Mangmi Air X GBAtemp review
Hardware
Product Information:
- Official Store: https://mangmi.com/
Right now, there’s a race to the top, for handhelds. OLED, dual screens, Snapdragon Elite chips, it seems like there’s a new handheld release that aims to be the best of the best every single week. Adding onto the endless stream of handheld devices is a newcomer to the party, Mangmi, who has just released the Air X. Promising a flagship look and feel, but with a budget price tag, Mangmi aims to take the handheld market by storm.
The Air X is priced at $89.99, which immediately draws intrigue. A sub-$100 handheld in a horizontal layout, with a 5.5” 16:9 1080p screen jumps to the top of the list of budget handhelds on those merits alone. It rocks a Snapdragon 662 and only has 4GB of RAM, however, which is where the compromises creep in.
Specs
- Screen Size: 5.5in
- Resolution: 1920x1080
- OS: Android 14
- CPU: Snapdragon 662
- RAM: 4GB LPDDR4X
- Storage: 64GB + MicroSD card slot
- Features: WiFi 5/Bluetooth 5.0/3.5mm headphone jack
- Battery: 5,000mAH
Despite the economical pricing, the Air X feels very well-made. The plastic body is almost a little too slippery, though the smoothness feels uniform and nice, and there’s no flexing or creaking at all. At 286g, it’s about the exact weight I’d want out of a portable game system. On the back of the device are two ergonomic contours which make it quite comfortable to hold. Also present is a large vent for the fans, which never got in my way, though I do think it could be an issue for those with larger hands.
Just as with the build quality, the buttons, dpad, and analog sticks are all quite solid. The ABXY buttons are satisfying and chunky, and they’re on the fairly quiet side. Rather confusingly, the dpad is coated in a glossy paint that makes it bizarrely slick, but as far as dpads go, this one is very suitable to my picky tastes, offering great tactility and diagonals. Additionally, the analog sticks are hall-effect joysticks, giving perfect range and precision for any 3D games.
Circling back to that Snapdragon 662 processor, the device isn't going top any benchmarking charts, but it will reliably run retro games up to and including the PSP at 2x-3x upscaling, as well as Dreamcast/N64. Widescreen-patched GameCube games would look wonderful on its display, but unless you're sticking strictly to 2D titles, you won't find much to play from the sixth console generation. If you are a tinkerer, there is room to mess around with settings and get 3DS and GameCube running on some level, but out of the box, it's best to keep your expectations tuned towards what the Air X excels at. Given the price point between this, and say, a Retroid Pocket 5, I'd find that more than acceptable.
Since the Air X runs Android, you can get a great number of homebrew ports running on it, too, such as the retro Sonic decompilations, Ship of Harkinian, Fallout 2, and more. Mangmi even has a list of apps (fortunately, no pre-packaged ROMs!) it can auto-install for you upon the initial setup, including Artemis, for streaming your PC games.
The Air X walks a very precise line, between semi-portable handheld and respectable emulation device. I can't say that it's any bit pocketable, but the 5.5" 16:9 screen makes it far more appealing to me than attaching a phone controller to a 20:9 phone, while also being a far cheaper and more powerful alternative to the expensive and collectible PlayStation Vita.
Mangmi has also bundled its own game launcher, aptly named Game Launcher, with the handheld. It's a serviceable option, though I personally switched over to Beacon. The battery life of the machine, running with 100% brightness at all times, did very well. GBA games could easily be be played for 5-6 hours at a time without needing to charge. PSP, with upscaling, clocked in around 2 hours of playtime before depleting the battery.
If there wasn't enough to like about the budget-oriented Air X already, Mangmi will be introducing the device with a $10 discount, taking the total cost down to $79.99, so long as you order when it goes live on October 15th. For their first foray into the world of Android handhelds, Mangmi has knocked it out of the park, offering a new golden standard for entry-level devices.
Verdict
- The screen is great
- Fantastic value
- Ergonomic design
- Dpad/sticks/face buttons are very nice
- Glossy dpad might not be ideal to some
- Fan noise is very high pitched and noticeable on highest setting
