Head to head
Retroid Pocket 5 vs AYN Odin 3
By ElvisPublished Updated
Both are Android emulation handhelds with 1080p AMOLED screens, but they sit in different leagues. The Retroid Pocket 5 is a light, cheap Snapdragon 865 device that handles everything up to PS2 and GameCube well. The AYN Odin 3 has a far newer Qualcomm chip, a larger 120 Hz screen and a much bigger battery, runs some PC games and more Switch titles, and costs well over $100 more.
We haven't tested these handhelds ourselves. This guide draws on published reviews, video tests and each device's sourced spec sheet.
Our take
For classic systems up to PS2, GameCube and Dreamcast, the Retroid Pocket 5 is the one I'd buy. It does those well, it's light enough to carry everywhere, and the screen is excellent for the money.
The Odin 3 earns its higher price if you want headroom: higher upscaling, PC games through GameHub, and a better shot at Switch emulation, which reviewers still call uneven. It's heavier and its fan can be loud, so think of it as a home and travel device more than a pocket one. Owners in r/OdinHandheld who have both often keep the Pocket 5 as the second, pocketable device.
Elvis
Pick the Pocket 5 if
- You mostly emulate systems up to PS2, GameCube and Dreamcast
- You want a light 280 g device that fits a pocket
- You want the cheapest way to a great 1080p AMOLED handheld
Pick the Odin 3 if
- You want to try Switch, PS3 and PC games through GameHub
- You want a 120 Hz screen, more RAM and storage options
- You want much longer battery life in demanding emulation
Key specs
| Spec | Pocket 5 | Odin 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 | Qualcomm Dragonwing Q8 |
| Software | Android 13 | Android 15 |
| Screen size | 5.5″ | 6″ |
| Panel | AMOLED | AMOLED |
| Resolution | 1920 × 1080 | 1920 × 1080 |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 120 Hz |
| RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB / 12 GB / 16 GB / 24 GB |
| Storage | 128 GB | 128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB |
| Weight | 280 g | 390 g |
| US list price | from $209 | from $369 |
Sources for every value are on each handheld's page. See every spec side by side.
Two generations apart
Notebookcheck framed the Odin 3 at launch as AYN's answer to the Retroid Pocket 5. The Pocket 5 uses Qualcomm's Snapdragon 865 with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage in a single configuration. The Odin 3 uses Qualcomm's Dragonwing Q-8750 and comes in four versions from 8 GB and 128 GB up to 24 GB and 1 TB.
The size and weight gap is real. The Pocket 5 has a 5.5-inch screen and weighs 280 g; the Odin 3 has a 6-inch screen and weighs 390 g. The Odin 3's 8,000 mAh battery is 60% larger than the Pocket 5's 5,000 mAh.
Both run Android: the Pocket 5 ships with Android 13 and the Odin 3 with Android 15.
Emulation and games
The Pocket 5 covers the classics. Retro Handhelds says it comfortably plays up to PS2, with a smattering of Switch games that need tinkering. Android Authority's buying guide calls Switch, PS3 and Windows emulation hit-or-miss at best on its Snapdragon 865.
The Odin 3 goes further on the same systems. Retro Handhelds saw most GameCube and PS2 games run at 1080p and got decent results in some PS3 games, and Joey's Retro Handhelds ran PS2 at up to 6x with few dips.
PC games are the Odin 3's other advantage. Through GameHub, Joey's Retro Handhelds got Metaphor: ReFantazio at 40 to 60 fps, and Gardiner Bryant saw Nier: Automata at about 60 fps. Joey's Retro Handhelds already found the Pocket 5 behind older Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 devices for Switch and Winlator.
Switch emulation remains the weak spot on both. Joey's Retro Handhelds and Gardiner Bryant found it uneven on the Odin 3 and not yet a reason to buy, and Retro Handhelds says Switch and PS3 results depend on how mature the emulators are.
Display
Both have 1080p AMOLED panels. The Pocket 5's runs at 60 Hz; Joey's Retro Handhelds calls it the device's highlight, and Retro Handhelds says phones at twice the price don't look better.
The Odin 3's 6-inch panel runs at up to 120 Hz. Retro Handhelds counts it among its favourite screens and says it suits shaders and black frame insertion, though it mostly left it at 60 Hz. Joey's Retro Handhelds notes some image retention carried over from the AYN Thor, and the first-impressions piece from Retro Handhelds says AYN added a Pixel Refresher for it.
Comfort and portability
Reviewers split on the Pocket 5's shape. The Sixth Axis rates its Hall effect sticks and triggers among the best on a handheld, while Android Authority's buying guide calls its ergonomics middling without a grip. Joey's Retro Handhelds says the D-pad position cramps his thumb in stick-heavy games.
The Odin 3 is larger and easier to hold for long sessions. Gardiner Bryant weighed it at 388 g and found long sessions never tiring, and Retro Handhelds likes its gradual rear slope and larger sticks. Joey's Retro Handhelds calls AYN's TPU shell a must-have.
In an r/OdinHandheld size comparison thread, the poster found the Odin 3 about the same size as a Pocket 5 with its official grip, while commenters said the weight difference is noticeable and the Pocket 5 is the more pocketable of the two.
Battery, heat and noise
The Pocket 5 lasts well for its size. Joey's Retro Handhelds measured a lowest runtime of 3 hours 35 minutes with settings maxed, and 11 hours in GBA, and The Sixth Axis says it outlasted every other handheld it owns.
The Odin 3 lasts longer in emulation but can drain fast in PC games. Joey's Retro Handhelds got 322 minutes in a Switch test with Captain Toad, but only 142 minutes in a GameHub test with Dispatch, drawing 16 to 17 W.
Noise is a difference. Joey's Retro Handhelds says the Pocket 5's fan rarely ran outside Sport mode. On the Odin 3, Retro Handhelds says the fan can whine under sustained load, and Gardiner Bryant calls it loud and unpredictable.
Software
Both need setup. The Sixth Axis says the Pocket 5's emulators take some legwork before it feels like one console, and Retro Handhelds notes ROCKNIX and Batocera builds for it.
The Odin 3's newer GPU brought teething problems. Joey's Retro Handhelds hit black screens in some RetroArch cores until switching to Vulkan, and Gardiner Bryant saw visual problems in a few PS1 and N64 cores. Joey's Retro Handhelds recommends it for game streaming, with Wi-Fi 7 and strong video decoding.
Price and value
The Retroid Pocket 5 lists at $209. The Odin 3 launched on Indiegogo at $299 for the base 8 GB model and now lists from $369 on AYN's store, up to $569 for the 24 GB Ultra. Retro Handhelds calls the Pocket 5's screen remarkable at under $250, and calls the Odin 3 the new default Android handheld. (Retro Handhelds)
Gardiner Bryant notes the Odin 3 sits in the price bracket of SteamOS and Windows handhelds, and quotes a developer who advises buying it for what it does now, not for promised improvements.
Owners see them as complementary. In an r/OdinHandheld thread about a cheap used Pocket 5, several commenters said the Odin 3 is better in every way for heavier games, while others said a Pocket 5 makes a good pocketable second device for lighter games.
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