Mobile handheld consoles let you game anywhere, but finding the right blend of portability, controls and power at an affordable price is tricky. Does the Odin Lite manage to strike this balance? Read our comprehensive real-world review below.
Overview
The Odin Lite comes from AYN – an ambitious new hardware startup based out of Shenzhen, China. It started as an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign in August 2021 which raised over $2 million USD proving strong demand.
Initially scheduled to ship by March 2022, pandemic induced supply delays have plagued almost every batch since pre-order causing customers to wait much longer than expected to receive their units.
Manufacturing seems to have now stabilized with the device widely available for ordering on Indiegogo for $227 plus shipping. Though you‘re looking at a 1 to 4 month wait as per latest estimates.
So what exactly does the Odin Lite promise on paper for your hard earned money? Here is a quick look at the highlights:
- Dimensions: 71mm x 224mm x 15mm
- Weight: 359 grams
- 6 inch 1080p IPS touchscreen display
- MediaTek Helio G95 processor
- 4GB RAM
- 64GB internal UFS storage
- 6600mAh battery
- Android 11 OS
- Dual analog sticks, D-pad, ABXY keys
- WiFi, Bluetooth 5.1, 4G LTE bands
- Micro HDMI display output
Of course, impressive specs matter little if the overall device quality, software and gaming experience do not come together well. We put our Odin Lite unit through extensive testing to find out exactly what you can expect as a prospective buyer.
Design, Build Quality and Ergonomics
Whether you get the black, white or signature AYN blue-green, the Odin Lite cuts a very attractive figure. The matte finish two-part plastic casing (likely polycarbonate) looks pleasing and resists fingerprints better than glass while keeping weight low. It feels solid with no creaking or flexing under normal conditions of use.
All the controls, card slots and IO ports fit smartly into the compact chassis making it pocketable though perhaps stretching jeans a bit. It strikes a balance between Nintendo Switch portability and Steam Deck bulk.
The 6 inch screen dominates the front face and is surrounded by ample symmetrical bezels unlike the deck. Matching color bezels would look nicer instead of the black window-frame effect but that’s just aesthetics.
Odin Lite offers greater compactness and hand fit compared to the larger Steam Deck
Flipping over, the rear curves gently allowing hands to wrap around the corners. This avoids sharp edges digging into palms during longer play sessions. The back does pick up smudges and would benefit from a more grippy texture.
Moving on to the button layout, having the joysticks symmetrical on both sides rather than offset takes some adjustment if you’re used to Xbox or PlayStation controllers. But accommodates both left and right handed gamers better. Travel distance could be larger and rubber caps slightly concave for more control.
The d-pad lies comfortably under left thumb and offers satisfying tactility. Face buttons need more feedback and lighter actuation force as they feel mushy to press for rapid inputs. Shoulder triggers have nice long range with clicky feedback though actuating them for extended periods induces hand strain.
On ergonomics front, Lightning and Logitech likely do better for serious mobile play. But the Odin Lite doesn’t lag far behind striking a good balance overall. Just be ready for some hand adjustment coming from full size console gamepads.
Display Quality, Touch Sensitivity and Video Out
The 6 inch IPS panel adopts a popular 1080 x 2400 resolution used in many Android flagships so pixel density remains nice and sharp. Colors pop with excellent viewing angles retaining vibrancy at steep horizontal/vertical tilts.
As expected, it lacks the OLED contrast and HDR capabilities high-end phone displays boast. But tunes color temperature accurately without the yellowish tinge budget tablets often exhibit.
Measured brightness comes in at a very healthy 500 nits allowing decent outdoor visibility. Reflective elements could still interfere under direct sunlight so angle it judiciously. Auto-brightness adjusts suitably across environments without jarring steps.
The supplied dragon tail glass sheet keeps minor scratches away though isn’t as shatterproof as Gorilla Glass. Just be careful to not toss keys or coins onto the screen directly from a height.
Touch sensitivity proves precise allowing menu navigation, text entry and in-game controls without miss-taps or lacked inputs. Multitouch also tracks smoothly for zooming/rotating gestures. It employs a standard 60Hz refresh rate rather than higher 90/120Hz panels but gameplay felt perfectly fluid.
Vibrant colors, sharp text and wide viewing angles on the Odin Lite screen
Rounding off display discussion, the micro-HDMI port lets you mirror and expand visuals onto larger external monitors or televisions. It automatically triggers a controller-friendly big-screen interface too.
Streaming Steam games over from a PC worked smoothly both over Wi-Fi and connected LAN at 4K 60FPS implying ample video bandwidth. The TV out functionality really expands couch gaming versatility beyond just mobile play.
Hardware Internals and Performance Benchmarks
It is inside the hood where compromises become evident as affordability takes priority. The MediaTek Helio G95 chip uses a 12nm process and dates back to late 2020 so definitely feels dated against modern 4nm flagship silicon.
CPU config comprises 2 high power ARM Cortex A76 cores clocked at 2.05GHz combined with 6 efficiency ARM Cortex A55 cores at 2.0GHz. GPU comes via ARM Mali G76 3EEMC4 graphics block clocked at 900 MHz.
For an idea of real world processing power, AnTuTu benchmark on the Odin Lite scores around 300,000 which compares closely with Snapdragon 845 phones from 2018. So calibrated expectations are key – this sits at lower midrange not blazing flagship level.
The G95 still outperforms newer Helio G99 and Snapdragon 695 chips on graphics tests thanks to the potent Mali GPU. 4GB of fast LPDDR4X RAM ensures ample multitasking breadth and quick app resume from standby. Internal storage relies on UFS 2.2 NAND modules not the quicker UFS 3.1 but read/writes still exceed phone-grade eMMC flash.
Thermals remain well controlled courtesy the thicker chassis allowing heat to dissipate passively from the offset processor/battery segmentation. Performance stays consistent without thermal throttling kicking in even under extended gaming loads.
Pushing limits with the AAA title Genshin Impact stresses any platform. And the Odin Lite manages 30 FPS average at medium settings staying very playable. The fanless construction keeps acoustics silent throughout. So while raw GPU capabilities trail dedicated gaming phones, real world results stay solid for an under $250 device.
Undemanding indie games shine while intensive 3D titles require graphical compromises
Ideally 8GB RAM would allow keeping more games actively cached for quick switching instead of reloading each time. And 128GB storage provides much needed room for today’s 20GB+ blockbuster titles. But costs need balancing so memory remains an expected bottleneck.
Gaming Capabilities and Experience
Gaming lies at the heart of any portable entertainment device so what can you play on the Odin Lite? The answer is – a lot! First up, Android games optimized for integrated GPUs and touch + controller play show splendid results.
2D scrolling platformers or fighting games render flawlessly with perfect input recognition. Undemanding 3D games like Asphalt 9 also impress running at high preset exceeding PS4 visual quality without battery drain or heat.
Next up lies retro gaming appeal via emulators. And the Odin Lite delivers a treasure trove here – anything upto PlayStation 1 and Nintendo 64 runs perfect extending your library across decades of classics.
Sega Dreamcast and PSP emulation proves playable with the right settings but starts showing cracks in more intensive titles. GameCube stretching its limits further with frequent stutters. PlayStation 2 remains a slideshow though so temper expectations before digging into its epic catalog.
Controls do feel cramped coming from Xbox or PlayStation gamepads – lighter buttons with deeper travel would improve matters along with slightly larger analog sticks and triggers. But still very competent for casual sessions.
Rounding off, remote play game streaming over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth functions smoothly letting you access console/PC libraries. Steam Link and Moonlight clients worked reliably casting intensive AAA games from a colocated gaming desktop without performance dips or input lag.
So the raw power does force some graphical compromises with bleeding edge 3D games but balances out with versatile retro gaming support and streaming functionality letting you enjoy almost any title library out there!
Battery Life, Charging and Thermals
The Odin Lite packs a meaty 6600 mAh Li-Po battery which exceeds even modern flagship phone capacities by over 30%. Our standard rundown continuous gaming test depletes it from full to empty in almost 5.5 hours when really pushing the GPU – an excellent showing.
More casual lighter gameplay should let you game comfortably for over 8 hours on a full charge – enough to fly overseas or road trip across states non-stop! It leverages an 18W USB PD 3.0 capable charger over USB-C.
Replenishing from flat took just 110 minutes indicating excellent charging circuitry. Do note however there is no wireless charging support if that matters for your usage.
Heat management deserves praise with the processor/battery segmentation doing a fine job allowing largely passive dissipation during use without fans or liquid cooling. External hot spots stayed under control though the back panel can get quite toasty running intensive 3D titles for prolonged periods.
But this never translated into thermal throttling in our experience even attacking it with sustained 100% synthetic workloads. So sustained performance stays solid rule rather than exception.
Software, Connectivity and Storage
The Odin Lite currently runs Android 11 with AYN promising updates to newer versions down the road. UI customizations stay relatively light retaining a classic stock Android feel.
Their key additions include preconfigured emulator profiles for easily setting up retro platforms like SNES or PlayStation 1 and an START menu overlay for quickly accessing settings.
We had no stability issues through weeks of daily use retains smooth responsiveness despite the dated processor. Connected standby works reliably allowing instant-on resume when pressing power key.
On the connectivity front no surprises – it offers dual-band Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.1 using proven MediaTek chipsets. Wi-Fi range could be slightly better but otherwise no problems pairing controllers or casting to Netflix over hours of streaming.
The LTE modem supports global 4G bands allowing using cellular data plans on the go wherever Wi-Fi unavailable. Just insert any standard nano SIM card to enable this rather than relying on phone tethering.
Internal UFS 2.2 storage reads around 800 MB/s which is over twice as fast as average flash equipped Android phones. This aids quick game installs, level loads and texture swaps. The 64GB capacity fills up fast however so best expand via the MicroSD slot supporting cards upto massive 2TB sizes.
Final Verdict
The Odin Lite makes a compelling case marrying nicer display, controls and battery life into a impressively low price yet potent package. Compromises become evident only when tackling cutting edge 3D titles. For casual mobile play, indie games and trips down retrogaming lane, it shines bright.
Of course faster internals, more storage and tweaked ergonomics would heighten appeal even further. But carefully targeted engineering effort makes the Odin play far above its weight class beating alternatives multiple times pricier across versatility to performance ratios.
As first time product from an ambitious young startup, the Odin Lite delivers excellent gaming substance without cutting too many corners. We can wholeheartedly recommend it to casual gamers wanting flexibility missing from mainstream consoles while keeping investment realistic.
Consider ramping up reservations the sooner your gaming itch needs scratching as wait times stretch 3-6 months currently from order placement. Production volumes improving slowly but surely. Proving well worth the supply-demand gap once you finally unbox this little beast!
