TL;DR
- A few hours from release, MANGMI has added free microswitch modules for early buyers of the Pocket Max handheld.
- The device features a 7-inch OLED screen, Snapdragon 865, and swappable control modules.
- Super Early Bird pricing is $199, but it faces stiff competition from the AYN Odin 2 Portal.
MANGMI is less than a day away from launching the cheapest 7-inch gaming handheld on the market, the Pocket Max, but the deal just became a little sweeter. Today, the company announced that all Super Early Bird orders will also include a free set of microswitch modules.
The modular nature of the MANGMI Pocket Max is one of its most unique and confusing features. The device includes a set of soft membrane modules for the D-pad and buttons in the box, with additional clicky microswitch modules sold separately for $15 (previously $12). The modules can’t be moved to, say, put the D-pad above the sticks, but some gamers are very picky about their inputs.
The extra modules make it a more attractive deal, but the AYN Odin 2 Portal discount still looms large.
Apart from the modules, the killer feature of the Pocket Max is the 7-inch 144Hz AMOLED display, which is among the largest on any Android gaming handheld. This will also be the cheapest 7-inch handheld on the market, even after the early bird period ends and it’s up to its $240 retail price.
Powering the device is a Snapdragon 865, which is an older chipset used in gaming handhelds like the Retroid Pocket Flip 2 and Retroid Pocket 5. Despite its age, it’s still a very capable and well-tested chipset for emulation, Android gaming, and game streaming.
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That said, it faces stiff competition from the AYN Odin 2 Portal, which is currently on sale for $250. With a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, it has a lot more raw horsepower that unlocks more reliable PC and Switch emulation.
This incredible deal has tempered fan reactions to the Pocket Max, which otherwise would be a fantastic device at this price. This may explain why the company decided to change course and include the extra modules for early buyers, rather than keeping them as an upsell.
The MANGMI Pocket Max will go on sale today at 6PM PST on the official website. The Super Early Bird price of $199 (with free modules) will remain in effect until February 12. Orders after that won’t ship until the Chinese New Year holidays end.
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