A wise man once said, “The Best Handheld is the one that you have on you.” And while there are a bunch of people standing on the rooftops and yelling “I CARRY MY STEAM DECK WITH ME EVERYWHERE.” there are just as many, if not more, that don’t. This means for many, the best handheld may just be their phone. But for others, it may be the smallest handheld that they can just barely cram into their skinny jeans. 

Outside of work, I try to travel light. No fanny pack, no sling bag. Just me, my wallet and keys, and my phone. So what do you do if you’re someone like me? As I mentioned before, you grab the smallest thing around that’ll fit into your pocket. So join me on the ride as I take a look at just a few tiny handhelds that could be a perfect “go-to” device when you’re on the go. 

Option 1: Bespoke Units

What I mean by this are devices that are built for one thing, and usually do that one thing very well. Now I’m not talking about an iPod Mini for those hours of Brick you can play. But it’s close. There are two here specifically that I want to cover. The Playdate, and the Arduboy FX. Both devices that I’ve done reviews on and have had a lot of time to play with. 

In the case of the Arduboy FX, you’ve got a vertical with tiny buttons, and over 200 games built in. Plenty for out on the go right? Well yes, though the small display can certainly make it hard when you’re just kind of out and about. The credit card form factor means it was really easy to slip in and out of a wallet, and in turn for a while made it “The handheld I had on me.” In the end, though its plastic screen made me a bit nervous, and while it’s worth a buy, it can be a bit pricy for the special editions. Which is why I turned to the Playdate!

Now you’ve got a larger, cheese slice-shaped handheld, with a much larger display; 2.7” vs 1.3” on the Arduboy. And you’ve got wifi and a game store, so you can add new games to your library at any time. Does this sound like a major upgrade for something you can take with you? Well. The screen isn’t backlit so occasionally it won’t be the best for gaming in a dim environment. The crank has unfortunately gotten stuck on my keys or just the side of my pocket when slipping it in, and the price.

At $220 before shipping, I don’t know. I feel like I don’t want to just rawdog it and shove it in a pocket. I’d rather give it a little extra protection and a spot in my shoulder back for when I do carry more than the essentials. Both are great options, but not quite the right one.

However, if you want one game specifically, check out the Micro Arcade cards. Plastic screens and built like an Arduboy, but only one game for about $20. The Tetris card spent a lot of time with me in college. 

Option 2: Tiny Emulators 

Yeah, that’s kinda what Retro Handhelds are here for, Tiny Gameboy. Please? Throughout my time digging through emulation handhelds, I always had a fascination with the really tiny devices. Pocketsprite? Yeah, sign me up. For Game Gear emulation and below. But 2021 hit, and out comes the Funkey S? Well now you’ve got up to PS1 on a 1.5” square screen! And in turn, spawned some of my favorite devices, and once that felt much more like Pocketable Portables. 

Of the “small square screen” devices, my favorite is still the Funkey S. Powered by an Allwinner V3S it rocks up to PS1, and being a clamshell it offers a lot of protection when on the go. However, this one definitely came with some downsides along with it. Super clicky buttons that weren’t my jam, a microUSB port for charging, and a battery that was a bit too small for its own good. Which means charging it is a frequent occurrence. This is a shame, as maybe with a larger battery I wouldn’t have to charge it as much and could take it with for longer sessions. 

A larger battery. Increase it from 410mAh to 1,050mAh and you might have a winner! Put it in a metal shell and make it vertical to make it even better. Yeah, that’s the RG Nano. Anbernic’s take on this scene was quite a splash when it came out, improving a lot on the Funkey S’ downsides. But just with every micro device it has its downsides. The diminutive buttons get dwarfed by my thumbs, and well, that’s really my big gripe. It stole the Funkey OS which means I really like it, and it has the same performance. As of right now, despite my gripes about the buttons it has been my go-to travel companion. Perfect for grabbing and playing a quick 10-minute stint of Apotris. For Now. 

Option 3: Slightly Less Tiny Emulators

What did most of these have in common? The screen sizes. The Arduboy, RG Nano, and Funkey S were all 1.3-1.5” in size. Low resolutions, tiny screens and easily portable. The Playdate on the other hand felt massive at 2.7”. In comparison, of course, because an inch can make all the difference. But scaling back slightly to oh- 2.4”? You get what’s making its way into my pocket now; the GKD Pixel. 

I’ve had a decent bit of time with this device, and so far I can say that I like it quite a bit more than the RG Nano in use. It’s a little bit larger, it’s a good bit more comfortable, and for the most part, the buttons are fine. Swapping over to MinUI on this device makes it a lovely grab-and-go device that has seen its way into my pockets more than other devices recently. It’s good. For a puny handheld.

If you want to go a little bit larger than that even, the 2.8″ handheld scene has grown drastically. The Miyoo Mini has always been a Miyoo mainstay, and the recent releases of the RG28XX and Miyoo A30 have only added to the 2.8″ stew that’s been cooking. Take a step back and you can still grab something like the RG280V or RG280M. JZ4770 devices can still play everything you’d actually want on such a tiny screen. But maybe that’s a talk for another day? Or another writer perhaps.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to these microdevices they have one goal in mind and one purpose. Be Portable. They have tons of sacrifices. Buttons, screen sizes, battery life, ergonomics, and sometimes even price to performance. But if you want the most pocketable thing, those are sacrifices you’ll have to live with. 

For the general audience, if I could only take one device with me and squeeze it into a pocket, I’d probably take the RG Nano to be on the safe side. It’s durable and performant, and it hides away the easiest. Whether this gets overtaken by the GKD Pixel I’ve yet to see. But if it were my money taking a shot in the dark? Go with that one. Or just get a bag and carry everything. Miyoo Mini? Sure. Legion Go? Yeah, why not? Pimax Portal? Why? But yeah. Give up on minimalism and tiny pockets. Go big or Go home.

Or not, I’m not your dad. 

Buy the GKD Pixel

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