Unless you like handheld gaming, whether it’s Android handhelds or more powerful devices, you probably don’t know much about AYANEO. It looks like that won’t be the case for much longer, as the company is now moving into smartphones with the AYANEO phone.
The company surprised everyone by releasing a teaser video that gives us a little glimpse of what’s to come. From the nearly two-minute video, all we know is that the AYANEO phone will sport the company’s Retro REMAKE branding, which debuted in 2023 and brings retro-style colorways to modern handhelds like the AYANEO Pocket DMG and Pocket DS.
From there, a silhouette of the phone begins to appear, revealing the dual rear camera setup. Initially, I was feeling Sony Xperia vibes, until I noticed that this won’t be just any ordinary phone. Once the phone is fully visible, you can make out what appear to be bumpers at the top and bottom of the left side (right side if the screen was facing you.)
There’s really not much else going on here other than the inclusion of triggers and the dual camera setup. However, after running a screenshot of the YouTube video in Photoshop and increasing the brightness, we can get a better look at the design. Needless to say, it’s probably a good thing that AYANEO isn’t trying to focus on style points here.
Technically, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard of AYANEO getting into the smartphone business. Earlier this year, the AYANEO phone was introduced during a livestream where the AYANEO Pocket DS and KONKR Pocket FIT were demonstrated. However, that was in August and we haven’t seen or heard any rumors about it since then.
Once released, it will offer an alternative to a market segment largely dominated by RedMagic and ASUS. Of these, only RedMagic is easily accessible here in the US, as the company’s latest phones usually hit Amazon shortly after release. In the meantime, ASUS’ ROG phone line is only available in select markets, forcing those in the United States to either import one or buy one on the second-hand market.
It’s too early to say which category the AYANEO phone will fall into, as the US market is notoriously difficult to break into, especially for newcomers.
