Retroid Pocket 4 Pro handheld game console test

A Retroid Pocket 4 Pro simultaneously cites the the appearance of classic handheld consoles and provides modern ergonomicsThe tested model is transparent white version was particularly spectacular, but more color option also available: black, blue, gray and yellow. The device size 183×81×24 mm, making it compact enough to be easily portable, but large enough to be comfortable to use for extended periods of time. It weighs only 225 grams, so it doesn't get tiring to hold in your hand. The device is a 4,7-inch IPS display with a resolution of 750×1334 pixels received, which supports the 60 Hz image refresh. brightness is adequate, suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. The Colors are vibrant, viewing angles are good and there is no noticeable ghosting or tearing even with fast movements. The touchscreen sensitivity is excellent, which is a great help in navigating the Android interface.

A Button layout is natural and comfortable. The Analog sticks are tactile and precise, D-pad is a bit stiff, but accurate, The L2 and R2 triggers can be pressed continuously, which is especially beneficial for competitive games.

Az assembly quality is excellent, nothing is loose, that The use of materials creates a premium feel.

 Located on the back two programmable extra buttons further enhances the user experience, especially for emulators and games that require more complex controls.

Hardware and Performance – The Heart and Soul of the Console

The heart of the console is a Qualcomm Snapdragon G3x Gen2 chipset, which is currently one of the most powerful SoCs in this segment. This is coupled with 8GB LPDDR5 RAM and 128 GB UFS 3.1 storage, which is more than enough for most emulation and native Android games.

We tested the performance in several tests:

• PS2 emulation (AetherSX2): Most games (e.g. God of War 2, Gran Turismo 4) ran at full speed, and with some optimization, even more demanding titles were enjoyable.
• GameCube/Wii emulation (Dolphin): Very good performance, most games ran at a stable 60 FPS.
• Switch emulation (Yuzu, Skyline): Simpler games run, but complex titles (e.g. Zelda: BOTW) still lag.
• Android native games: Genshin Impact, Call of Duty Mobile, and other graphically demanding games ran smoothly at high settings.

Az 5000 mAh capacity battery lasts surprisingly well:

• Emulation (PS2, GameCube): 4-5 hours
• Android games (Genshin Impact, COD Mobile): 3-4 hours
• Retro emulators (NES, SNES, GBA, PS1): 6-7 hours

Charging is fast thanks to 30W PD support in about 1,5 hours fully chargeable.

🔥 Thermal Management and Performance Monitoring – How do you handle it when things get hot?

The Retroid Pocket 4 Pro's temperature control is a active cooling system It helps, which ensures proper heat distribution with a built-in fan. The fan is inactive by default, but different modes are available: quiet, intelligent and high-performance mode, depending on how much the user wants to control the cooling intensity. The highest performance level already comes with noticeable noise, so it is only worth activating this if you are planning on longer, resource-intensive gameplay.

The console has a built-in performance monitoring function, which can be called up from the right side of the display. This interface allows you to monitor the processor and memory utilization, the current frame rate (FPS), and the system temperature in real time. Even more intense loads, such as longer The temperature does not exceed 58-59 °C even when playing Genshin Impact, which is thanks to a well-optimized cooling solution. The heat is mainly concentrated in the middle of the back of the console, but due to the ergonomic design, the user's hands mostly rest on the edges, so the heat doesn't feel unpleasant.

Software and System – What games and features are available?

The Retroid Pocket 4 Pro Android 13 It runs on Android 9, a significantly more advanced and stable system than its predecessors, Android 11 and XNUMX. The factory Retroid Launcher is intuitive and highly customizable, but of course you can also install custom launchers, such as Nova Launcher or Lawnchair, if you want a unique experience. The console offers extensive emulation options and is able to run a variety of old and modern games. The table below summarizes the most popular platforms and their performance:

Emulators come pre-installed, but you'll need to set them up to get the most out of them. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity are solid, so you can easily pair wireless controllers or headphones. The device also supports cloud gaming, so you can GeForce Now, Xbox CloudGaming, Moonlight and Steam Link You can also stream PC and console games to it.

🔧 Fine-tuning and performance settings – How to get the most out of it?

The handheld console performs well with its default settings, but with a few tweaks, you can get an even better experience. Here are some helpful tips:

• Optimizing emulators: In AetherSX2, it is worth enabling Frame Skipping and Threaded Rendering for more stable performance. In the case of the Dolphin emulator, asynchronous shader compilation can reduce stuttering.
• Change graphics settings: In the PPSSPP and DuckStation emulators, you can enjoy better graphics while maintaining performance by setting the rendering resolution to double or triple.
• Energy management and heat treatment: If you plan on playing for a longer period of time, it is a good idea to manually adjust the CPU frequency in the Retroid OS settings to avoid overheating.
• Reducing Input Lag: When using a Bluetooth controller, it is worth reducing the Bluetooth audio latency value in the developer settings.
• Storage and performance optimization: For faster loading, it is worth formatting the SD card in NTFS format and removing unnecessary background processes from the system.

Benchmark Results – Quantified Performance

We also tested the performance of the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro using various benchmark tests. The table below shows the most important measurements:

What do these results mean?

• Geekbench 6: The single-core and multi-core tests measure the single- and multi-core performance of the processor. Higher scores indicate faster CPU performance.
• 3DMark Wildlife: This test measures graphics performance, specifically the power of the GPU used for gaming. The Extreme version simulates a heavier workload.
• GFXBench Aztec Ruins: This benchmark examines the performance of the OpenGL and Vulkan APIs, mainly for mobile gaming.
• Antuto v10: A comprehensive performance test that takes into account the speed of the CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage.

These results show that the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro is in its category extremely powerful device, and can run most emulated and native Android games smoothly.

❌ Weaknesses and shortcomings – What could be better?

Although the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro offers many advantages, there are some shortcomings to consider:

• The speakers are of average quality: The volume and clarity of the built-in speakers are not outstanding, it is recommended to use headphones.
• The D-pad is a bit stiff: The D-pad buttons are a bit harder than usual, which can result in inaccuracy in some platformers.
• Lack of charging adapter: The package does not include a charging head, so it must be purchased separately.
• No pre-installed games: Users have to manually acquire and set up the games they want, which takes extra time. While this may seem complicated at first, fortunately there are plenty of detailed guides and video tutorials online to help you with the setup. Below you can see what I found most useful.

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