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AYANEO's KONKR Pocket Advance has proven to be one of my favourite emulation handhelds of 2026, thanks to its super-portable GBA-inspired design, superb build quality and reasonable price.
It's clearly been a commercial hit for the company, as it has released multiple colourways for the device, with the Ice Pink Special Edition offering being the latest example. AYANEO was kind enough to send me a sample to check out, and I have to admit it comfortably puts my original orange variant in the shade when it comes to pure aesthetic punch.
As someone who grew up in the '80s and '90s, I'm an absolute sucker for transparent casing on gaming hardware, so it's little wonder that I was mesmerised by this new variant the moment I took it out of the box. The subtle pink tone looks gorgeous – especially when it catches the light – and it's slightly opaque rather than fully translucent, so it matches the look of Nintendo's official 'Fuscia' variant, which launched back in 2002.
Elsewhere, the overall design is the same as the original Pocket Advance, which I awarded 9/10 in my review. If you want an idea of how this thing performs, I'd recommend reading that. The only thing to note since that review went live is that AYANEO has released a new launcher that gives your ROM library a makeover, and I'd recommend downloading it ASAP if you pick one up.
AYANEO hasn't just given the Pocket Advance a visual refresh with this handheld – internally, it has boosted the specs of the more expensive model. Originally, you could pick from 3GB RAM / 32GB storage and 4GB / 64GB options, but the top-level offering now comes with 6GB rather than 4GB of RAM, doubling the base model's memory.
The sample I was sent is the entry-level 3GB/32GB ($89) variant, and while I don't have the 6GB ($119) edition to test against, I didn't really notice any massive performance difference between this and the 4GB RAM unit I reviewed back in August.
I've mainly been playing Game Boy Advance, SNES and Mega Drive / Genesis games, and emulating these doesn't call for vast amounts of RAM – but if you're looking to play more advanced games, then you might want to opt for the more expensive version just to be sure you're getting the best level of power.
There's little reason to upgrade if you're already a Pocket Advance owner – unless, of course, you're head-over-heels in love with this new colour – but the extra RAM might tempt some people. For complete newcomers, though, this is arguably one of the most visually appealing versions of the Pocket Advance released so far – and at under $90 for the base model, it puts many other emulation handhelds to shame.