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The Retroid Pocket Mini and Miyoo Mini Plus represent two philosophies for pocketable retro gaming. The Miyoo is cheap, cheerful, and runs one of the best custom firmware ecosystems in the hobby. The RP Mini costs three times as much but plays three times as many systems. Which one earns a permanent spot in your pocket depends on what you actually want to play.
Specs Compared
| Retroid Pocket Mini | Miyoo Mini Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $149 | $55 |
| Chipset | MediaTek Dimensity 900 | Allwinner (ARM Cortex-A7) |
| RAM | 4GB LPDDR4X | 128MB DDR3 |
| Display | 3.7" OLED, 960x720 | 3.5" IPS, 640x480 |
| Analog Sticks | 2 (hall-effect) | 0 |
| Battery | 3,500mAh | 3,000mAh |
| OS | Android 12 | Stock Linux / Onion OS |
| WiFi / BT | Yes / Yes | Yes / No |
| Weight | ~180g | ~145g |
| Storage | 128GB internal + microSD | microSD only |
The spec gap is massive. These are devices from completely different hardware generations at completely different price points. But they compete because they target the same use case: a pocketable retro handheld for everyday carry.
Emulation Ceiling
The Miyoo Mini Plus handles everything up to PS1 comfortably. Game Boy, GBA, NES, SNES, Genesis, and PS1 run at full speed. N64 is technically possible on some lighter titles but not recommended. Dreamcast and PSP are beyond its capability. Onion OS optimizes the limited hardware beautifully — it wrings every drop of performance from the chip.
The Retroid Pocket Mini plays everything the Miyoo can plus N64, Dreamcast, Saturn, PSP (at 3x-4x resolution), and some PS2 and GameCube games. The Dimensity 900 is in a different class entirely. If you want to play Persona 3 Portable on your commute, or Crisis Core during lunch, the RP Mini does it without compromise.
If your library tops out at PS1, the Miyoo is all you need. If you want PSP, N64, or Dreamcast in your pocket, the RP Mini is the only option.
Display
The RP Mini's 3.7-inch OLED screen at 960x720 is one of the best displays on any compact handheld. Deep blacks make pixel art pop, the wider color gamut benefits vibrant games like Sonic and Kirby, and the higher resolution gives sharper text for RPGs. The 960x720 resolution also provides clean integer scaling for Game Boy (3x) and GBA (3x vertical).
The Miyoo Mini Plus's 3.5-inch IPS at 640x480 is very good for its price. Colors are accurate, viewing angles are wide, and 640x480 provides pixel-perfect scaling for many retro resolutions. But side-by-side, the RP Mini's OLED is visibly superior — darker blacks, richer colors, and no backlight bleed.
The screen is one of the strongest arguments for the RP Mini's higher price.
Controls
The Miyoo Mini Plus has a D-pad, four face buttons, two shoulder buttons, Start, and Select. No analog sticks. This limits it to systems that don't need analog input, but for those systems, the controls are excellent. The D-pad is responsive, the buttons have a satisfying click, and the ergonomics are comfortable for the device's size.
The Retroid Pocket Mini has all of the above plus two hall-effect analog sticks, four shoulder buttons (L1/L2/R1/R2), and a touchscreen. The full control suite means N64, PSP, Dreamcast, and PS1 games with analog requirements are all playable. The hall-effect sticks are smooth with no deadzone issues.
The trade-off is size. The RP Mini accommodates the extra controls by being slightly larger and heavier. The Miyoo's simpler control layout is part of what makes it so compact.
Software Experience
The Miyoo Mini Plus running Onion OS is one of the most polished experiences in retro handheld gaming. The interface is fast, beautiful, and thoughtfully designed. The game switcher lets you hop between recent games instantly. The built-in scraper adds box art to your library automatically. Save state management is intuitive. Theme support lets you customize the look. Activity tracking shows your play time per game.
Onion OS is the product of years of community refinement, and it shows. For someone who wants to flash a card, drop some games on it, and just play, the Miyoo with Onion OS is the most frictionless experience in the hobby.
The Retroid Pocket Mini runs Android 12 with Retroid's custom launcher. It's functional and gaming-focused, but Android carries inherent overhead — occasional notification popups, background processes, and a less streamlined retro-focused interface. You can install RetroArch, standalone emulators from the Play Store, and configure everything to your liking. The ceiling is much higher than Onion OS, but the floor requires more setup.
For a plug-and-play retro experience, the Miyoo wins. For maximum flexibility and emulation range, the RP Mini wins.
Battery Life
Both devices deliver solid battery life relative to their hardware.
| Use Case | RP Mini | Miyoo Mini Plus |
|---|---|---|
| GBA / Game Boy | ~7 hours | ~7-8 hours |
| SNES / Genesis | ~6 hours | ~6-7 hours |
| PS1 | ~5 hours | ~5-6 hours |
| PSP (3x) | ~4 hours | N/A |
| N64 | ~4 hours | N/A |
The Miyoo has a slight edge for shared systems due to lower power draw from the simpler chipset. The RP Mini's battery holds up well considering the significantly more powerful hardware.
Pocketability
Both devices fit in a jeans pocket, but the Miyoo is slightly smaller and lighter (145g vs 180g). The Miyoo's simpler silhouette — no protruding analog sticks — means it sits flatter in a pocket.
The RP Mini is still genuinely pocketable, which is impressive given its capabilities. The analog sticks are low-profile and don't snag on fabric. But if absolute minimum pocket footprint is the goal, the Miyoo wins by a narrow margin.
Value
The Miyoo Mini Plus at $55 is one of the best values in consumer electronics. For the price of a mediocre dinner for two, you get a device that plays thousands of retro games beautifully, runs community firmware that rivals commercial software in polish, and fits in your pocket.
The Retroid Pocket Mini at $149 costs nearly three times as much. The value proposition depends entirely on whether you need PSP, N64, and Dreamcast. If you do, the RP Mini is actually a bargain — it's the cheapest pocketable device that handles all those systems well. If you don't, the Miyoo does everything you need for $94 less.
The Verdict
Buy the Miyoo Mini Plus if your retro gaming interests center on Game Boy, GBA, NES, SNES, Genesis, and PS1. You want the most polished out-of-box experience, the smallest pocket footprint, and the lowest price. Onion OS is a joy to use and the community support is exceptional.
Buy the Retroid Pocket Mini if you want PSP, N64, Dreamcast, or Saturn in your pocket. You want an OLED screen, analog sticks, and the flexibility of Android. You're willing to pay three times more for three times the emulation range.
Both are excellent at what they do. The Miyoo is the better value. The RP Mini is the better device. Those aren't the same thing, and knowing which matters more to you makes the decision easy.