Here’s our first real look at the Snapdragon 8 Elite-powered AYN Odin 3

The AYN Odin 2 remains one of the most groundbreaking and popular Android gaming handhelds on the market, so when the AYN Odin 3 was announced, the hype was off the charts. That only compounded when it was revealed that it would be one of the first Snapdragon 8 Elite gaming handhelds, with the crowdfunding campaign finishing at just over $1 million raised a few days ago.

But in the month since the campaign started, very little has been revealed about the device itself. Unlike AYANEO, which typically has a working sample unit before announcing anything to the public, AYN did not appear to have a working prototype. At least, until now.

In an update posted on the Indiegogo page, AYN revealed that the project “continues to progress smoothly and remains on schedule.” In a series of images, it showed the full lineup of colorways for the plastic shells. They will use a new paint-free process, which AYN claims will help reduce fingerprints.

The only external component that’s not finalized is the front glass on the clear blue variant, which was added later in the process due to community feedback. The glass front of all other colorways has been successfully matched and will move on to the next stage of production.

The update also shows the internal structure of the Odin 3 for the first time. Thermal testing is scheduled to begin next week, and if the tests are successful, mass production of several key components will proceed.

In terms of software, it claims that all of the core features are already “working flawlessly.” The next step is getting the built-in controller to work, as well as “upper-layer software.” The team expects the first fully functional beta software to be ready by the end of October.

At the end of the update, the team also revealed that it will send 10 developer units to external developer partners in the next few weeks. One of the main concerns about the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset is a lack of turnip driver support, so getting these devices into the hands of third-party GPU developers early could be key to improving compatibility for Switch emulation. However, the company notes that these are not review units, so the hardware may not be the final version.

The AYN Odin 3 is scheduled to begin shipping in November. The Indiegogo campaign has finished, so there is currently no way to buy one if you haven’t already pre-ordered.