Pocketbyte: The Modular Open Source PDA Nobody Knew They Still Wanted

Posted on 27/07/2026 by JC Torres

The PDA had a good run in the late 1990s and early 2000s before smartphones absorbed everything it did, then kept going. What disappeared with it wasn’t just a product category but a device that was genuinely focused: it did a handful of things well, didn’t ask for your attention beyond those things, and fit comfortably in a pocket. The smartphone replaced it with something more powerful, but also something that never quite left you alone. That tradeoff is what a growing number of people are starting to notice.

Pocketbyte is a solo-built, open-source handheld computer that describes itself as a modern PDA: a pocket device for play, notes, music, and tinkering, built without the feeds, notifications, or ambient pull of a connected smartphone. It runs on an ESP32-S3 processor, a dual-core chip clocked at 240 MHz, paired with a 2.8-inch IPS display that stays readable in sunlight. The 1,500mAh battery charges over USB-C and holds up through extended sessions of gameplay or music listening.

Designer: Om Rawaley

What separates it most from every comparable device is the modular input system at the bottom. A magnetic pin connector accepts swappable control modules, and two are available now: a gamepad layout for games and a QWERTY keyboard for typing. The connection is physical and hot-swappable, so switching from a gaming session to writing a note takes as long as pulling one module off and clipping another one on. Anyone can design a third module, fourth, or fiftieth. The documentation is open, and the architecture invites it.

The software side is just as open. PocketbyteOS has a built-in App Store accessible over Wi-Fi, where community-built apps can be downloaded and installed without connecting to a computer. For those who want to go deeper, the C library is available under the Apache 2.0 license on GitHub, and there’s no locked bootloader preventing anyone from flashing whatever they build. The Retro-Go emulator runs SNES, Sega Genesis, Game Boy Color, and NES titles comfortably on the hardware. Celeste has been ported to it. The device also plays MP3 and WAV files with cover art and ships with a stereo headphone jack alongside the built-in mono speaker.

Storage goes up to 32GB via microSD, which covers a lot of retro games, playlists, and saved data in a device this size. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are both built into the ESP32-S3, so wireless connectivity is available without adding hardware. For anyone who wants to build interactive apps, such as wireless messaging tools, music sequencers, graphing calculators, or text editors, the platform handles all of it within a form factor that actually fits in a pocket.

DevKits are coming to early adopters and developers first, with broader availability to follow. It’s aimed at makers, retro gaming fans, digital minimalists, and anyone who’s wanted a small, capable, honest machine that doesn’t ask for more of their time than they’re willing to give it. Devices like this used to exist. They went away. Pocketbyte is an argument that they shouldn’t have.

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Gaming Laptops Die Mid-Game, GPD WIN Max 3 Swaps Its Battery Live

Posted on 06/07/2026 by JC Torres

Handheld gaming PCs have come a long way, but most still force an uncomfortable compromise. The ones built around controllers and portable gaming rarely double as decent work machines, while those that lean toward productivity often handle demanding games with apology. Anyone wanting both usually ends up carrying two devices, a proper laptop for meetings and a gaming handheld for the commute home.

The GPD WIN Max 3 tries to sidestep that problem entirely. It looks like a compact clamshell laptop at first, complete with a keyboard, a Precision touchpad, and a 9.06-inch display on a hinged lid. Lift those magnetic panels above the keyboard, though, and a set of capacitive joysticks appears alongside linear Hall-effect triggers, two programmable rear buttons, and a full Xbox-style controller layout.

Designer: GPD

That 9.06-inch screen doesn’t cut corners on quality. GPD is listing an AMOLED panel with a 2400×1504 resolution, a 165Hz refresh rate, and HDR10 support, protected by Gorilla Glass 6. Peak brightness reaches 1,050 nits, making it readable in brighter environments, while the 313 PPI pixel density keeps text and graphics crisp whether you’re reviewing a document or mid-fight in a demanding AAA title.

Underneath the hood, the WIN Max 3 is listed with either the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 or 388, both Zen 5 Strix Halo chips with Radeon 8060S integrated graphics that go well beyond what typical handhelds can offer. Configurations scale up to 128GB of LPDDR5x-8000 memory in a quad-channel setup, with storage stretching to 4TB, figures that feel more at home in a workstation than a portable gaming device.

What sets the WIN Max 3 apart is its power architecture. Rather than a sealed internal battery, it uses a 97Wh hot-swappable module that attaches externally, letting you swap it mid-session without shutting down. You can also run the machine straight from a 180W DC adapter without any battery installed. An external 110W fan module clips on separately to push sustained performance to its TDP ceiling.

The connectivity options for a device this compact are genuinely broad. A USB4 port with 40Gbps bandwidth and DisplayPort 2.1, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, and HDMI 2.1 FRL mean you can connect to external displays, docking stations, or even GPD’s G2 graphics dock for extra GPU performance the moment you sit down at a desk.

Finish a report during a flight, swap out the battery at the gate, and boot up a graphically demanding title in the hotel room, all without a second device in your bag. That’s the scenario the WIN Max 3 is built around, and for the perpetual traveler who also games, it makes an honest case for consolidating two things you’d otherwise pack separately.

There are legitimate trade-offs, naturally. The base unit weighs 815g, climbing to 1,220g with the battery module in place, which rules out jacket pocket carry. Pricing is expected to start around $2,000. For a device that can handle a board meeting and a late-night gaming session in the same bag, that price feels both like a luxury and an honest calculation.

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Anbernic RG 55G1 is a Switch Lite inspired handheld powered by the Snapdragon SoC

Posted on 19/06/2026 by Gaurav Sood

Anbernic has slowly clawed its way into the Android handheld market with stellar offerings that have excellent build, quality, a nostalgic design language, and powerful guts that can play AAA games without breaking a sweat. The shell options and the freedom to choose from a variety of form factors, right from tiny pocket devices to Nintendo-inspired designs, make their handheld gaming consoles special.

Now the Guangdong-based gaming accessories maker has just revealed the RG 55G1 handheld, which has more of the Nintendo-style layout. There were rumors in the air that the company was working on a couple of handhelds based on the discontinued Nintendo devices, but for now, the maker has announced just one of them. This is the Anbernic RG 55G1 handheld, which gives off the Nintendo Switch Lite vibes. If I compare it to the existing models, the new handheld does look pretty similar to the Retroid Pocket 6.

Designer: Anbernic

While on the superficial level, the handheld is inspired by the Switch Lite, on a closer look, it has some key differences. The device has “double shot” face buttons teased in the video trailer. While I don’t exactly have an idea what that means, it could be the buttons being made out of dual layers of molded plastic – one for the button functionality and the other for text function. Glass on the handheld is gently curved at the edge, and Anbernic calls it the 2.5D glass design. Predictably, the handheld gets the Hall-Effect joysticks and triggers, along with the USB-C port and SD card slot to complete the functionality set.

The horizontal orientation handheld is speculated to have a 5.5-inch display and could most likely be powered by the Snapdragon G1 Gen 2 SoC. If the latter is true, this will be the first time an Anbernic handheld will have a Qualcomm processor, as opposed to the MediaTek or RockChip processors in previous versions. These two speculations stem from the fact that the naming convention usually gives away the device’s specifications, as with the previously released versions. If the handheld has this hardware, playing PlayStation 2 games should be a breeze on this retro-futuristic device.

For now, there is no revelation about the other hardware specs, nor is there any hint of the release date or the pricing. The only thing conclusive is the color options that the RG 55G1 will be released in – Indigo, Retro Gray, and Black. This is the second handheld announcement this week, along with the AYANEO Pocket Micro 2 powered by a Snapdragon chip, on which we’ll have more in the coming days.

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The Handheld PC That Becomes a Gamepad, Keyboard, or Knob Panel

Posted on 16/06/2026 by JC Torres

The handheld PC market has gotten surprisingly competitive in recent years. Devices like the Steam Deck and ROG Ally have proven that people genuinely want powerful computers in their pockets, but they’ve all settled into roughly the same formula: a fixed gamepad layout and a fixed identity as gaming devices. Getting any serious work done on them usually means plugging in a keyboard and calling it a compromise.

The CG Deck takes a different approach. Rather than locking itself into one form factor, it’s built around swappable input modules that let you physically change what kind of device it is, depending on what you need it to do. Snap on the gamepad for gaming, switch to the 64-key keyboard for writing, or reach for the 11-key rotary knob module when precision matters most.

Designer: Mogozen

The module system is split into two types of slots, primary and secondary, which accept different kinds of attachments. The primary slot handles the bigger input options, like the gamepad controller, keyboard, or knob module. The secondary slot is where something like a trackball mouse module goes. Over 30 additional modules are already in development, opening the door to configurations nobody has really tried before.

Running the whole thing is an Intel N150 processor paired with up to 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, which is enough to handle productivity workloads, light creative tasks, and indie gaming without breaking a sweat. The 5-inch IPS touchscreen runs at 1024×600 and peaks at 1,000 nits, which keeps it readable in brighter conditions. It also outputs up to 4K at 60Hz via HDMI 2.1 when a bigger screen is nearby.

The battery is made up of three 18650 lithium cells totaling 10,500 mAh, good for roughly eight hours of use and charged via USB-C. Connectivity is unusually generous for a handheld of this size, with built-in Wi-Fi 6e, Bluetooth, and a full 1GbE Ethernet port, plus two USB-A 3.0 ports, a USB-C port, and a MicroSD card slot built directly into the chassis.

Beyond swapping the controllers, the internals are expandable, too. An M.2 slot accepts NVMe SSDs in 2230 or 2280 form factors via PCIe 3.0, there’s a module slot for 4G LTE cellular connectivity with a NanoSIM, and a PCIe expansion port opens the door to external GPU attachments for more demanding workloads. x86 architecture means it runs anything, from Windows 10 and 11 to any Linux distribution you prefer.

What makes this even more interesting is that everything about the CG Deck is open source. Schematics, firmware, and design files will all be available on GitHub, so tinkerers can build their own version without waiting for the commercial release. A Kickstarter is currently in the works for those who’d rather not solder their way through it, and a waitlist is already open on the Mogozen website.

The engineering prototype is working, though it’s still being refined before it’s ready for a wider audience. Future shell designs include options with picatinny rails and LEGO-compatible brick plates, suggesting that physical customization goes well beyond the input modules alone. The overall concept is unusual enough to feel genuinely novel in a category that’s started to feel a bit predictable.

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The Personal Cooling Device That Blows Cold Air Rather Than Just Moving It

Posted on 09/06/2026 by JC Torres

Handheld fans have been a summer staple for years, but the basic formula hasn’t changed much. You press a button, blades spin, and air moves. That works fine when it’s mildly warm, but as summers grow hotter and more people spend time outdoors, a fan that simply redistributes hot air starts to feel less like relief and more like a polite gesture against a much bigger problem. And yet for years, that has remained the only option most people know and reach for.

That’s the gap Aecooly is trying to close with the Cold Air Ultra, the brand’s flagship personal cooling device. Rather than simply moving warm air from one side of your face to the other, Aecooly built it around an active cooling system that delivers genuinely cooled airflow, thanks to ultra-fine mist particles that accelerate evaporation to actively draw heat away from the skin. If you’ve ever thought there has to be a fan that actually cools the air, this is that device.

Designer: Aecooly

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It’s worth noting how the Cold Air Ultra looks, because the design says a lot about what it’s trying to be. The body is compact and upright, with a cylindrical air outlet with a straight, high-pressure duct design, giving it a shape closer to a precision tool than a seasonal gadget and ensuring that the powerful airflow reaches you with zero efficiency loss. Unlike the plastic housing common to most portable fans, the Cold Air Ultra comes in a lightweight body with a premium metallic-inspired finish that’s more resistant to scratches and daily wear, better in hand, and can passively conduct heat away from the motor during extended use.

The cooling technology is where the Cold Air Ultra stands apart. An 70,000 RPM brushless motor drives high-speed air that “breaks through” the sticky sweat layer so the mist can evaporate and pull heat away instantly. It’s this dual action of the wind clearing the path for the mist that makes it possible to reduce skin temperature by up to 18°F (10°C) in just 10 seconds, a noticeably different experience from what you’d get with a standard fan.

What makes the airflow cold rather than simply wet comes down to how the system atomizes water. Rather than using a vibrating membrane to break liquid into droplets, the approach used in most portable evaporative devices, the Cold Air Ultra uses pneumatic atomization: a high-pressure pump forces compressed air through a precision copper nozzle, shearing water into ~20 μm micro-particles at speed. The compression process itself lowers the air temperature before it exits the device, so that what reaches your skin is genuinely cooled airflow, not ambient air with moisture added. The water and air channels are sealed in a patented airtight structure that optimizes flow efficiency and prevents leakage, a design detail that also keeps the electronics fully separated from the water circuit.

Control is handled through what Aecooly calls the “Little Droplet,” a full-color touchscreen built into the front of the body. This enables fast, intuitive, and precise control, allowing users to swipe through the 100-level settings instantly, which is a much more modern and responsive way to manage airflow compared to traditional fans. And with dynamic icons that display battery level, water level, and mist status in real time, you’re never left guessing what’s left.

Picture stopping mid-hike to cool down, or waiting on a sweltering subway platform with no breeze in sight. A standard fan doesn’t do much in either of those moments beyond moving hot air around. The Cold Air Ultra is built for situations like these, where getting your skin temperature down quickly during a break or a commute actually makes a noticeable difference to how you feel.

Battery life isn’t a compromise here either. The Cold Air Ultra packs a 7,000 mAh cell for up to 10 hours, charges via USB-C in about 2.5 hours, and doubles as a 20W power bank with Quick Charge and Power Delivery support. The magnetic accessory system includes a pointed nozzle and a round nozzle for directing airflow, plus a brush head, each of which can snap on and off without tools. The included lanyard enables hands-free carry, so the device stays accessible during commutes or outdoor use without needing to be held.

Aecooly says the Cold Air system has received the Red Dot Design Award 2026, a recognition that speaks to its functional engineering as much as its considered form. It’s available in a black and a blue finish, and retails for $79.99. For a device that covers personal cooling, emergency power, and outdoor utility in a single package, the price puts it squarely in premium handheld territory.

The standard Aecooly Cold Air at $31.99 ~~$39.99~~ (20% off, use coupon code “YANKO2026”) brings the same active cooling concept in a simpler package, with a 4,500 mAh battery and five speed settings. It’s a solid introduction to the concept, but the Cold Air Ultra’s touchscreen, 7,000 mAh battery, 20W power bank output, and magnetic tool system make $79.99 feel less like a premium and more like the smarter spend.

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This $172 Raspberry Pi Handheld Doubles as a USB Keyboard

Posted on 03/06/2026 by JC Torres

The Raspberry Pi Compute Module has always been more useful as a component than as a standalone board. Stripped of the standard ports that make the full-size Pi easy to reach, the CM5 was designed to disappear into purpose-built hardware, doing exactly what a system needs it to do in exactly the space available. That modularity invites projects, and Pi handheld computers have been a natural expression of it for years. Most of them never quite cross the line from capable experiment to genuinely polished device.

The piBrick Pocket-CM5 is an open-source hardware project that comes significantly closer than most. Built from a custom PCB designed for manufacturing at JLCPCB, a 3D-printed shell, and a parts list that totals around $172, it lands at smartphone proportions, 80mm x 145mm x 19.6mm, with the kind of feature density that makes it credible as a daily carry tool rather than a desk ornament.

Designer: Ahmad Amarullah

The display is a 3.92-inch AMOLED panel running at 1080 × 1240 pixels and 90Hz, with 560 nits of brightness and capacitive multitouch for up to five fingers. A custom Asahi Tempered Glass cover sits over the top, which is the kind of detail that separates a considered design from a prototype that happens to work. Full-size and micro-HDMI outputs mean the same device can drive an external display, when a keyboard and mouse are more useful than a pocket-sized one.

That keyboard is a BBQ20, a compact QWERTY design with an integrated trackpad derived from the BlackBerry layout. Side rotary encoders and five user-programmable buttons extend the input options beyond a standard phone form factor, giving the device a tactile depth that touchscreen-only handhelds don’t have. The battery is a 5,000mAh LiPo, and the USB port set covers both USB 3 and USB 2 in Type-A and Type-C configurations, plus an internal expansion header for add-on modules.

One of the more quietly useful features sits at the intersection of the keyboard and the USB stack. The BBQ20 can operate in USB-HID mode, which means plugging the piBrick into any external computer or server turns its keyboard and trackpad into a fully functional USB input device, independent of the Pi. A sysadmin arriving at a server rack without a spare keyboard doesn’t need to find one; the piBrick already is one. That framing, as a tool for engineers and sysadmins rather than simply a hobbyist novelty, runs through the whole project.

A full Linux desktop runs on the CM5, alongside the system administration and networking tools that tend to be useful in those situations. NVMe SSD support in 2230 or 2242 formats adds storage headroom when the SD card isn’t enough. Stereo speakers, a microphone, and an optional camera module round out a spec sheet that covers more ground than the form factor suggests. The project files, schematics, and build instructions are all available as open source, which means the $172 cost is the floor, not a retail price, and the design itself belongs to anyone who wants to build on it.

The post This $172 Raspberry Pi Handheld Doubles as a USB Keyboard first appeared on Yanko Design.

Ayaneo KONKR Pocket Block handheld is a Game Boy remake with AI guts

Posted on 27/05/2026 by Gaurav Sood

Ayaneo has steadily built a name for itself in the premium handheld arena with devices that can play anything from an indie title or an emulated game to a demanding AAA PC ported title. More recently, the brand has branched into the more budget section of the gaming industry with the sub-brand KONKR. Targeting gamers who want to enjoy casual gaming on the go, the Windows-powered KONKR Pocket Fit and the KONKR Fit Elite hit the sweet spot of affordable price and the meat you get for it as far as performance is concerned.

The portable gaming expert has now come up with the KONKR Pocket Block AI handheld, which has been lurking in the cloud for quite some time through leaks and rumors. The vertical configuration handheld touted to be the world’s first AI-powered portable gaming device has the telltale Game Boy vibes with its cyber-inspired design and retro aesthetics.

Designer: Ayaneo

It all started with the leaked manuals of the handheld under the main brand, but eventually the device got leaked under the KONKR sub-brand. The handheld is slated to be released in two color options – one of which will have the Game Boy DMB-inspired hues, while the other has a pastel purple body panel contrasted with the off-white to replicate the late 90s and early 2000s electronic influences. The buttons on both are also color-matched as the former has a combo of grey, red, and orange, while the latter sports grey, white, and orange combos.

Although Ayaneo hasn’t revealed much about the specifications, the pocket-friendly handheld seems to have a 3 to 3.5-inch display. That puts it flush in competition with the Anbernic RG series and the Retroid Pocket Classic. The handheld was teased during the livestream event, alongside the Pocket AIR Mini handheld that comes with licensed IGS arcade games. Going by what’s seen in the earlier leaked images and the official livestream, the handheld comes without any analog sticks, has a 3.5mm port at the bottom, a front-facing speaker, ventilation on top to keep things cool, and a microSD card slot on the left. A closer look also reveals the presence of a plastic body, which is obvious given that the Pocket Block AI comes under the KONKR moniker.

Previous leaks hint at a 3,500mAh battery powering the handheld with the 10W wired charging ability. If that’s true, given the compact size of the device, it is quite impressive. There’s no word on the pricing or the release date, but going by the leaked packaging images that look almost finished, the handheld should be official anytime in the coming weeks. The expected price tag for the KONKR Pocket is going to be around $150.

The post Ayaneo KONKR Pocket Block handheld is a Game Boy remake with AI guts first appeared on Yanko Design.

The Orion PDA Runs on Sunlight and Ignores the Internet by Design

Posted on 18/05/2026 by JC Torres

The smartphone has become so dominant in daily life that it’s hard to remember what it felt like to carry a device that did only a handful of things. Every swipe, tap, and notification competes for your attention, turning what was once a communication tool into a cycle of endless distraction. The maker community, however, has quietly been building an alternative.

The Orion PDA is one of the more convincing results of that effort. Built by a YouTuber who goes by MVLab, it’s a compact clamshell computer designed specifically for people who’d rather write, listen, or record than scroll. There’s no internet connection out of the box, no cloud, no algorithms, and no push notifications. What it offers is a deliberately focused pocket machine that strips away the noise.

Designer: MVLab

The design takes its cues from the Sharp Zaurus line of pocket computers popular in the early 2000s, and the resemblance is unmistakable. It folds open to reveal a small screen on top, and a full QWERTY keyboard with rubber dome switches below. Function keys run across the top row, letting you access common actions without digging through any menus. It’s compact enough to fit in a jacket pocket.

That screen is a 3.16-inch Sharp Memory LCD with a resolution of 536×336 pixels, rendered in 1-bit black and white. It might sound like a regression, but the display operates on the same basic principle as E Ink, drawing almost no power between refreshes and staying perfectly legible in direct sunlight. Take it out on a park bench or a café terrace, and it won’t let you down.

The custom operating system is built around doing a few things exceptionally well. You can pull up albums stored on an SD card, play them through an external speaker or headphones, and even record voice notes that go straight to removable storage. A lightweight calendar app handles basic scheduling. There’s also a text-scaling setting and a USB mass-storage mode for moving files to and from a desktop computer.

Powering everything is an STM32U575 microcontroller clocked at up to 160 MHz, an ultra-low-power chip that keeps the device running for long stretches between charges. The lid houses an integrated solar panel, which can supplement the battery enough to keep things topped up with occasional exposure to sunlight. A USB-C port also handles charging, firmware updates, and data transfers. An expansion port leaves room for future community-developed modules.

The Orion PDA also packs in a dedicated digital-to-analog converter for audio playback, putting it above the lo-fi output you’d expect from a device this small. A MEMS microphone handles voice recording with reasonable fidelity. It isn’t trying to replace your dedicated music player or studio recorder, but for capturing quick ideas or dictating notes on a long hike, it does what it needs to. For anyone tired of carrying a device that’s simultaneously a computer, a TV, a game console, and a social distraction, this one might be worth the wait.

The post The Orion PDA Runs on Sunlight and Ignores the Internet by Design first appeared on Yanko Design.

ONEXPLAYER X2 Mini is a power-packed compact PC, tablet and handheld in one

Posted on 15/04/2026 by Gaurav Sood

We’ve been ranting all year long about the rise of the handhelds and the choices spread across a wide spectrum. This diversity is attributed to many variables, including the use case, the genres of games the device is expected to play, and, most importantly, the price segment a gamer is looking at.

ONE-NOTEBOOK has more often than not shown what a premium gaming rig or a powerhouse handheld is supposed to be like, going beyond the utility of simply enjoying your favorite titles. The ONEXPLAYER G1 laptop, the ONEXPLAYER X1 tablet hybrid, and the ONEXPLAYER Youxia X1 Pro EVA Limited Edition handheld gaming PC proved it all right.

Designer: ONE-NETBOOK

The Shenzhen-based electronics company is back with another powerhouse gadget that should solve your gaming, work, and entertainment needs. ONEXPLAYER X2 Mini is the latest teased handheld by ONE-NETBOOK, and it packs some real power for playing AAA titles. Despite the “Mini” in its namesake, the device features a slightly larger 8.8-inch OLED screen compared to the Apex handheld’s 8-inch display shown off at CES 2026. The display supports VRR and HDR modes, along with the superior 144 Hz variable refresh rate for demanding titles. This pits it directly in competition with the Lenovo Legion Go 2.

Powering the guts of the handheld is the power-packed AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 APU, and there is no word yet about the RAM or storage on the gaming device. The beefy processor with 16 Zen 5 CPU cores is mated to the Radeon 8060S integrated GPU. That kind of hardware requires active cooling, and ONE-NETBOOK has an optional external water cooling pack in the mix. That amount of processing power can be overkill for a handheld, but it makes sense since the device doubles as a potent mini laptop. The screen is completely detachable and connects to a magnetic backlit keyboard for your work routines on the go.

To power the demanding machine, they’ve decided to go with a user-detachable 85W battery to make swaps quick, in case you want to extend your gaming sessions on a long flight. The detachable controller has swappable face buttons (with micro-switches), a capacitive joystick, casing, and a vibration motor for haptic feedback. Thus, making the handheld mini PC easy to replace with new components. D-pad will also be user configurable in two options – the standard cross version, or the octagonal setup similar to the Xbox Series Elite controller. For better control in-game, the two-stage analogue trigger provides micromovement and linear freedom in switching. The controllers can be connected to the independent wireless connection base, which turns them into a capacitive touchpad for mouse-level precision while working.

ONEXPLAYER X2 Mini will likely have 128GB of storage and ultra-fast LPDDR5X RAM to go with the Strix Halo APU, which should put it flush in the premium handheld category. That should carry a premium price as well, somewhere around $4,000 or more. Add the price of accessories to that, and you have a handheld-PC hybrid poised to attract power gamers and users who have always wanted a modular device for multi-functional needs.

The post ONEXPLAYER X2 Mini is a power-packed compact PC, tablet and handheld in one first appeared on Yanko Design.

Waveshare Built a $149 Handheld That Runs Full Linux Without the Laptop

Posted on 13/04/2026 by JC Torres

The handheld computer has always been a compelling idea that rarely lives up to its promise. Smartphones are too locked down for real development work, and tablets occupy an awkward middle ground between a phone and a laptop. Pocket PCs, mini notebooks, and DIY computer builds have all tried to fill the gap, but each one compromised too heavily on usability or demanded too much assembly.

Waveshare’s PocketTerm35 takes a more deliberate approach, landing somewhere between a purpose-built tool and a proper portable computer. Compatible with the Raspberry Pi 4B and Pi 5, it wraps a complete Linux terminal experience into a handheld unit that’s ready to use right out of the box. Everything from the display and keyboard to the battery and connectivity is already integrated, so there’s nothing left to hunt down or assemble.

Designer: Waveshare

At 93.5mm x 168.5mm x 37mm, the PocketTerm35 fits comfortably in one hand, though it has enough weight to feel substantial rather than cheap. The front panel is CNC-machined aluminum, giving the face a solid, slightly industrial character. The rear is plastic, which helps keep the overall weight manageable. Status LEDs sit above the display, and dedicated boot and reset buttons are tucked on the back.

The 3.5-inch IPS touchscreen sits at a 640 × 480 resolution, which is modest by modern standards but appropriate for a terminal environment where text clarity matters more than pixel density. Optical bonding seals the glass to the panel, reducing reflections and making the screen usable outside without squinting. The 5-point capacitive touch surface sits under toughened glass with 6H hardness, which should hold up well against daily wear.

Below the screen is a 67-key QWERTY silicone keyboard laid out in a standard layout for typing commands, editing code, or navigating menus. A dedicated RP2040 microcontroller manages keyboard input, screen brightness, and volume, offloading those control tasks from the Raspberry Pi itself. The arrangement keeps the main processor free for heavier work, which is the kind of practical engineering detail that makes the difference in a device like this.

Power comes from a 5,000mAh lithium battery with a built-in UPS system that supports seamless switching between battery and external power without losing your session. You can run it plugged in at your desk, then pull the cable and walk away without any disruption to whatever’s running. It’s the kind of reliability that makes a handheld device genuinely trustworthy to use rather than just technically portable on paper.

Connectivity is where the PocketTerm35 avoids the usual compromises. Four USB-A ports and an RJ45 Ethernet jack handle wired needs, alongside a 3.5mm audio jack and a 2W built-in speaker. An I2C expansion header opens things up for custom hardware add-ons. It also supports RetroPie, so the same machine that handles a terminal session during a work trip can become a retro gaming console once the day is done, especially considering it has ABXY buttons.

The PocketTerm35 ships in a few configurations. The Pi5 variant includes a 1GB Raspberry Pi 5, a 64GB microSD card with the system preloaded, and the 5,000mAh battery, all for $148.99. A Pi 4B version is available for $179.99. Developers who’ve been carrying a laptop just to have a real terminal within reach might find the PocketTerm35 a far more sensible answer to that specific problem.

The post Waveshare Built a $149 Handheld That Runs Full Linux Without the Laptop first appeared on Yanko Design.

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