A new titan has entered the global handheld gaming arena, promising performance that rivals gaming laptops in a portable form. Chinese firm Ayaneo officially unveiled its flagship NEXT II device on November 29, 2025, a machine built to challenge established players like the Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally.

This announcement matters for Kenyan tech enthusiasts and gamers because it represents a significant leap in portable power. The device's high-end features signal a new, more demanding era of on-the-go gaming that could influence future device prices and availability in a local market currently dominated by mobile gaming.

Desktop Power in Your Hands

The Ayaneo NEXT II is engineered around sheer power and visual excellence. At its heart is the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 chip, a new-generation processor with 16 cores built on the advanced "Zen 5" architecture. This APU includes a potent integrated Radeon 8060S graphics card, which early benchmarks suggest can compete with some mid-range dedicated laptop graphics cards like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile.

Key specifications that set the NEXT II apart include:

• A 9.06-inch OLED Display: A custom-built screen with a sharp 2400x1504 resolution and a variable refresh rate up to 165Hz for incredibly smooth motion.
• Massive Battery: It houses a 115Wh internal battery, significantly larger than its competitors, to fuel its high-performance components.
• Advanced Controls: The device features Hall effect joysticks and triggers to prevent stick drift, alongside dual trackpads and multiple customizable buttons for a pro-level experience.

The Kenyan Context: Aspirational Tech Meets Market Reality

While Ayaneo has not yet announced official pricing or a release date, industry experts anticipate the NEXT II will be a premium device, possibly costing close to $2,000 (approx. KES 260,000). This positions it well above current handhelds available in Kenya, where the ASUS ROG Ally X sells for around KES 135,000 and the Steam Deck OLED for about KES 102,000.

Kenya's gaming market, which generated over $153 million (approx. KES 20 billion) in 2024, is overwhelmingly mobile-first, with over 90% of gamers playing on smartphones. However, the country's gaming scene is growing rapidly, with a projected annual growth rate of nearly 7%. Douglas Ogeto, a Kenyan esports entrepreneur, noted recently that "gaming is no longer just a hobby, there are real opportunities here."

The arrival of ultra-powerful devices like the NEXT II, while initially accessible to only a few, could spur greater interest in high-fidelity PC gaming. This may encourage local retailers and distributors to broaden their offerings beyond mainstream consoles and mobile-focused accessories, catering to a growing niche of hardcore gamers.

For now, details on Kenyan availability remain unconfirmed. The device's powerful 115Wh battery also exceeds the 100Wh limit for air travel, which could pose logistical challenges for importation and travel. Still, the Ayaneo NEXT II stands as a bold statement on the future of portable gaming—a future of uncompromising power that Kenyan gamers will be watching closely.