The AYANEO Air Plus ($550–$750) and Steam Deck OLED ($549–$649) are both horizontal handhelds released in 2023 that top out around Wii U emulation, but they differ in meaningful ways. The Air Plus offers choice — AMD Mendocino or Intel Core i3 silicon, plus Windows, SteamOS, or AYANEO OS — while the Steam Deck OLED runs AMD Sephiroth, sits in the high-end power tier, and leans on a mature SteamOS ecosystem. Buyers prioritizing raw performance get more from the Steam Deck; those wanting OS or chip flexibility may prefer the Air Plus.
| AYANEO Air Plus | Steam Deck OLED | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $550–$750 | $549–$649 |
| Brand | AYANEO | Valve |
| Released | 2023 / 06 | 2023 / 11 |
| Type | Horizontal | Horizontal |
| OS | Windows / SteamOS / AYANEO OS | SteamOS 3.0 (Arch Linux), Windows 11, etc |
| Performance | ||
| Chip (SoC) | AMD Mendocino 7320U / 7520U, Intel Core i3-1215U | AMD Sephiroth |
| CPU | AMD Zen 2, Intel Alder Lake U (2x P cores / 4x E cores) | AMD Zen 2 |
| GPU | AMD Radeon 610M, Intel UHD Xe 64 EU | AMD RDNA 2 |
| RAM | 8 GB / 16 GB LPDDR5 (5200 / 5500 MT/s) | 16 GB LPDDR5 |
| Storage | Internal 128 GB / 512 GB M.2 2280 SSD, External MicroSD | Internal 512 GB / 1 TB NVMe SSD, External MicroSD |
| Cooling | Heatsink Fan Ventilation cutouts | Heatsink Fan Ventilation cutouts |
| Power tier | Mid-range | High-end |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 6.0 inch | 7.4 inch |
| Screen type | IPS Touchscreen | OLED Touchscreen |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1280 x 800 |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 90 Hz |
| Pixel density | 367.15 PPI | 203.98 PPI |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 | 16:10 |
| Body & battery | ||
| Battery | 46.2 Wh | 50 Wh |
| Weight | 510 grams | 640 grams |
| Dimensions | 237 mm x 91.4 mm x 23.1mm | 298 mm x 117 mm x 50 mm |
| Shell | Plastic | Plastic |
| Colors | Classic Grey, Glacier Blue, Starlight Black | Black, White (Limited) |
| Ports & connectivity | ||
| Wireless | WiFi, Bluetooth, USB-C OTG | WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Video out | USB-C video out Bottom facing | USB-C video out |
| Charging port | USB-C x2 Top & Bottom facing | USB-C Top facing |
| Audio out | 3.5mm Headphone Bottom facing | 3.5mm Headphone, USB-C out, Bluetooth audio |
| Speakers | Dual Stereo Bottom facing | Dual Stereo Front facing |
| AYANEO Air Plus | Steam Deck OLED | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | B- | B+ |
| Wii U | B | A |
| PlayStation 3 | C | C |
Bottom line: The Steam Deck OLED is the cheaper option at $549–$649; the Steam Deck OLED is more powerful and emulates more demanding systems.
One short email when a notable handheld launches or a tracked price drops. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.