KONKR Pocket Block: AYANEO’s $79 Game Boy-Style Handheld Is Here

AYANEO has officially launched the KONKR Pocket Block, a vertical Android handheld first teased back in May. The device is now up for pre-order with early-bird pricing starting at just $79, making it one of the most affordable handhelds AYANEO and their KONKR sub-brand have released to date.

The Pocket Block has a classic vertical layout, with a D-pad, face buttons and four shoulder buttons tucked around the back, and no analog sticks. The front is dominated by a 3.33-inch 4:3 LCD with a 960 x 720 resolution, giving it a much bigger screen-to-body ratio than the handhelds it’s paying tribute to.

Two-tone paneling rounds out what AYANEO calls a “retro cyber” look. The handheld runs Android 12 with AYANEO’s AYASpace software and includes Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, a microSD card slot and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.

Two configurations are available: 2GB of RAM with 32GB of storage for $79, or 3GB with 64GB for $99 during the early-bird period. Regular pricing is set at $89 and $109 respectively.

A 3,500 mAh battery sits inside the compact, fanless 165 g body, which measures just 4.46 x 3.05 x 0.78in (113.2 x 77.4 x 19.8 mm).

The KONKR Pocket Block comes in Original Grey (the most obvious nod to the 1989 original), Atoms White and Cube Purple.

The entry model only seems to be available in grey, with all three colors offered on the higher-spec version. AYANEO expects international orders to begin shipping at the end of October.