Some gaming handhelds are so big that they can serve double-duty as laptop computers. The AYANEO Pocket MICRO 2 is at the other end of the spectrum. Measuring about the size of a modern smartphone, the little handheld has a 3.5 inch display with a 3:2 aspect ratio squeezed between a set of game controllers that includes dual analog sticks, a D-Pad, and four action buttons.AYANEO started teasing the handheld earlier this month, but now the company has provided more details about the specs and pricing. It’s available now for $239 and up.The starting price is part of a launch promotion for a model with 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB of storage. The regular retail price will be $269. Meanwhile, folks who want more memory and storage will be able to opt for an 8GB + 256GB model with prices starting at $279 at launch or $309 at retail.AYANEO says the handheld uses a “customized processor in the Snapdragon 865 performance class,” which should make it more than twice as fast as the original AYANEO Pocket MICRO that launched in 2024. The chip features four Arm Cortex-A77 CPU cores, four Cortex-A55 cores, and Adreno 650 graphics.The new models also costs more – the original started at $189 during crowdfunding. But the price increase is hardly surprising at a time when memory and storage costs are driving up prices for pretty much any device that uses either.The Pocket MICRO 2 uses the same 3.5 inch, 960 x 640 pixel IPS LCD display as its predecessor, with 330 pixels per inch and support for upscaling Game Boy titles at 4 times their native resolution.AYANEO has also given the new model a much larger battery with a capacity of 3950 mAh, up from 2600 mAh in the previous model. But weighing just 248 grams (8.7 oz), the Pocket MICRO 2 is only about 15 grams (0.5 ounces) heavier than the older model. The new handheld has an aluminum frame with rounded corners, and it measures 162mm × 67.8mm × 18mm (6.4″ x 2.7″ x 0.7″).Other changes include a larger D-Pad and ABXY buttons, TMR joysticks with RGB LED lighting, and “premium conductive rubber materials” for better ergonomics.Ports include:1 x USB 3.1 Type-C (power, data, and video)1 x 3.5mm audio1 x microSD card readerThe system supports WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1, has a fan for active cooling, and features a fingerprint sensor integrated with the power button. It ships with Android 13 and AYANEO’s custom user interface for Android gaming systems.While it would have been nice to see a newer Android version, the processor may have been the limiting factor here, with the Snapdragon 865 only officially supporting Android 13 and earlier builds of the operating system. So I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for OS updates.via AYANEO