Retro Gaming Handheld Maker Ayaneo Teases Its First Android Phone

Last updated: 2025/12/11 at 9:41 AM

News Room Published 11 December 2025

Ayaneo has quietly become a major player in the retro gaming handheld space over the last five years, and now it’s expanding into Android phones.

The newly announced Ayaneo Pocket Play was first teased in August, but now the design of the handset has been unveiled. It’s remarkably similar to the iconic Sony Ericsson Xperia Play from 2011. Many gaming phone fans have a fondness for that design, which included a sliding display that revealed game controls underneath it.

As you slide the screen of the Ayaneo Pocket Play up, it reveals a D-pad, multiple buttons, and two circular touchpads, which the brand says will work like joysticks.

On the device’s edges are four shoulder buttons, with the power and volume rocker between them. The bottom edge features a USB-C port, what looks to be a speaker, and a SIM card tray.

There’s also an Ayaneo-branded button, which on its other consoles boots up its own software to help improve games. We don’t yet know how that will work within Android, or what the other controller buttons will do.

(Credit: Ayaneo)

The device features two cameras on its rear, but we’ve yet to learn how powerful they’ll be. Ayaneo has yet to reveal any specs for the Pocket Play, so this is just a teaser for the design of its first phone. We do know it will be available in both black and white.

Recommended by Our Editors

It says the device is “coming soon,” but there’s no word on a final release date or what price to expect. The Pocket Play is also set to launch on Kickstarter, where you can now sign up for future updates.

Sony’s patents for a device with a sliding screen and a controller underneath ran out in June 2025. Soon after, we saw rival retro gaming handheld maker Anbernic launch its RG Slide with a similar design, although that doesn’t work as a phone.