2025 is truly the year of clamshells. Retroid Pocket Flip 2, Miyoo Flip, Anbernic RG34XXSP, and now PowKiddy is entering the mix with the V90S. Originally released back in 2020, the original V90 was a cheap and cheerful emulation handheld powered by an Allwinner F1C100S, and has since been the standard for cheap clamshells.

Fast forward to 2025, and everyone’s dipping their toes into the water with mixed results. So, how’s the V90S going to do? While I haven’t had enough time to give a full review, my first impressions are pretty positive so far.

So let’s take a look.

PowKiddy V90S Specs

As always, getting it out of the way first, you’re paying anywhere from $50 to $60 for the V90S, depending on coupons, shipping, and your general region. While undercutting the competitors in price, it seems to undercut them in features as well.

• CPU: Allwinner A133P
• GPU: PowerVR GE8300
• Ram: 1GB
• Battery: 3000mAh
• Screen: 3.5”, 640×480 IPS
• Connectivity: 2x USB-C, 2x Micro SD
• Operating System: Batocera
• Dimensions: 89 x 85 x 26mm
• Weight: 186 grams
• Colors: Yellow, Red, Gray, Transparent Black

PowKiddy V90S at AliExpress PowKiddy V90S (Direct)

It Hinges on This 

Talking about this right away, the hin

This is the most important part of any clamshell. The Retroid Pocket Flip 1 has a crackling that frustrates people. The Miyoo Flip has a hinge that just self-destructs over time. But what about this one? The V90S has what I’d describe as a soft hinge. There’s no clicking when you open it, and there’s no real snap when you close it. Just one solid thunk. The OG V90 had a click and a snap when you close it, but both Anbernic clams don’t. 

Compared to your other clams, I’d say this clamshell feels solid so far. But being that I’m only a day into ownership, I’ll have to further put this to the test. All I can really say is that it bests the Miyoo Flip. And if it matches the longevity of the V90 hinge, we’ll be just alright over time. 

Time to Take Control

Most of the SP clone clamshells took after their inspiration and have some clicky controls. The one exception is the original V90, and the V90S is the second. It feels like they took the controls out of another one of their handhelds and popped it in. Maybe the V10 or the RGB10X? It just feels nice, light, and responsive like most modern PowKiddies. The biggest thing is the clicker shoulder buttons, but if you had a GBA SP, this isn’t too terrible either. 

How Does it Operate?

Well, when you get it turned on, you’re met with a Batocera installation straight out of the gate. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s all properly set up with bezels for each system, and it just seems to boot into everything alright. The one thing to note is that there is no Wi-Fi or Bluetooth available on the V90S. While that’s a disappointment, you can always take yourself back to 2022 and load up your dongle tower of power in order to get that functionality back.

Right out of the gate, we’re also seeing other people put in the work on the Powkiddy V90S, as PlumOS has already put out a release for it. It sounds like it’s adding additional features like Portmaster, but as we let that OS build cook, it’s likely things will get better from there. My big hope is that maybe another team comes in and gets a full OS running on it. The A133P is the same chip as the TrimUI brick and the TrimUI smart pro after all.

What’s The Competition?

At its current price point, there’s a whole lot of competition. Anbernic is the main clamshell competitor as the RG34XX SP and the RG35XX SP come in just a little higher in price, but also carry a few extra features alongside plenty of custom firmware options. If not now, soon. 

If you’re stepping away from the clamshell ideal, which is why you would when you’re reading this article, you have even more options. The TrimUI Brick and PowKiddy V20 are both A133P handhelds in a vertical form factor similar to this. Anbernic has its RG35XX Pro and G350 for similar or lower prices, and there’s an absolutely massive house full of RK3326 handhelds with no Wi-Fi or Bluetooth for $25-$45. Powkiddy themselves even did that with the V10.

But if you’re looking for low cost, feature basic clamshell, the options are pretty minimal. 

What Do I Think?

It’s only the first day’s time period, but I’m already pretty satisfied with what the V90S has to offer. It feels solidly built, it’s got decent controls, and it has a software build that should hopefully not destroy itself within a week. The V90S could be a solid option for those who need just the basics in a clamshell form factor.

As mentioned before, the V90S has a lot of competition in the price range and form factor, but if the community lets this one cook, we could see a lot of potential from something like this. I mean, imagine getting a proper Knulli build on the V90S. Yeah, it’s still Batocera, but it’s fully supported by the community. It’s unfortunate we have to clean up after the companies, but hopefully some more time will prove it’s one worth getting.

PowKiddy V90S at AliExpress PowKiddy V90S (Direct)

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