Both the AYANEO Air 1S and the Zotac Zone are high-end horizontal Windows 11 handhelds capable of emulating up to PlayStation 3, so the gap between them is narrow. The Air 1S, released in mid-2023 on a Ryzen 7 7840U, ranges from $799 to $1259 depending on configuration and also supports SteamOS. The Zotac Zone arrived in late 2024 at a flat $799 with the newer Ryzen 7 8840U, making it the more straightforward buy for shoppers who want a single price point and a modest generational CPU advantage.
| AYANEO Air 1S | Zotac Zone | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $799–$1259 | $799 |
| Brand | AYANEO | Zotac |
| Released | 2023 / 07 | 2024 / 10 |
| Type | Horizontal | Horizontal |
| OS | Windows 11 / SteamOS | Windows 11 |
| Performance | ||
| Chip (SoC) | AMD Ryzen 7 7840U | AMD Ryzen 7 8840U |
| CPU | AMD Zen 4 | AMD Zen 4 |
| GPU | AMD Radeon 780M | AMD Radeon 780M |
| RAM | 16 GB / 32 GB LPDDR5x (7500 MT/s) | 16 GB LPDDR5X (7500 MT/s) |
| Storage | External MicroSD, Internal Replaceable M.2 2280 SSD (512 GB / 1 TB / 2 TB / 4 TB) | Internal 512 GB M.2 2280 SSD, External MicroSD |
| Cooling | Heatsink Fan Ventilation cutouts | Heatsink Fan Ventilation cutouts |
| Power tier | High-end | High-end |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 5.5 inch | 7.0 inch |
| Screen type | OLED Touchscreen | AMOLED Touchscreen |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Pixel density | 404 PPI | 319.26 PPI |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 | 16:9 |
| Body & battery | ||
| Battery | Thin: 28 Wh (7350 mAh) Standard: 38 Wh (10050 mAh) | 48.5 Wh |
| Weight | 450 grams | — |
| Dimensions | 224 mm x 89.5 mm x 18 mm (Thin) | 310 mm x 135 mm x 40 mm |
| Shell | Plastic | Plastic |
| Colors | Aurora White, Polar Black, Retro Power, Retro Limited | Gray |
| Ports & connectivity | ||
| Wireless | WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, USB-C OTG | WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Video out | USB-C video out Bottom facing | USB-C video out Top facing |
| Charging port | USB-C x2 Top & Bottom facing | USB-C x2 Top & Bottom facing |
| Audio out | 3.5mm Headphone Bottom facing | 3.5mm Headphone Top facing |
| Speakers | Dual Stereo Bottom facing | Dual Stereo Bottom facing |
| AYANEO Air 1S | Zotac Zone | |
|---|---|---|
| Game Boy / Color | A | A |
| NES | A | A |
| Genesis / Mega Drive | A | A |
| Game Boy Advance | A | A |
| SNES | A | A |
| PlayStation 1 | A | A |
| Nintendo DS | A | A |
| Nintendo 64 | A | A |
| Dreamcast | A | A |
| PSP | A | A |
| Sega Saturn | A | A |
| GameCube | A | A |
| Nintendo 3DS | A | A |
| Nintendo Wii | A | A |
| PlayStation 2 | A | A |
| Switch | A | A |
| Wii U | A | A |
| PlayStation 3 | A | A |
Both are closely matched — pick on form factor and price.
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