The Ayaneo Kun has the Steam Deck in its sights. With its dual trackpads and big 8.4-inch screen, the visual resemblance is unmistakable, but this generation’s newer hardware, a class-leading 54 watt TDP, and a massive 75 watt hour battery make it one of the most powerful Windows gaming handhelds on the market today. At $999 to start, it’s surprisingly close to other Ayaneo models but pricey enough that you’ll want to think carefully about the features you want from a handheld gaming PC.
Ayaneo Kun – Design and Features
Ayaneo has described the Kun as its “big screen” handheld. I doubted that description until I held it in my hands. At 12.29 x 5.22 x 0.86 inches, it’s longer and wider than Valve’s Steam Deck and just about every other handheld it’s competing with. It puts that space to good use with a massive 8.4-inch touchscreen that’s bright, vivid, and yes, feels like a big screen within the handheld world.
Flanking the screen are now two touchpads that make navigating Windows easier than ever before (and feel like shots fired at the Steam Deck). To the left side of the screen, there’s now a webcam that’s not very good but works for automatic biometric login. There are also four programmable rear buttons built into the grips, in addition to the two extra shoulder buttons to the inside of the bumpers.
Like every other Ayaneo, you also have your standard controller layout that copies an Xbox gamepad. There are the usual ABXY buttons on the right, joysticks, bumpers, and triggers, but the D-pad is now a circle instead of the cross found on past models. It’s fine and may even make fighting games more appealing with its easier diagonals, but it feels softer and less snappy than past models. The ABXY buttons are also slightly softer this time around but thankfully aren’t mushy.
Other Ayaneo staples also make their return, including its hall effect joysticks and triggers. Each uses magnetic sensors instead of the usual mechanical connections, eliminating the possibility of stick drift and improving their long-term durability. The sticks and triggers are still shorter and have slightly less throw than a full-size gamepad, but they’re close and feel exceptionally smooth. The integrated fingerprint reader also makes its return, allowing you to wake the system from sleep and login with a single touch. There are also two built-in gyroscopes for motion control, even in games that don’t support it.
The Kun is designed to be a top-tier handheld and offers some major upgrades under the hood too. The battery is now a massive 75 watt-hours, making it the biggest of any Windows handheld. It nearly doubles that of the Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally and is around 50% larger than the Lenovo Legion Go. This is paired with an incredible 54-watt maximum TDP. That refers to how much power is able to go to the processor, which handles everything from spreadsheets to in-game graphics, and is dramatically higher than the ~35 watts being offered by the competition. Ayaneo has also developed a new cooling system that keeps the system usable at these high wattages.
Here are the specs on the model I was sent:
- Display: 8.4-inch IPS touchscreen
- Resolution: 2560 x 1600
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7840U (8-core/16-thread)
- CPU Speed: 3.3GHz base clock, 5.1GHz boost clock
- GPU: Integrated AMD Radeon 780M
- Memory: 64GB LPDDR5-6400 (unlockable to 7500MHz)
- Storage: 4TB NVMe
- Battery: 75 Whr
- Connectivity: WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
- I/O: x1 USB4 Type-C (top), x1 USB-A 3.2 Gen2 (top), x1 USB4 Type-C(bottom), audio combo jack, MicroSD expansion
- Security: Fingerprint Scanner, Camera
- Dimensions (LxWxD): 12.29 x 5.22 x 0.86 inches
The processor is the same as found on the company’s Ayaneo 2S and Air 1S, the AMD Ryzen 7 7840U. It features eight cores and 16 threads with a maximum boost clock speed of 5.1GHz. Even though there’s no dedicated GPU in the system, its integrated Radeon 780M graphics are surprisingly fast and allow you to take advantage of Fidelity FX Super Resolution (FSR) for even better performance. On paper, it’s also virtually identical to the Z1 Extreme found in the ROG Ally.
Since the Ayaneo Kun is essentially a laptop in handheld form, you’re able to configure the amount of memory and storage you need. The cheapest model, which begins at $999 ($1,129 once Early Bird pricing runs out) comes with 16GB of memory and 512GB of built-in storage. This can be increased all the way to 64GB of memory and 4TB of storage at an increased price of $1,699 early bird and $1,809 retail. You can also increase the memory and storage yourself if you’re comfortable opening the device and disassembling it enough to access those parts or add your own MicroSD card.
These prices are undeniably high and one of the biggest hurdles that Ayaneo as a company needs to face. The most expensive Steam Deck is only $650, while the ROG Ally Z1 Extreme and Lenovo Legion Go are $700 and $750. The potential performance of the Kun is higher, especially if you’re willing to plug in and run it at a full 54-watt TDP, but one of the things we’ve seen is that the Ryzen 7 7840U has diminishing returns with higher wattage and runs similarly across the board otherwise.
But that doesn’t mean there’s no reason to choose the Kun. Its giant battery means that it’s actually portable at reasonable TDPs. While prior models would last around an hour at 20-30 watts, the Kun lasts three to four. It’s also one of the most comfortable handhelds to hold if you’re resting it in your lap or on a desk (which you’ll definitely do with its heavier weight). Navigating Windows is the easiest of any handheld I’ve used so far, and with the launch of AyaSpace 2, its configuration software, the company has finally achieved the level of polish, refinement, and ease of use it clamored after in its early years.
The pricing is also close enough to other Ayaneos that it feels like a viable upgrade that doesn’t gouge you for its additional features. Compared to the company’s prior flagship, the Ayaneo 2S (see our thoughts on the original Ayaneo 2 here, which is nearly identical in design), starter pricing is only $130 off, and for that investment, you get a bigger screen, trackpads, added buttons, and more. The Kun is expensive but closer in price to its predecessor than most people expected it to be.
The screen, while gorgeous at 500 nits of peak brightness and offering outstanding color coverage (130% sRGB and 90% DCI-P3), is still only 60Hz and lacks variable refresh rate support. Both the ROG Ally and Legion Go offer higher refresh rates (120Hz and 144Hz), and the Ally supports VRR and low framerate compensation (LFC) for smoother gameplay at the frame rates you’re most likely to be playing at. AyaSpace allows you to lock in-game frame rates to 30, 40, or 60 fps to compensate for this, but it’s a middle-ground and nowhere near as good as true VRR and LFC. Don’t write off this display, though: it still looks fantastic.
One of the high points of this model is its high-resolution screen. It features a native resolution of 2560x1660, which is the 16:10 equivalent of 1440p. Videos and indie games look exceptionally crisp at this resolution but don’t expect to play many games using it. The Ryzen 7 7840U just doesn’t have the horsepower to offer the kind of speeds you would need to play more than simple and emulated retro games at this resolution. 1200p is more viable and 800p even moreso, and games in motion both still look great on its smaller screen. Menus are fuzzier here than past models, though.
The speakers are also surprisingly good. At up to 80% of full volume, they’re clear and full-bodied, so you can game or watch movies with higher fidelity than many gaming laptops. There’s also an optional system that syncs its HD vibration motors to the sound if you’re playing a PC game that doesn’t support rumble.
The Kun offers moderately expanded connectivity, swapping out one of the Ayaneo 2’s two top-mounted USB Type-C ports for a full-sized USB 3.2 Gen 2. Previously, you were forced to use an adapter to connect a peripheral like a keyboard. A second USB Type-C port is positioned on the bottom alongside a 3.5mm combo audio jack. Both of the USB Type-C ports are USB4 and fully compatible with external GPU enclosures, as well as traditional accessories like docking stations.
The microSD card has been moved and hidden away behind a new metal kickstand. Popping the kickstand out reveals the port. There’s also a sticker that covers a port for adding an optional 4G module.
Ayaneo Kun – Software
The Kun runs on Windows 11 and uses AyaSpace 2 for all of its configuration options. Navigating Windows with any handheld requires a bit of patience, but the Kun offers the best experience I’ve had thus far. The addition of the trackpads makes moving the mouse feel more natural and intuitive. The screen is also touch sensitive and can be used exactly as past models if that’s your preference.
By default, the right trackpad scrolls the mouse cursor and can click and double tap just like those found on a laptop. It even supports left and right click by pressing either side of the pad. It technically allows three and four-finger gestures but is too small to do much more than scroll and tap with. The left touchpad is mapped to the arrow keys and can control scrolling and navigating menus with ease.
Keyboard input is handled through the Windows Touch Keyboard and comes up automatically whenever you click into a text field. Having used both physical keyboards and this method of touch input on gaming handhelds, the Touch Keyboard really is the best option. It’s easy to tap and use, or swipe to spell, and can be swapped to a traditional keyboard layout for when you need function keys or key combinations. It’s not for gaming, of course, but works fine for typing out emails and normal web browsing.
Ayaneo has also incorporated a number of shortcuts into the system. The left shoulder button can raise the keyboard at any time. The ABXY buttons are all mapped to different controls, including left and right click. The bottom right programmable button minimizes everything and brings you back to the desktop and returns you with another tap. There are also shortcuts for bringing up the Task Manager, Ctrl+Alt+Delete, or snapping a screenshot tied to the D-pad, but only when the right bumper and trigger and held together. Tapping the AyaSpace button also gives you access to a selection of other shortcuts, like enabling FSR or muting the volume. With the exception of the D-pad shortcuts, each of these is customizable to match how you would like to use your system.
Like any PC handheld, there are also plenty of options to configure how the system itself functions. AyaSpace 2 can be accessed through a quick menu by tapping the AyaSpace button. Within, you can set your TDP, frame rate limit, fan settings, check on performance stats, enable the performance overlay, and more.
Holding the AyaSpace button raises the full version of the software with even more options. Aya has done a great job of streamlining AyaSpace over the years to the point where I find it to be a genuinely impressive and polished piece of software. Virtually all of the buttons, including the triggers and joysticks, can be configured and customized. The rear paddles and other programmable buttons can be mapped. You can enable or disable the gyroscopes and adjust their sensitivity.
There’s even a setting that allows you to configure the amount of video memory your CPU is able to utilize. This is especially meaningful as it can have a direct impact on the in-game performance and the settings you’re able to use. I was sent the 64GB version, which gave me the option of allotting up to 20GB of video memory. Lower memory versions will likely have lower limitations, but this is a surprising and very welcome feature that I genuinely didn’t expect to see.
Overall, both Windows and AyaSpace 2 are easier than ever to use here. There will always be a learning curve to navigating Windows on a device like this, but Ayaneo has done a very good job of making it as easy as possible to learn and use.
Ayaneo Kun – Performance
The Ayaneo Kun packs top-tier specs and offers excellent performance, but if you’re expecting a major leap in frames per second, you might be disappointed. The biggest benefit to the Kun is its usability for everything from gaming to completely replacing a workstation. It can output great frame rates, but since it’s using the same processor as the Ayaneo 2S, GPD Win 4 (2023), and, spec-wise, the ASUS ROG Ally, you can’t expect miracles.
The biggest selling point is its high 54-watt TDP. In the world of gaming handhelds, higher TDP usually means better performance. The Kun proves that this is only to a point. The difference between using a 35-watt TDP and a full 54-watt TDP is achingly small, and for pure gaming, it doesn’t make much sense to use.
When we benchmark laptops and handheld gaming PCs, we put them through an identical roster of tests. These include synthetic benchmarks and real-world gaming tests. Games are set to ultra settings with ray tracing enabled where available. This provides a consistent metric for comparison between machines, even if you won’t actually be gaming at such high settings on a handheld PC. If DLSS or FSR are options, they’re turned on to the Balanced preset. Note that the ROG Ally was originally tested at 1080p and was not available for repeat testing ahead of this review, so those original results are included.
To begin, here is how the Ayaneo Kun compares to several of the other handhelds we’ve tested recently. These tests were conducted at a 35-watt TDP, which is where the ROG Ally, during our testing, could peak with manual settings. Having tested the Ayaneo 2S for other publications, I can confidently say that it performs within several fps of the Kun and Ally in virtually every scenario, albeit at its slightly lower 32-watt TDP.
At 1080p, you can see the results are very close, but the ROG Ally pulls out ahead in Cyberpunk 2077 and Forza Horizon 5. In a CPU-heavy game like Total War: Warhammer III, the Air Plus technically wins but all four systems deliver similar levels of performance. At 800p where the Ally drops out from our charts, the Kun pulls sizeable leads compared to last generation’s Air Plus and GPD WIN 4.
Of course, these systems are really about finding the perfect balance between graphics, frame rate, and battery life, so I conducted some extra testing with modified settings. These results are very close to those I was able to achieve with the Ayaneo 2S, which uses the same processor and integrated graphics chip. Expectedly, there are no major leaps here, but it definitely confirms that the Kun is capable of great graphics at playable frame rates even on new games like Alan Wake 2.
As we turn to synthetic testing, the Kun really begins to pull ahead. Its more advanced cooling system allows it to maintain higher clock speeds and earn a sizeable lead.
Since its 54-watt TDP was one of its biggest selling points, I was curious to see what kind of improvements it would offer. The answer is next to nothing. As you can see, across 800p, 1200p, and 1600p, the Radeon 780M hits a limit that pure wattage can’t overcome. The biggest improvement in these games was only two fps, which is unnoticeable in real-world gameplay. I saw bigger gains in some smaller games that I didn’t formally test, but it rarely extended more than five fps and still wasn’t worth the dramatically reduced battery life. Using the system at such a high TDP also causes the fans to run full bore, which approaches gaming laptop levels of noise.
Where this begins to make sense is if you’re using the Kun as a replacement for a full-sized PC. While the built-in GPU hits a wall, the CPU does benefit from more power. The higher TDP allows it to run at higher speeds for longer periods of time, which makes it a much better fit for more demanding PC tasks like video editing and rendering. Every Ayaneo has been able to replace a PC but they were always handicapped with these more demanding tasks. The Kun allows it to run at full power, making it much closer to a full-fledged workstation than any other handheld on the market today.
What’s even more impressive is that the system never thermal throttled. Across multiple Cinebench runs where the system was under load for more than an hour, it ran at full speed. It was noisy as the fans struggled to keep up, but keep up they did. Given how thin it is, and how much heat that full wattage generates, that’s impressive.
While the gaming performance is similar to other handhelds using the Ryzen 7 7840U, the experience of using the Kun is what makes it stand out. Playing games on its larger screen really is more fun. The added weight makes it harder to hold up for lengths of time, but just like the ROG Ally, it feels like Ayaneo designed this to be used in a lap or resting on a desk. It balances just about perfectly when used this way and the grips are exceptionally comfortable while also feeling secure.
The touchpads are game-changers. While it’s technically possible to use them to control a mouse in-game, I wouldn’t recommend them for that any more than using a touchpad on a laptop for gaming. Instead, they complete the experience of using Windows on a handheld. When the joysticks, touchpad, and face buttons are used in concert for mouse control, it feels natural and intuitive in a way only the Lenovo Legion Go approaches, but the Kun still feels more “complete.”
The rear buttons are also great. They work exactly as you would expect, matching many of the best Xbox controllers, but also allowing you to map trigger pulls, which isn’t usually possible. You don’t just need to play competitive games for these to be beneficial either. Playing Spider-Man: Remastered, mapping dodge to a rear button felt natural and made me more nimble and better able to fight.
The addition of a kickstand is also a nice touch. It’s been a big missing feature on past models and is even more welcome here thanks to its bigger screen. Connecting a controller or propping it up on the desk to watch Netflix is a great option, especially when taking it on the go.
And thanks to its giant battery, the Ayaneo Kun feels like the most portable of any Windows handheld available today. You won’t be using it at 54 watts on battery for very long – less than an hour of gaming in my testing – but at 25 watts, a TDP suitable for new games on battery, it lasted around three hours playing demanding games. With a 15-watt TDP, I was able to stretch that another hour. With less demanding games, you could extend it even more. This is the first handheld of its kind that I’ve felt confident leaving the house without a charger. That’s huge.
