Retroid Pocket G2 Review: More of the Same (But Better) (Again)

When the Retroid Pocket 5 came out, there was a bit of concern regarding the fact that its performance wasn’t that much higher than the Dimensity D1100 in the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro. One year, two other handhelds, Linux, and plenty of driver updates later, the Snapdragon 865 basically made the Retroid Pocket 5 capable of running most of what people wanted on a daily basis, with some things being just out of reach.

So when Retroid decided to announce the Pocket G2, it felt like looking at a Honda Civic with a 500-horsepower engine stuffed inside of it. Is the extra performance in the same shell worth it? Or should you have spent the extra for an RP6 to get even more power with a brand new exterior to boot? 

Retroid Pocket G2 Specs

When it comes to pricing and specs, Retroid makes it easy to find all of the details on its website. For $220, you get near 8 Gen 2 performance for near 8 Gen 2 pricing, but how does the rest stack up?

Ergonomics

When it comes to ergonomics, if you liked the Retroid Pocket 5, you’ll like the Retroid Pocket G2. If you’re someone who didn’t like it before, it’s no better this time around either. The G2 features a pair of small bump-outs towards the bottom of the device that are nicely textured plastic.

The issue is, though, they’re just a bit too small. I find myself gripping the entire device with three fingers on each hand. My thumbs and fingers are holding the front and top, and my middle fingers are attempting to keep themselves from slipping off the tiny grips on the backside. This is one of those cases I might almost prefer a flatter back so I can press in with the meat of my hands to hold this more steadily. 

As for ergonomics with the controls, everything except the sticks is fine enough. The sticks are something my thumbs basically rest on indefinitely, and if I want to use either, I find my hands forming into crab claws just to land on them correctly. This is part of the reason I’ll be getting a stick top RP6 in the future. If possible, they should have been more inset.

Controls and Screen

Going from poor to positive, the controls and screen are still great. The display is the same 5.5” 1080p AMOLED we’ve seen in the RP5 and RP Flip 2. It’s nice and colorful with enough brightness to get the job done. The RP6 ups this to 120hz, but if you’re going to stick with retro gaming and don’t care for black frame insertion, this might be just fine enough as a display.

Touching into the controls, identical to the RP5. The clicky Vita-esque dpad met with the same clacky face buttons. Loud, clicky, and narrow shoulders with nicely actuating triggers to match. All of that, paired with 2 sticks that are just as good as every handheld they’ve put out since the RP4. Retroid has basically perfected control feel; we just want them to decrease the volume of their buttons just a bit. 

Performance

To keep it minimal, I’m comparing the performance of the G2 Gen 2 to the 865 and the 8 Gen 2 using my AYN Odin 2 as a point of reference. In terms of single-core performance, the G2 G2 is 50% over the 865 and 10% below the 8 Gen 2. Multi-Core lands basically in between its competition. By comparison, in GPU-related benchmarks, the G2 G2 is closer to twice as performant as the 865, while falling only 8-10% behind the Adreno 740 in the 8 Gen 2.

My last stop is the Wild Life stress test. I’m mostly here to check stability and performance. The G2 scored 94.95% stability with a high score of 3032, falling behind the 97.9% and 3674 on the Odin 2. That being said, both are major leaps and bounds above the Retroid Pocket Flip 2 and its 865, landing a highest run score of 1332, and a stability of 99.2%

The G2 is a major improvement, but still falls just behind an 8 Gen 2 despite being too close for comfort pricing. 

What I’m Playing

Rather than cover the basics and tell you what the Retroid Pocket G2 can do from my testing, I think it might be better to talk about what I’ve been playing instead. If you already know what an 8 Gen 2 can manage, this will do just about all of that as well, so the consistent re-explanation may not be necessary. In terms of emulation, I’ve been picking back up on Burnout 3 Takedown for the PS2, as well as getting more of a feel for some PSP titles, including both Sonic Rivals 2 and Ape Escape. Systems like these run quite well, and my affinity towards laziness and stock resolution meant I’ve had minimal issues. 

With higher-end stuff, I’ve mostly been putting time into just a few games through both Eden and Gamehub. Animal Well is a game that I’ve been trying to get myself to actually finish, and thanks to the performance I’ve had with Eden, that hasn’t been too much of an issue. I’ve also gone back and started a new local save of Easy Delivery Co. through Gamehub. I did need to adjust compatibility parameters, but once I was in, my Animal Crossing x Silent Hill snowy delivery game ran completely fine to boot. 

Last on the list came Android; I didn’t bother too much with streaming, though the Artemis/Apollo setup runs great as usual. On my end, I’ve been trying out and playing games like Dredge, Baba is You, and Peglin. Due to the stick placement, I’ve tried to minimize my racing game playtime, outside of some emulation and testing. But during my time, my lightweight set of games didn’t really give me any hiccups, which will likely be great for most people as well. 

Additional Notes 

As I’m starting to get in a bit more now, when it comes to the last few notes for the RP G2, the tiny details are still really good on this handheld. Speakers sound good even if I’m going to accidentally muffle them, and the Android 15 build is great as always. Retroid has managed pretty solid support on this device. The 3.5mm jack sounds decent enough, but it shouldn’t replace a dedicated DAP, and to me, at least, fan noise remains similar to something like the RP5 or RP Flip 2. Enough to hear it, but not enough to break the deal. 

Final Thoughts

Competition

Despite it being my final thoughts, I wanted to separate this out for a moment. The competition for the G2 is pretty obvious. The Retroid Pocket 6. For not much more money, you get a newer styled handheld with more performance and support. If you don’t want Retroid, AYN has been pumping out 8 Gen 2 devices for the last couple of years.

The discontinued Odin 2 and Odin 2 Mini are both great options, with prices going down due to their age. The Odin 2 Portal is a lot bigger but has one of the best displays on the market. And of course, if the 8 Gen 2 isn’t for you, AYANEO has a dozen G3X Gen 2 or G3 Gen 3 handhelds that can fit your needs, depending on what form factor you’re looking for. 

Worth Buying?

There are two questions to ask when it comes to discussing the G2. If it were my money, would I buy the G2? No. And that’s mostly down to the fact I had the RP5 for a while and didn’t like it. Anyone who liked the RP5 and wanted a bit more power in their handheld would, and should buy this handheld if they just want more of the same.

Should you buy this handheld yourself? If you’re new to handhelds, you can order and receive it immediately. Maybe. The Retroid Pocket 6 will be shipping more in March, and if you can wait, I think it would be a better value. The AYN Odin 2 Portal has been in and out of stock at $249 for the base model and offers a lot more than the G2.

If your budget is under $250, and you want the handheld sooner rather than later, the Retroid Pocket G2 might be one of your better options. Especially if you need that 16:9 display, this can be your do-it-all handheld if you want, just be sure to plan for a grip.

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