GPD Win Max 2021 vs Nitro Blaze 7: Which Should You Buy?
GPD Win Max 2021 vs Nitro Blaze 7: both start around the same price ($669–$699), so price should not decide it; the GPD Win Max 2021 has the bigger screen (8.0 inch); the Nitro Blaze 7 is 120 g lighter; our emulation grades differ on 3 of the systems we rate on both. Full spec table and a straight recommendation below.
At a glanceCheaper GPD Win Max 2021More powerful Nitro Blaze 7Sharper screen Nitro Blaze 7More pocketable Nitro Blaze 7Smoother screen Nitro Blaze 7
| GPD Win Max 2021 | Nitro Blaze 7 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $669–$1250 | $699–$899 |
| Brand | GamePad Digital | Acer |
| Released | 2021 / 09 | 2024 / 09 |
| Type | Clamshell | Horizontal |
| OS | Windows 10 | Windows 11 Home |
| Performance | ||
| Chip (SoC) | AMD Ryzen 7 4800 U, Intel Core i7-1195G7 (Comparison) | AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS |
| CPU | AMD Zen 2, Intel Tiger Lake-U | Zen 4 Octa-Core (16 threads up to 5.1 GHz) |
| GPU | AMD Radeon RX Vega 8, Intel Iris Xe 96EU (i7-1195G7) | AMD Radeon 780M (RDNA 3, 12 CUs) |
| RAM | 16GB LPDDR4 (8532 MT/s) | 16 GB LPDDR5X (7500 MT/s) |
| Storage | Internal 1 TB / 2 TB PCIE4 NVMe M.2 SSD & External MicroSD | Up to 2 TB M.2 2230 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD, MicroSD slot |
| Cooling | Dual fans Dual heat pipes Intake underneath, Exhaust on top edge | Dual-fan active thermal exhaust |
| Power tier | High-end | High-end |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 8.0 inch | 7.0 inch |
| Screen type | H-IPS Touchscreen | IPS Touchscreen (144 Hz, FreeSync Premium) |
| Resolution | 1280 x 800 | 1920 x 1080 |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz | 144 Hz |
| Pixel density | 188.68 PPI | 314.7 PPI |
| Aspect ratio | 16:10 | 16:9 |
| Body & battery | ||
| Battery | 3x 5000 mAh (57 Wh) | 50.04 Wh |
| Weight | 790 grams | 670 grams |
| Dimensions | 207 mm x 145 mm x 26 mm | 256 mm x 113.5 mm x 22.5 mm |
| Shell | Metal (Magnesium Aluminum Alloy) | Polycarbonate & ABS Composite |
| Colors | Black | Nitro Black with Red Accents |
| Ports & connectivity | ||
| Wireless | Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi 6, Thunderbolt 4 USB-C x2, USB-A x2, Ethernet | WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Video out | HDMI | Dual USB4 Type-C (40Gbps, DisplayPort 1.4) |
| Charging port | USB-C x2 | Dual USB4 Type-C (65W PD) |
| Audio out | 3.5mm Headphone | 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack |
| Speakers | Dual Stereo Rear facing | Dual 1W Front-facing Stereo Speakers |
Emulation compared
| GPD Win Max 2021 | Nitro Blaze 7 | |
|---|---|---|
| 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- | A |
| Wii U | B | A |
| PlayStation 3 | C- | A |
Physical size & scale compared
Footprint (Nitro Blaze 7 3% smaller)207 × 145 mm vs 256 × 114 mm
Thickness (Nitro Blaze 7 -3.5mm)26.0 vs 22.5 mm
Volume (Nitro Blaze 7 -127cm³)780 vs 654 cm³
Weight790 grams vs 670 grams
Display Mode:Reference Overlay:
GPD Win Max 2021207 × 145 mm
Nitro Blaze 7256 × 114 mm
Proportional 1:1 millimetric silhouettes (Retrosizer standard). Toggle Side-by-Side or Direct Overlay to inspect dimensional footprint.
Which should you buy?
Bottom line: price is effectively a tie, so it should not decide this one; the GPD Win Max 2021 has the bigger screen (8.0 inch vs 7.0 inch); the Nitro Blaze 7 is 120 g lighter; the Nitro Blaze 7 is rated higher on our emulation power scale.
Choose the GPD Win Max 2021 if…
- you want the bigger screen (8.0 inch)
- you want the screen protected in a bag — it folds shut
- you want to play on a TV over HDMI — only this one has an HDMI port
- Nitro Blaze 7's recorded downside — no hall effect thumbsticks — would bother you
- Nitro Blaze 7's recorded downside — battery life under heavy aaa gaming is around 1.5 - 2 hours — would bother you
Choose the Nitro Blaze 7 if…
- you want the more pocketable one (7.0 inch)
- you hold it for long sessions — it is 120 g lighter (670 grams vs 790 grams)
- you prefer a slab shape with the controls beside the screen
- a high-refresh panel matters to you (144 Hz)
- you care about Switch, Wii U, PlayStation 3 — we grade it higher there