In this article, we’ll be comparing the Aya Neo 2 vs the OnexPlayer Mini Pro 6800U. Both of these portable gaming devices have their own positives and negatives.
We’ll be taking a look at the Aya Neo 2 vs OnexPlayer, the tech specs inside (including storage space available), the form factor (even down to how the analog sticks and analog triggers feel), and most importantly the performance you get while playing games (emulating retro games, indie titles, and AAA games).
Both the Aya Neo and OnexPlayer Mini have been hot topics ever since they were first announced and are great options for those looking for a Windows alternative to the Valve Steam Deck handheld.
If you’re in the market for a quality handheld PC gaming device, read on because both of these handheld gaming consoles are great options for when you need to be away from your desktop setup. They are basically a mini handheld gaming PC, but how do both stack up to one another when compared?
Which Is Better, Aya Neo vs OnexPlayer Mini Pro Handheld Gaming Consoles?
Aya Neo 2
The Aya Neo 2 is one of the best AMD based full display 6800U Windows handheld gaming consoles available. Not only is the design of the device sleek looking, but the build quality on products that Aya Neo put out are exceptional. There’s a level of care that they put in that other companies don’t always match.
Features
- Full display 6800 Windows handheld gaming device (ZEN 3+ Structure, RDNA 2 Graphics card, 6nm Process, 8 core 16 thread, 4.6GHz highest turbo, 15~32W TDP)
- USB 4.0 Type-C interface (2 fully functional USB C 4.0 connectors), video output support DP1.4 (4k 60Hz), M.2 2280 SSD, LPDDR5 6400 Stroage, Fast TF slot, Wifi 6 (can reach speeds of up to 9.6 Gbps), bluetooth 5.2, 3.5mm headphone port, dual microphones, two channel stereo speakers
- Ultra HD high color gamut screen display
- AMD Ryzen 7 6800Uv processors CPU
- AyaSpace (a professional game management front end system for players to use – can sync with the cloud and be used on other devices) and AyaNeo OS (a custom handheld pc gaming OS developed in house by the Aya Neo company which is optimized for game management and handheld gaming devices)
- Solid design on the product overall (no visible screws on the product body)
- The first no bezel screen design on Windows gaming pc handheld consoles
- Ultra high capacity battery and fast charging technology
- New customized cooling system has higher TDP tuning
- Custom controllers
- The front is covered by a piece of glass
- The same switch linear motor as the Nintendo Switch
- Future Technology Sound TAP Magic Professional Audio Vibration System (enhance your retro gaming experience)
- Hall joystick and Hall Trigger
- Supports an external GPU Dock (USB 4.0 interface which can improve performance)
- S3 fingerprint touch wake up function
- Patented TF card structure
- Dual microphone design
The Screen
We mentioned in the list of features above that the Aya Neo 2 is the first gaming PC handheld console to feature a no bezel screen design. What we mean by this is that the device has a 7 inch no bezel full display making the screen ratio a bit larger.
The front of the Aya Neo is covered by one sheet of glass using a lamination process. This piece of glass is impact resistant, scratch resistant, has high light transmittance, protecting the internal screen and body of the console. Not only does it look sleek, but the design has functionality intended purposes as well.
The screen has a 1920 x 1200 resolution, 323 PPI high pixel density, and 400 nits high brightness. Game images are clear and colorful and look gorgeous.
Design
The Aya Neo 2 comes in two different color options: Starry Black and Sky White. As mentioned in our features list, the device has no visible screws anywhere on the body. This adds to the sleek visual nature of the handheld, especially in the Sky White version.
Created with an ergonomic design in mind, the Aya Neo 2 fits comfortably in the hands and doesn’t cause discomfort or fingers to fall asleep during long play sessions. The grip is comfortable and feels natural to hold.
Controls
The controller built into the handheld consoles was crafted from years of development by their team. It includes Hall Joysticks, Hall Triggers, Dual Gyroscope, HD Linear Motor, and Sound Vibration.
The joystick has no dead zone, you can adjust the trigger and joystick sensitivity settings, you can adjust the motor vibration strength settings, the device goes into standby mode when power is low, has button burst functionality, gyroscope assisted aiming for shooters, and features an A-B-X-Y buttons d pad.
Unlike the Nintendo Switch and some other handheld devices on the market, the Aya Neo 2 has no noticeable drift whatsoever. Unlike traditional mechanical triggers, the Hall Triggers in this handheld are driven by electro magnetic induction tech that can more accurately know when a user has begun pressing down a trigger button.
Vibration
It uses the same HD Linear Motor as the Nintendo Switch giving players a more immersive rumble/vibration. The audio quality is also fantastic and was joint developed between Aya Neo and some others companies. This can offer a very unique retro game experience that no other handheld can.
Button Customization
You can customize the buttons easily, tailoring the controllers to how you play best. You can also setup button functions and remap keys. There is also even RGB lighting for that full gaming pc experience!
Battery Life
Do keep in mind that higher power settings will obviously return a better FPS but will subsequently drain the battery quicker. At a mere 15 watts, the system can run for approximately 2-6 hours depending on the game that you’re playing, but at max 33 watts the battery will drain in less than an hour.
This isn’t quite optimal when gaming on an airplane, however you can buy an external battery to connect to to keep the gaming session going longer. My recommendation would be to invest in an external power bank like this one here which can charge at 65 watts and works great.
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Aya Neo 2 | $1,449.99 |
OnexPlayer Mini Pro
So far in this article we’ve given a whole lot of praise to the Aya Neo 2, but now it’s time to talk about the beast of a machine that is the OnexPlayer Mini Pro.
I’ll start by saying that right off the bat, the OnexPlayer Mini Pro is very well designed and also looks quite sleek, however it’s not the most user friendly device. Especially when comparing it directly to the Aya Neo 2.
Features
- AMD® Ryzen® 7 6800U, Zen 3 architecture, 8 cores 16 threads, 4.7 GHz Max Turbo Frequency
- Radeon 680M Graphics card
- 7 Inch FHD IPS Screen, 1920 x 1200, 323 PPI
- 16GB LPDDR5, 6400Ghz
- M.2 2280(NVMe) Storage, PCle 3.0 x4
- 10-Point Multi-Touch
- 1260mm*106mm*23mm / 599g (21.83oz)
- Wi-Fi6 / BT 5.0
- Gyroscope sensor*
- Hall Sensor Joystick
- Dual Sensitive Bumper
- Dual Linear Trigger
- Dual Stereo Sound Speakers
- Dual Vibration Motors
- Dual Copper Cooling Tube
- Aluminum Heat Sink
- Ultra-high Speed Fan
- 48wh High-Capacity Battery
- 65W GaN Fast Charge
- USB-C 4.0 x2, USB-A 3.0 x 1, 3.5mm Audio Interface x1
- Skin Coating
- Support docking, night-mode, PD
- Pre-installed licensed Windows 11
At face value, when comparing the Aya Neo 2 vs OnexPlayer, the two devices definitely look pretty similar specs wise and in features offered. It makes sense why so many people compare the two handhelds considering how similar they are. That being said, while the Aya Neo 2 feels like a custom handheld device, the OnexPlayer Mini Pro feels like a low end gaming laptop turned into a handheld. It’s somewhat hard to explain, but there isn’t quite the same level of charm here that one can expect with all Aya Neo handhelds.
Tech Specs
That being said, even if the polish isn’t quite on the same level, this device is still a solid choice. AMD Ryzen 7 6800U – some very solid performance to expect here with the OnxPlayer Mini Pro. Powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 6800U with 8 Cores and 16 Threads, 4MB of L2 cache, 16MB L3 cache, and a max turbo frequency of 4.7GHz. You shouldn’t have any issues playing through whatever AAA titles you want on Xbox GamePass or Steam.
AMD Raeon 680M Graphics – 12 CUs and 768 SPs which support ray tracing. The AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution tech improves framerate ensuring you’ll get that high res gaming experience without sacrificing too much of your game’s performance. AMD FreeSync can also be used with this when playing HDR games with FreeSync Premium Pro Technology.
PCIe 3.0 SSD – the OXP 6800U handheld uses a built in M.2280 PCIe 3.0 SSD with a max support of 2TB of PCIe ensuring your read and write speeds and loading times are quick. You can expect ~2242MB/second reading and 1798MB/second writing speeds with the PCIe 3.0 SSD.
The Screen
The OnexPlayer Mini Pro has a 7 inch FHD IPS screen. It also has an HD linear resonant actuator which allows for a less noisy more responsive experience.
Vibration
The vibrations feel more “realistic” in my opinion on this device vs the Aya Neo 2. Driving on bumpy terrain in Forza feels better here.
Custom RGB Lighting
What good would a portable handheld gaming PC be without custom lighting options? RGB lighting options included to customize the design and look of your device. There are multiple different modes that you can choose from. Honestly, this is a cool welcomed addition that adds a touch of extra flare.
Gyroscope Aiming
Just like the Aya Neo 2, the OnexPlayer Mini Pro also features built in gyroscope functionality so you can move the console to control your games.
Custom Software
The OnexPlayer has their own built in software called the OnexPlayer Gamer Center which allows you to adjust device features without needing to leave your games.
Battery Life
Now onto the elephant in the room, the battery life of the OnexPlayer. The company claims that the device can handle up to 10 hours of use when watching locally downloaded videos and up to 2 1/2 hours of gameplay when playing at 15W.
Your experience here may vary quite significantly depending on the games you’re playing and the resource usage. Also keep in mind if you’re connect to the internet that may also affect battery life. I would urge caution with expectations regarding battery life times to ensure you’re not being setup for disappointment.
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OnexPlayer Mini Pro | $1,149.99 |
Steam Deck vs Aya Neo 2 vs OnexPlayer Mini Pro – Which Is The Best Handheld Gaming Device?
I’ve seen multiple people make the argument that the Steam Deck can’t run Windows which simply is not true. While the Steam Deck does by default come with Linux, you can still install Windows on it. So you shouldn’t be looking into the Aya Neo 2 or the OnexPlayer solely because of their Windows support as all 3 devices are compatible.
Regarding the Aya Neo 2 vs OnexPlayer vs Steam Deck, all 3 handhelds will be able to handle AAA games with no issues and they can even handle Nintendo Switch emulation and N64 emulators just fine. Depending on the games you play and the settings you have enabled for your device, the only real issue you’ll likely face is one of battery life.
That being said, my favorite of all 3 is hands down the Aya Neo 2. While the OnexPlayer Mini Pro is a powerful little handheld machine, there is a certain level of polish that the Aya Neo 2 has that you just aren’t getting elsewhere. Of course Steam Decks are great devices as well, but in terms of design, looks, functionality, custom software, UI, and usability, the Aya Neo 2 is my handheld of choice.
While the Anya Neo 2 and the OnexPlayer Mini Pro are pretty darn close in terms of tech specs, Aya Neo have positioned themselves to be known as the company that releases premium products. You can definitely feel the build quality and the love that goes into each device that they release. For all of the reasons mentioned in this article, I’d go with the Aya Neo 2 when choosing between the three.
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