, I’m not sure what the company believes is gained by having all of these dedicated Android apps for each individual system. Higher-end stuff, sure, but I don’t need different apps for NES, Genesis, etc. RetroArch is the standard for a reason.
RixelHK
Anbernic chose to include it, so we’re going to talk about it.
The elephant in the room here will be Anbernic’s choice to include the RixelHK app. For those who might not be familiar, RixelHK allows users to browse and download ROM files directly from the internet to their device – no PC required. This of course is something where some members of the community draw a line. I can’t fault those folks for having moral qualms. I’ve written in the past about how ease of access can set off a flood of new pirate users.
The built-in RixeIHK game downloader allows easy game downloads with a clear and intuitive interface, making it simple even for newcomers. – Anbernic RG557 Advertising Sheet
The reality of the situation for most of us is that ROMs and emulation exist in a legal gray area. A line that most users are happy to walk with devices that provide access to content that they’d like to experience. How they acquired these ROMs – be it via their own rips, or some search engine sleuthing, is their own business from my angle. I have no judgments either way.
The decision to include the app was made, and you’ll have to decide for yourself and your own beliefs how you feel about it. Keep in mind, though, as the warning states, this program will have access to your device’s MAC address and IMEI number. Any problems with your ISP will be yours to deal with as well, so proceed with caution.
Gameplay
You will not be playing any Dynasty Warrior clones with famous Nintendo characters out of the box
So this is where things take a bit of a sad turn. The out-of-the-box experience on the RG557 is something of a mess. Actually, all Anbernic Android devices are a bit of a mess when they arrive. The aforementioned familiar bloatware is all present and accounted for here on the RG557.
Some of the included ROMs that came included on the device’s SD card flat out don’t work. They cannot display properly and are not anything remotely close to playable. You’d think the folks at Anbernic would only want to show off experiences that make the handheld shine, but that isn’t always the case here. I plan to strip the handheld of all its excesses and see how things might run under my preferred conditions, but the stock experience left me wanting.
Crash on the PS2 doesn’t crash, but…
Your standard classic system performance will be fine here, just as it was on the RG556, but when you get into higher-end systems like 3DS and PS2, performance is all over the map. Some games seem solid enough, but frame rate dips do occur.
Other games, like Hyrule Warriors on 3DS, or Crash Bandicoot (weirdly labeled here as CB4) on PS2, for example, simply don’t render correctly at all. And while there might be enough underlying power in the processor to emulate these games, it’s somewhat without merit if they won’t ever display properly, and the screen is covered in artifacts.
These performance and graphical issues come down to one thing: the Dimensity 8300 chipset and its Mali GPU. Driver support for this chipset simply isn’t at the level of its Snapdragon counterparts. All the horsepower in the world doesn’t mean anything if you can’t harness that power, and without the proper driver support, we may never be able to do so.
My hope, of course, is that Anbernic will come with an announcement that solutions are on the way. Whether this will happen or is even possible given the development workload required remains to be seen.
Conclusions
Some of the Wii U performance on the RG557 is very promising
When Anbernic announced the specs for their long-awaited 2025 debut, and I saw benchmarks that put it in front of my beloved Odin 2, and its Snapdragon Gen2, I was excited. I thought this device might be the next jump in power on the scene. While that may be technically true, the best benchmark score in the world isn’t worth a hill of beans without a smooth gameplay experience.
When benchmarked against competitors using the “Snapdragon 8 Gen 2” processor, its 12+256GB configuration is priced at 2600 RMB domestically and 369usd internationaly，which makes the rg557 120usd cheaper than rival devices. – Anbernic RG557 Advertising Sheet
While that perceived performance increase and cost savings sound great on paper, I won’t be listing my Odin 2 for sale just yet. There are still too many unknowns about how things with this device will pan out. Anbernic’s announcement that they are suspending any additional shipments to the US at this time may likely complicate things further. We still don’t know if there is already stock in the United States for them to sell or if this one might skip a US release altogether. We will have to wait and see.
Like so many other devices that have come from Anbernic, I can’t help but feel like they almost got the RG557 right. The thumb sticks could prove to be a dealbreaker for some folks. I personally don’t find them to be a problem, but I will still be keeping my eye out for any compatible caps that might show up.
The RG557 will live or die by the support that it gets on the software side. If this is as good as we’re likely to get, then you may want to give some serious consideration to the purchase before making the jump. For more information on the RG557, check out the RH YouTube, and stay tuned for our full review coming soon.
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