Miyoo Flip vs Anbernic RG35XXSP: Which Clamshell Handheld Should You Buy?

The GBA SP was one of Nintendo’s best ideas. A backlit screen, a hinge that protected it in your pocket, and a form factor that just worked. So it was only a matter of time before the retro handheld scene tried to recreate the magic.

The Miyoo Flip and Anbernic RG35XXSP are the two most popular attempts. Both are clamshell handhelds. Both target the same retro gaming sweet spot. Both cost under $80. And both are explicitly trying to bottle that GBA SP nostalgia and sell it back to you — which, honestly, is fine by me. The original SP was great.

But these two devices take very different paths to get there, and the one you should buy depends on what you actually care about. Let’s break it down.

The Quick Answer

• Choose the Miyoo Flip if: you want a more capable chipset with better N64 and DS emulation, Bluetooth for wireless controllers, and you don’t mind a newer brand.
• Choose the Anbernic RG35XXSP if: you want the most authentic GBA SP experience possible, prefer a proven Linux ecosystem, and want to save $5.
• My Pick: Miyoo Flip — It edges ahead on performance and features where it matters, and the $5 price difference isn’t enough to tip things back. For a clamshell that actually plays your whole retro library well, the Flip is the better buy.

Side-by-Side Specs

An interesting thing here: the RG35XXSP has four times the RAM on paper (1GB vs 256MB), but the Miyoo Flip’s Actions Semi chipset is more efficient with the RAM it has, and in practice the performance gap leans toward the Flip for the systems that matter most. Specs don’t always tell the whole story.

Design and Build Quality

This is the category these devices were born to compete in. The entire reason these things exist is the clamshell form factor, so let’s talk about how well each one nails it.

The Anbernic RG35XXSP is the more shameless GBA SP homage, and I mean that as a compliment. The proportions, the hinge, the button layout — if you squint, it genuinely looks like someone time-traveled a GBA SP from 2003 with a better screen. The hinge mechanism is solid with a satisfying click, the shell is well-constructed plastic, and it feels like it can handle being tossed into a bag without a case. The d-pad is classic Anbernic — one of the best in the budget space, with a responsive pivot that handles fighting game inputs without fuss.

The Miyoo Flip takes a slightly different approach. Where the RG35XXSP goes for pure SP nostalgia, the Miyoo Flip draws a bit more from the DS Lite — the proportions are slightly different, the hinge has a smoother action (some prefer it, some find it less secure), and the overall aesthetic is a touch more modern. The build quality is good but not as tank-like as the Anbernic. The d-pad is adequate, though community feedback on r/SBCGaming suggests it’s not quite as precise as Anbernic’s offering.

Both devices use membrane analog nubs rather than proper sticks. These are fine for light N64 or PS1 use but won’t replace a real joystick. Neither clamshell is going to be your PS2 emulation machine, so this is mostly fine.

One practical note: the RG35XXSP is 20 grams heavier (190g vs 170g). Not a huge difference, but you’ll notice it in a pocket. The Miyoo Flip feels slightly more pocketable overall.

Winner: Anbernic RG35XXSP — The hinge, d-pad, and overall build feel more robust. If you’re buying a clamshell for the nostalgia, Anbernic nailed the physical experience.

Screen Quality

Both devices pack a 3.5-inch IPS display at 640x480 resolution. Same size, same resolution, same panel type. On paper, it’s a dead tie.

In practice, it’s… mostly a dead tie. Both screens look sharp for retro content, with good color accuracy and viewing angles. The 640x480 resolution is a perfect 4:3 match for the vast majority of retro systems, which means you get crisp integer-scaled pixels without ugly interpolation for GBA, SNES, PS1, and everything else in the 8/16/32-bit era.

The Miyoo Flip’s display is marginally brighter at maximum settings based on community testing, which can help in outdoor or well-lit environments. The RG35XXSP has slightly warmer default color calibration, which some users prefer for retro games. Both are adjustable in software.

Neither screen has any notable backlight bleed issues, and both are a massive upgrade over what the original GBA SP offered. That front-lit AGS-001 was charming in 2003. These IPS panels are actually good.

Winner: Tie — Genuinely identical in quality for all practical purposes. Pick based on other categories.

Emulation Performance

Here’s where the comparison gets interesting. These devices use different chipsets — the Miyoo Flip runs an Actions Semi 7039S, while the RG35XXSP uses the Allwinner H700, the same chip that powers the entire RG35XX family. Both are designed for the same general performance tier, but they don’t perform identically across all systems.

Systems both handle perfectly:

• NES, SNES, Game Boy, GBA, Genesis — flawless on both. If this is your ceiling, buy whichever one you think looks cooler.

PS1: Both handle PS1 very well. The RG35XXSP is rated “great” while the Miyoo Flip also earns “great.” In practice, both run the vast majority of PS1 titles without issues. Demanding games like Vagrant Story or Chrono Cross run smoothly on either device. No complaints here.

N64: This is where the Miyoo Flip starts to pull ahead. The Flip’s chipset handles N64 emulation at “good” — most popular titles like Mario 64, Zelda OoT, and Mario Kart 64 are playable with occasional hiccups on the most demanding scenes. The RG35XXSP also rates “good” for N64, but community testing suggests the Flip handles a slightly wider range of titles at playable framerates. Neither device is an N64 powerhouse, but the Flip is the better choice if N64 matters to you.

DS: Both devices rate “good” for DS emulation, which is fitting given the clamshell form factor screams “play DS games on me.” The single-screen-at-a-time approach works well enough for games that don’t rely heavily on both screens simultaneously. The Miyoo Flip’s slightly better performance gives it a marginal edge for more demanding DS titles.

Dreamcast and PSP: Both devices can handle Dreamcast in a “limited” capacity — lighter titles work, heavier ones don’t. Same story for PSP. Neither device should be your primary choice if these systems are priorities. Check out the Trimui Smart Pro or Anbernic RG405M for that.

Winner: Miyoo Flip — The performance advantage is modest but real, particularly for N64 and DS. If you’re buying a clamshell to play GBA and SNES, both are identical. If you want to push into N64 territory, the Flip handles it better.

Battery Life

The RG35XXSP packs a 3,300 mAh battery compared to the Miyoo Flip’s 3,000 mAh. That’s a 10% advantage on paper, and it translates to roughly proportional real-world differences.

Expect around 5-6 hours of mixed retro gaming from the RG35XXSP and 4.5-5.5 hours from the Miyoo Flip. Playing lighter systems like GBA or NES stretches both devices to 7+ hours. Running N64 or PS1 titles at higher performance settings will drain the battery faster on both.

Both charge via USB-C at 5W, which means neither charges particularly fast. Plan for a couple hours from empty to full. A portable battery bank is a good travel companion for either device.

The 300 mAh difference isn’t dramatic, but over the life of the device, the RG35XXSP’s larger battery adds up to a noticeable advantage. If you’re a “grab it and go without checking the charge” person, the extra headroom is nice.

Winner: Anbernic RG35XXSP — 10% more battery isn’t transformative, but it’s a consistent, tangible advantage.

Software and Custom Firmware

Both of these devices run Linux-based operating systems, which is arguably the right call for budget handhelds. You don’t need Android’s overhead when you’re playing SNES games.

The Anbernic RG35XXSP benefits from being part of the massive RG35XX family, which means it has access to some of the most mature custom firmware in the scene. muOS and Knulli are the standout options — both are actively maintained, offer clean interfaces, great emulator integration, and extensive community support. The custom firmware guide covers setup in detail. The H700 chip is extremely well understood by the CFW community at this point, which means bugs get squashed quickly and new features arrive regularly.

The Miyoo Flip uses a different chipset (Actions Semi 7039S), which means it has its own custom firmware ecosystem. The community has rallied around it with solid options, though the ecosystem is newer and slightly less mature than what the H700 enjoys. Firmware options exist and work well, but you’ll find fewer guides, fewer themes, and slightly less polish compared to the well-oiled machine that is the RG35XX CFW scene.

Both devices are easy to set up with custom firmware — flash an SD card, boot, and go. Neither requires any technical wizardry. But if you’re the type who likes to tinker, customize themes, swap frontends, and have options, the RG35XXSP’s more established ecosystem has an advantage.

For RetroArch specifically, both devices run it well. Core availability and BIOS configuration are straightforward on either device.

Winner: Anbernic RG35XXSP — The H700’s custom firmware scene is more mature, better documented, and has more options. This matters if you care about software polish and community support.

Value for Money

The Miyoo Flip retails for $70. The Anbernic RG35XXSP retails for $75. That’s a $5 difference — the cost of a coffee — so this category is less about price and more about what each dollar buys you.

For $70, the Miyoo Flip gives you: slightly better emulation performance (especially N64/DS), Bluetooth 4.2, 20g lighter weight, and a clamshell that’s more pocketable. You trade away a bit of build quality, a less mature firmware ecosystem, and 300 mAh of battery.

For $75, the RG35XXSP gives you: the more authentic GBA SP experience, a better d-pad, a more robust hinge, a larger battery, and access to the best custom firmware ecosystem in the budget handheld space. You trade away a touch of raw performance and $5.

Both are excellent value. Both are in the best retro handhelds of 2026 conversation. The Miyoo Flip gives you slightly more capability per dollar. The RG35XXSP gives you slightly more polish per dollar.

Winner: Miyoo Flip — The performance edge plus the lower price gives it a slight value advantage, even though the RG35XXSP’s software ecosystem is more polished.

Score Summary

The scores are close because these devices are close. The RG35XXSP wins on build and software. The Miyoo Flip wins on performance and value. Your priorities decide the winner.

Final Verdict

Choose the Miyoo Flip if you want the clamshell that plays the widest range of games. The Flip’s chipset handles N64 and DS titles a bit better, it’s lighter in your pocket, it costs $5 less, and it still nails the nostalgic form factor. If you care more about what the device can do than about pixel-perfect GBA SP authenticity, the Flip is your pick.

Choose the Anbernic RG35XXSP if the GBA SP nostalgia is the whole point. The hinge is better, the d-pad is better, the build is more solid, the battery lasts a bit longer, and the custom firmware scene is outstanding. If you’re primarily playing GBA, SNES, and PS1 — and you want the device that feels most like the handheld you loved as a kid — the RG35XXSP delivers that experience better.

The bottom line: These are both genuinely good clamshell handhelds at prices that make impulse-buying dangerously easy. The Miyoo Flip is the more capable device. The RG35XXSP is the more polished one. For most people, I’d give the slight edge to the Miyoo Flip for its better emulation performance at a lower price — but if you pick up the RG35XXSP instead, you’re going to be happy with it. The clamshell form factor is just fun, and both of these devices deliver on the promise.

Where to Buy

Miyoo Flip — $70 on Amazon

Anbernic RG35XXSP — $75 on Amazon | Anbernic Direct

Recommended accessories:

• Samsung EVO Select 64GB MicroSD — More than enough storage for retro games through PS1
• Samsung EVO Select 128GB MicroSD — If you want a bigger library with N64 and DS included

Last verified: March 2026