AYANEO Phone: ASUS and REDMAGIC better watch their backs

Ever wondered why some gamers still choose phones over handheld PCs? The AYANEO Phone might just be the perfect mix of power and portability.

I might annoy you, but I’m curious. Why do some people spend big on gaming phones when you could just grab a handheld PC? Me and my friends were discussing this the other day and realized one problem. If you take your ROG Ally to work or on vacation, you need a separate case or bag. A phone fits into life much easier. Also, you can’t make calls or send texts from a Steam Deck. That’s where the AYANEO Phone steps in, offering you “a mobile phone truly made for gamers.”

So what do we know about AYANEO’s first handset? Spoiler: not much, but enough for educated guesses.

Design

AYANEO caught everyone off guard with a short teaser that gives a tiny peek at what’s next. The clip runs under two minutes and only reveals that the AYANEO Phone uses the REMAKE name. In November 2023, AYANEO showed off its REMAKE concept to honor retro culture with a fresh product line. I get the buzz, but we don’t have much to go on, so let’s pick apart what we can.

The AYANEO Phone has two cameras in the top-left corner, plus what seem like shoulder buttons. Camera hardware often gets ignored on gaming phones, and that’s fair when brands chase slimmer builds. Even high-end gaming phones, like the ASUS ROG Phone 9 Pro, don’t pack elite camera systems. Expect night or day shots to fall short of the OPPO Find X9 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Shoulder buttons, on the other hand, feel awesome. Just be ready to get hooked and maybe forget how to play without them.

Display

Certain hardware features can boost your gaming experience. A screen with a high touch response rate matters for competitive games because it keeps input lag low. Refresh rate also makes a big difference. Some gaming phones switch between 1 Hz and 120 Hz depending on the activity, while others push up to 185 Hz for ultrasmooth visuals. To see where AYANEO stands, let’s check what competitors include in their handsets.

At the top of gaming phones, ASUS equips the whole ROG Phone 9 Pro with a 6.78-inch E6 AMOLED display and a 185 Hz refresh rate for smooth visuals. By contrast, REDMAGIC uses a 6.85-inch AMOLED at 144 Hz on the 10 Pro, while the 10 Air comes with a 6.8-inch screen at 120 Hz.

Performance

Let’s be real—no matter how the AYANEO Phone turns out, we’re here for the performance. You can style a gaming phone any way you want, but if it can’t run games better than a regular phone, it won’t matter.

Qualcomm’s newest chips, like the Snapdragon 8 Elite, can handle demanding games with ease. Most flagship phones in 2025 use this or something similar. Even chips from the last couple of years can still run modern games, though they won’t be as efficient.

AYANEO faces a tough challenge trying to break into the US market. Their devices often come with a high price tag, so the company needs gamers who are willing to pay extra for a device made just for them. If the AYANEO Phone hits the right notes—something like what the ASUS ROG Phone 9 Pro does with the Snapdragon 8 Elite—it could carve out an interesting niche.

It’s possible the AYANEO Phone could go with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, like the REDMAGIC 10 Air, but I’d hope for the Snapdragon 8 Elite. That chip runs faster, handles tasks better, and uses power smarter, outperforming the 8 Gen 3 in both CPU and GPU tasks.

Before you go

We don’t know all the specs yet, but if AYANEO nails performance and display like the top gaming phones, it could shake up the gaming scene. For now, I’m just counting the days until the full reveal.