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ONEXPLAYER X2 Mini teasers have popped up online, and the timing feels comical. Not only does the gaming handheld seemingly pack a punchy Ryzen AI Max+ 395 APU, but it's also armed with detachable controllers and a similar 8.8-inch display to the potentially discontinued Lenovo Legion Go 2 that now costs almost $3,000 for some reason.
The X2 Mini teaser video posted to Weibo outlines ONEXPLAYER's plans for the handheld while avoiding full specs or a price for now. It does absolutely feel like the brand is trying to kick Lenovo while it's down, though, as its detachable Switch-style gamepad and 8.8-inch 144Hz OLED Display make it look like a Legion Go 2 at a glance. It also bears resemblance to the existing OneXFly Apex model equipped with the same chipset, but that portable is slightly smaller.
Fancy premium handhelds are exciting, and while they arguably exist in a completely different realm to the Steam Deck OLED or even the Lenovo Legion Go 2 if it had stuck with a sensible price in the first place, they help keep things innovative. At the same time, I really don't think now is the right time for any brand to be teasing devices that will ultimately cost way more than before, thanks to RAMageddon, and ONEXPLAYER's MSRPs were already bananas.
For context, the existing ONEXPLAYER APEX started at $2,059. That would have provided you with 32GB RAM, 1TB storage, and a Ryzen AI Max+ 395 chip, but the model is sold out. Now that components and memory are sparking price increases across the board, I'm willing to bet the X2 Mini will cost even more, especially when you factor in the better 8.8-inch 144Hz OLED screen and controller tricks.
Okay, maybe I'm being a grump. It's not like I want the handheld scene to come to a halt because of the pricing situation. I would just appreciate it if companies would work to make more affordable devices that pack solid specs into portables that most players can afford. ONEXPLAYER isn't the only brand guilty of this by any means, and if we're being real, the biggest names like MSI, Lenovo, and even Asus to an extent, with the ROG Xbox Ally X aren't working to combat price increases in a meaningful way.
But hey, the ONEXPLAYER Mini X2 teaser does show off an attachable keyboard that transforms it into a laptop. People were asking for that, right? Right?! I won't yuck anyone's yum any further, but call me when we get portable's that rivals that can fill in for the Steam Deck price-wise while it's out of stock.
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