The RG35XXSP was probably the best-selling handheld that Anbernic has ever had. Why not keep capitalizing on that with new colors? That’s exactly what it did with the new transparent white, red, and green. With the popularity also came the criticisms as well. Did Anbernic fix any of these issues?
The Buttons
The biggest gripe with my original 35XXSP was how loud and clicky the buttons were. It felt like you had to use an abnormal amount of pressure to push them, which could be bothersome for longer play sessions. I even resorted to taping the main board to fix it. Are these buttons different? In my opinion, they do feel a bit more quiet.
During a teardown, Zu noted that the buttons and also the membranes seemed to be the same. The motherboards look identical as well. I am unsure of what Anbernic did, but the buttons do feel quieter and easier to press, especially the face buttons and D-Pad. The start and select are still super loud though.
The Battery and Heat
Another big thing people were worried about with the original was how the battery would use the CPU as a heat sink. We even had reports of some batteries exploding and a ton of people on Reddit freaking out, though it was found to be not a widespread issue. How does the new model fix this?
The answer is in a thin piece of cardboard inside the shell. The piece lies between the battery and the motherboard. This causes there to at least be a little bit of a barrier.
Also in the department of batteries, my original model had an issue with the battery door not sitting flush. I’m happy to report that my new battery door does sit flush with no sanding required.
The Case
The new case is a huge upgrade over the original. The original case was bulky and had a sketch of the sp on the front. The new one is a leather-like material and much more sleek.
The new case also has a snap button to close it. It is in a grey color with the Anbernic logo imprinted on the front. My wife has called it my “nerd pocket purse” multiple times already.
Final Thoughts
From my experience, those are the only changes I noticed. The screen, speaker, and performance are all the same. That is not a bad thing though.
The 35XXSP was already a great device and it is now made greater by the sneaky fixes that Anbernic implemented. They should have really advertised them because it does make a bit of a difference. Also, the new colors look great! I got the transparent white and it looks very sharp.
For a device that has been around a while and has so many great options for CFW, the RG35XXSP is a nice device to pick up for yourself or a loved one on the holidays. In a year we thought that was going to be filled with clamshell designs, the 35XXSP was the one that delivered in the end. You can get your own “new” RG35XXSP and/or case and while you’re at it, be sure to check out Zu’s video!
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