Ayaneo has confirmed the development of its next flagship gaming handheld, the Ayaneo Next 2, which will be powered by AMD´s Strix Halo Ryzen AI Max+ 395 APU. This announcement follows closely on the heels of AMD´s Strix Halo appearing in the forthcoming GPD Win 5, making the Next 2 only the second announced portable gaming device equipped with this advanced chip. The new handheld is aimed at delivering next-generation gaming performance, representing a significant upgrade from the original Ayaneo Next, which featured the AMD Ryzen 7 5820U. While Ayaneo has released devices with more powerful processors, such as the Ryzen 7 8840U, the Strix Halo platform promises a major leap in both graphics and Artificial Intelligence processing capabilities.
Set for an anticipated 2025 launch, the Ayaneo Next 2 is expected to feature at least an 8-inch display, an expansive ´high-capacity battery,´ and ergonomic back-mounted paddles akin to those found on the Steam Deck and Lenovo Legion Go. The device is designed with a built-in battery, differentiating it from GPD´s backpack-style power solution, and is equipped with a dual-fan cooling system—details revealed during Ayaneo´s livestream also suggested the prototype is notably substantial in size, likely to accommodate the power requirements of the 16-core APU and integrated Radeon 8060S graphics. Despite showcasing early renders, the final design remains under wraps, and specific details on the hardware configuration, such as alternate APU options like the Ryzen AI Max 385, have not been confirmed.
In addition to its new handheld, Ayaneo teased the possibility of a mini PC built on the same motherboard as the Next 2, positioning it to compete with offerings from Aoostar and recent Mini-ITX products leveraging AMD´s latest chipsets. This maneuver suggests Ayaneo´s ambition to broaden its product ecosystem using this next-generation platform. As excitement mounts, many details including pricing, detailed specifications, and the exact launch window remain undisclosed, but the anticipated adoption of AMD´s cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence and graphics processing in a handheld format points to an ambitious step forward for the company and the broader portable gaming market.
