Review TrimUI Brick Pro - Same Power In A Larger Frame (And Dual Analogue, Too)

If you cast your mind back to when I reviewed the TrimUI Brick back in 2024, you'll recall that I was quite taken with the Game Boy-style emulation handheld. Sure, it was perhaps a little too dinky for some people, and the lack of analogue input meant its ability to emulate N64 and Dreamcast games was slightly (but not entirely) pointless – but for the low price, it was a well-built, capable little handheld.

TrimUI is back with a revised version of the Brick concept, but before you get too excited, the 'Pro' at the end of its name is rather misleading. In a world where we've become accustomed to the 'Pro' designation meaning more power, this particular hardware refresh is sporting the exact same chipset as its predecessor, the Allwinner A133 Plus.

Just in case there's any ambiguity here, what I'm saying is that in terms of processing power, the TrimUI Brick Pro is no more capable than the TrimUI Brick – so what's different?

Well, size is the obvious answer. The Brick Pro is larger than the original, which not only makes it more comfortable to hold but also allows for a larger IPS screen: the Brick's 3.2-inch panel is replaced by a 3.95-inch screen (the resolution remains the same, however, at 1024 x 768 pixels). It's a fantastic display, too, especially since it retails for under $100.

The other welcome change is the introduction of dual Hall Effect analogue sticks, which finally means you can enjoy Dreamcast games with the proportional input. These sticks have fancy LED lights around their bases and a concave, rubberised top. They work alongside an excellent D-pad, which is one of the best I've seen on this kind of handheld.

I really admired the build quality of the original Brick, and this successor device is cut from the same cloth. Considering the low price point, the Brick Pro feels like a premium product, with a robust plastic casing and a metal panel on the upper part of the back, behind the display. The in-line shoulder buttons can be swapped out with alternatives included with the system, and additional LED lighting around the device complements the rings around the sticks.

Charging is handled by a USB-C port on the bottom edge, and the battery has been bumped up from 3000mAh to 5000mAh, so you can expect around five to ten hours of stamina, depending on usage. The charging port is flanked by the MicroSD card slot and a 3.5mm headphone socket. On the sides, you'll find the power button, locking switch, Home button and volume controls. There's another USB-C port in between the shoulder buttons.

The software is largely the same, and by that I mean it's dependable and no-frills. TrimUI, despite not having the same market presence as companies like Retroid and Anbernic, really seems to have nailed creating a straightforward user experience with its handhelds, and the Brick Pro is no exception. I handed it off to family members with zero emulation experience, and they were up and running instantly.

Like the previous model, you shouldn't expect PS2 or GameCube emulation here; the Brick Pro excels when emulating consoles like the NES, Game Boy, SNES, Mega Drive, GBA, PS1 and Dreamcast. If you're expecting to play more powerful consoles than that, then you'll need to look at more expensive devices.

In many ways, the TrimUI Brick Pro is the handheld the original Brick perhaps should have been; that's not to say the first model was a bust, because it absolutely wasn't – for 8- and 16-bit emulation, it was an outstanding product, and one I'd still recommend to this very day – but there's little reason to pick one up now that TrimUI has replaced it with this more appealing offering, unless you're a fan of tiny portables, of course.

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Thanks to MechDIY for supplying the TrimUI Brick Pro used in this review.