Ayaneo KUN is a chonky new Steam Deck rival with four times the battery

(Image credit: Ayaneo)

Ayaneo knows a thing or two about premium handheld gaming PCs, but specs for the Ayaneo KUN suggest it’ll be a monstrous Steam Deck rival. Not only will it boast a large 8.4-inch QHD screen and high spec AMD Ryzen Phoenix APU, but its battery is set to be four times the size. That’s probably a good thing too, as it sounds like the portable’s punchy specs will need every drop of juice they can get.

You could say Ayaneo makes some of the best gaming handheld options out there, especially if money isn’t a concern. While I wouldn’t expect a casual player to drop over a grand on either the upcoming Ayaneo KUN, or the already available Ayaneo 2S, doing so will enable you to boost fps on the go to lofty new heights. Not to mention you’ll benefit from a bunch of very fancy features afforded to handhelds at this price point, like hall effect joysticks and higher resolution displays.

In a live stream, Ayaneo CEO Arthur Zhang reveals Ayaneo KUN specs and provides a closer look at the company’s portable powerhouse. As mentioned above, the handheld will come armed with a 8.4-inch 2.5K IPS display and AMD Ryzen 7 7840U ‘Phoenix’ APU, accompanied by an extremely chonky 75Wh 19500mAh battery. The latter capacity works out at almost four times larger than the Steam Deck (3.6x to be exact), and it puts the Asus ROG Ally under the table too.

The Ayaneo KUN’s high resolution screen and beefy battery naturally aren’t its only premium features, and there’s a reason Zhang dubs it a “high-end masterpiece." The front of the handheld is furnished with dual ‘Infinity Sense’ touchpads and a floating disc D-pad, while harbouring a brand new ‘KUNPeng’ heat dispersion system within.

We’re still waiting for full Ayaneo KUN specs, and we suspect they’ll be paired with a premium price tag. Again, while the company’s handhelds are all technically Steam Deck rivals, price prevents them from being true competitors. I guess you could pit the ultra premium portable against the likes of the Asus ROG Ally, but I’d argue the best gaming laptops are a more suitable challenger.

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Ayaneo KUN specs
Screen	8.4-inch 2.5K IPS
Battery	75Wh (19500mAh)
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 7840U APU
Operating system	Windows 11
Features	Hall effect joysticks, dual touchpads, four back buttons, floating D-pad, Ayaneo Hyper Sound stereo speakers

It’s still early days for the chonky new handheld, but we’ll keep you posted when Ayaneo KUN release date and price details emerge. I’m also currently testing the company’s other premium portable, the Ayaneo 2S, so watch this space for impressions and benchmarks. It comes in at $1,299, but its eye watering price is paired with exceptional specs and performance.

Sticking with Valve's portable for now? Check out the best Steam Deck docks and turn the handheld into a desktop hybrid. If you're not interested in gaming on the go, you may want to peep at our best Alienware gaming PC list instead, as it features powerhouse Aurora builds.

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Phil is the Hardware Editor at GamesRadar+ who specializes in retro console setups, choosing the latest gaming handhelds, and navigating the choppy seas of using modern-day PC hardware. In the past, they have covered everything from retro gaming history to the latest gaming news, in-depth features, and tech advice for publications like TechRadar, The Daily Star, the BBC, PCGamesN, and Den of Geek. In their spare time, they pour hours into fixing old consoles, modding Game Boys, exploring ways to get the most out of the Steam Deck, and blasting old CRT TV visuals into their eye sockets.