Both the AYANEO Air and AYANEO Air Plus share the same horizontal form factor and top out at Wii U emulation, but they arrive at that ceiling differently. The Air ($499–$649, released August 2022) uses the AMD Ryzen 5 5560U, a high-end chip that handles demanding titles with headroom to spare. The Air Plus ($550–$750, June 2023) offers a choice of mid-range processors — AMD Mendocino 7320U, 7520U, or Intel Core i3-1215U — and costs more despite the lower power tier, so the Air is the stronger pick for buyers who prioritize raw performance per dollar.
| AYANEO Air | AYANEO Air Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $499–$649 | $550–$750 |
| Brand | AYANEO | AYANEO |
| Released | 2022 / 08 | 2023 / 06 |
| Type | Horizontal | Horizontal |
| OS | Windows 11 / SteamOS / AYANEO OS (Linux) | Windows / SteamOS / AYANEO OS |
| Performance | ||
| Chip (SoC) | AMD Ryzen 5 5560U | AMD Mendocino 7320U / 7520U, Intel Core i3-1215U |
| CPU | AMD Zen 3 | AMD Zen 2, Intel Alder Lake U (2x P cores / 4x E cores) |
| GPU | AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 | AMD Radeon 610M, Intel UHD Xe 64 EU |
| RAM | 8 GB / 16 GB LPDDR4X (6400 MT/s / 8532 MT/s) | 8 GB / 16 GB LPDDR5 (5200 / 5500 MT/s) |
| Storage | External MicroSD, Internal Replaceable M.2 2280 SSD (128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB) | Internal 128 GB / 512 GB M.2 2280 SSD, External MicroSD |
| Cooling | Heatsink Fan Ventilation cutouts | Heatsink Fan Ventilation cutouts |
| Power tier | High-end | Mid-range |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 5.5 inch | 6.0 inch |
| Screen type | OLED Touchscreen | IPS Touchscreen |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Pixel density | 404 PPI | 367.15 PPI |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 | 16:9 |
| Body & battery | ||
| Battery | 7350 mAh (28Wh) | 46.2 Wh |
| Weight | 410 grams | 510 grams |
| Dimensions | 224 mm x 89.5 mm x 17 - 26.7 mm (Air Youth) | 237 mm x 91.4 mm x 23.1mm |
| Shell | Plastic | Plastic |
| Colors | White, Black, Pink, B.Duck Yellow, Retro Power Gray | Classic Grey, Glacier Blue, Starlight Black |
| Ports & connectivity | ||
| Wireless | WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, USB-C OTG | WiFi, Bluetooth, USB-C OTG |
| Video out | USB-C video out Bottom facing | USB-C video out Bottom facing |
| Charging port | USB-C x2 Top: 1 Bottom: 1 | USB-C x2 Top & Bottom facing |
| Audio out | 3.5mm Headphone Bottom facing | 3.5mm Headphone Bottom facing |
| Speakers | Dual Stereo Bottom facing | Dual Stereo Bottom facing |
| AYANEO Air | AYANEO Air Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | B |
| PlayStation 3 | C | C |
Bottom line: The AYANEO Air is the cheaper option at $499–$649; the AYANEO Air is more powerful and emulates more demanding systems.
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