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Aug 04, 2023

Ayaneo Air 1S Review: Exceptionally Portable, Surprisingly Powerful

Christopher Coke Updated: Aug 31, 2023 5:36 PM Posted: Aug 31, 2023 4:59 PM ET Category: Hardware Reviews 0 Ayaneo was one of the first brands to popularize handheld Windows gaming PCs, beginning a

Christopher Coke Updated: Aug 31, 2023 5:36 PM Posted: Aug 31, 2023 4:59 PM ET Category: Hardware Reviews 0

Ayaneo was one of the first brands to popularize handheld Windows gaming PCs, beginning a wave that’s only continued to grow over the last two years. It’s no stranger to innovation, and today we’re looking at its smallest, most pocketable gaming PC, the Ayaneo Air 1S. Measuring only 8.8 x 3.5 inches, it leaves the Steam Deck in its dust and is much closer to a smaller, thinner, lighter ROG Ally, complete with a gorgeous AMOLED screen. Beginning at $799, the Air 1S doesn’t come cheap but is destined to impress.

The Ayaneo Air 1S is part of Ayaneo’s thin and light line-up, following up on the original Ayaneo Air and the more recent Air Plus. It’s near in size to the Switch Lite but don’t let its diminutive stature fool you: this is a full-fledged Windows gaming PC that offers surprisingly great performance. It’s easily the best Air yet, balancing size with power in a way the prior models could not. Even compared to the bigger Ayaneo 2S, it really doesn’t feel like a step-down, making it the best opportunity yet to choose the size that works best for you without worrying about performance being left on the table.

That’s because not only is it running very similar hardware to its bigger, flagship sibling (the Ayaneo 2S), it also runs at a very similar TDP. TDP, if you’re unfamiliar, is how much power the system is able to draw and pass through to the processor (which also renders the graphics within games). Higher TDPs typically translate to higher frame rates and more headroom to adjust graphics settings — up to a certain point when diminishing returns set in. Previous Air models had more limited TDPs to account for their slimmer designs and heatsinks. Even though they were running the same Ryzen APUs, their performance was still less than their larger counterparts. Hence, the trade-off: an extra portable design and less power or a much larger design that hits its full potential.

The Air 1S, on the other hand, features a maximum TDP of 25 watts, which is three watts higher than the Game Mode on the full Ayaneo 2S. It also happens to be the point where diminishing returns really begin to hit hard. The Ayaneo 2S can technically draw up to 33 watts, but that extra push rarely returns very many frames per second. Side by side, the Air 1S goes toe-to-toe with the flagship 2S, and that’s downright remarkable.

Inside the Air, you’ll find top-shelf hardware that’s likely to outmatch most laptops and desktops without their own bulky GPUs. It uses the latest AMD Ryzen 7 7840U processor, an APU with eight cores and 16 threads, capable of max boost clocks of 5.1GHz. Since it’s an “all-in-one,” it’s also responsible for the entirety of your gaming experience, and does so with a built-in Radeon 780M graphics processor.

Coming alongside the 7840U is 16GB to 32GB of fast LPDDR5X memory clocked to 6,400 MT/s. It’s important to note that the Ayaneo 2S launched with the same memory speed but received a firmware update to boost that to 7,500 MT/s, though it’s unclear if the Air 1S will also receive it. The capacity is important because it directly relates to how much video memory you’ll receive. Since DRAM is shared across the whole system, 16GB capacities allot 3GB to VRAM while 32GB doubles that to 6GB. Since you’ll be playing at 1080p or 720p resolution, few games draw more than 3GB but it does happen, so I suggest opting for the 32GB model or upgrading the memory on your own down the line.

The system is also available with up to 4TB of NVME storage but starts at only 512MB. This is partially dependent on which model you go with. If you want the Retro Power colorway, you’ll start at 32GB of memory and 2TB. The same for the limited edition model, which is slightly thinner and features and NES theme. System memory can also be expanded further with a MicroSD card of up to 100 MB/s.

It’s also worth noting that the system is fairly easy to open, so upgrading storage and memory on your own is a real possibility if you’re comfortable opening the system on your own. And Ayaneo expects you to do just that. The body is screwless, but removable tabs on the sides of each grip expose fasteners to take it apart. There are replacement covers when you’re done so you can restore the original look of the console.

The star of the show is its 5.5-inch AMOLED display. Perfect blacks, vivid colors, and outstanding dynamic range are hallmarks of the gaming experience. It features a peak brightness of 350 nits, which isn’t as impressive as the 500-nits of the Ayaneo 2S, but the screen doesn’t get as hot and the infinite contrast means you don’t need such high peak brightness for dynamic range anyway. It’s also color-rich, with 100% coverage of the sRGB color space, 96% of Adobe RGB, and 99% of DCI-P3.

Games, videos, and even normal web browsing look great on this display. It runs at a native 1920 x 1080 resolution but can also be set to 1280 x 720 for better performance. 1080p is usually the domain of older games or indies, though with FidelityFX Super Resolution enabled, AAA games at reasonable settings may not be as out of reach as you would think. On a 5.5-inch screen, however, even 720p looks crisp and opens the door to high or even ultra settings in many games.

Unfortunately, it’s still limited to 60Hz and there’s no support for AMD FreeSync. While that’s a clear limitation compared to the ROG Ally, Ayaneo has made it much easier to ensure smooth gameplay with native options to lock the frame rate at 30 to 60 FPS. The only thing missing is the ability to lock your refresh rate below 60 FPS so you can fully take advantage of the “rule of 40” that’s popular on the Steam Deck.

While the Air 1S may be similar to the Switch Lite in size, it’s significantly more comfortable to hold and play games on. Its grips have enough body to them that I feel like I’m able to get a good grasp, even with its more compact layout. The layout of the buttons is similar but doesn’t make my hands feel as cramped as the Switch does, so the small spacing differences really do matter. I also like that the grips really don’t get warm. All of the heat is centered in the unit and blown from the top and rear vents, away from you.

Ayaneo has also carried through the same button layout we’ve seen since the Next Advance. This includes the typical face buttons, joysticks, bumpers, and triggers of an Xbox-style controller, an Aya button to raise the software, and three programmable shortcut keys: one on the button right and two more next to the bumpers. These buttons are critically important, allowing you to map common commands for navigating Windows, like toggling the on-screen keyboard, minimizing to desktop, and Escape. They’re all configurable within the AyaSpace 2.0 software, so you can map them with whatever feels the most natural to you.

The extra commands can be expanded further, too. Inside the software, you can turn on D-pad shortcuts that only turn on when the right bumper and trigger are held in unison — perfect for quick screenshots. Whatever you can’t assign can be mapped to the AyaSpace quick menu.

Ayaneo also deserves kudos for the quality of its joysticks and triggers. Rather than use mechanical potentiometers that eventually result in stick drift, the Air 1S uses magnetic Hall Effect sensors for both. The lack of mechanical friction dramatically enhances their durability and the use of magnetism ensures that stick drift simply won’t be possible. They also feel remarkably smooth to use.

The controls can also be customized and enhanced with Ayaneo’s Master Controller applet. This allows you to swap ABXY positions, adjust deadzones, sensitivity, turbo mode, and enable the gyro. It’s complete customization software similar to what you’ll find from expensive third-party controllers for first-person shooters.

The Air 1S is packed to the gills with enhancements. Inside the shell, it uses HD vibration motors, similar to the Nintendo Switch. It uses not one but two gyroscopes, one on the motherboard and another within the controller to provide motion controls even in games that don’t support it (more on this later — there’s still room to improve here). There’s a fingerprint sensor built into the power button and it’s remarkably fast when waking from sleep.

The console also supports USB4 to connect an eGPU if you really want to go all out. If not, either of its two ports can be used for the power adapter or to connect peripherals, a USB hub, or a full-fledged docking station.

Ayaneo has also made major leaps with its software. AyaSpace was recently upgraded to version 2.0 and received a major overhaul. It no longer feels as rough around the edges. Pressing the Aya button once brings up a quick menu that allows you to change settings quickly: brightness, volume, TDP, fan speed, frame rate, and toggling the performance monitor. You can also click through other menus to access deeper settings, like system optimizations and component upgrades. It’s a major improvement and feels much more polished and befitting a premium handheld PC.

Simply put, the Air 1S has a lot going for it. At $800, it’s the only handheld you’ll find with such a svelte size (as of this writing, anyway… the market moves fast), and the performance really leaves very little on the table to second guess your purchase.

I won’t bury the lede: the Ayaneo Air 1S is a great gaming PC. It’s able to play new games at high settings, especially if you turn on FSR or run at 720p. Compared to the Ayaneo 2S, which I also had on hand and know goes tit-for-tat with the ROG Ally, the performance is very, very close. It’s small but it’s mighty, and it has the best screen of the bunch by a country mile.

But any of these Windows handhelds have a big hurdle to climb before you even load a game: how do they function and handle as actual PCs? Windows is designed for a mouse and keyboard after all, so abandoning both in favor of a touch screen and gamepad is rife with challenges that need to be overcome.

I’ve been lucky enough to use almost every Ayaneo since the Next Advance, as well as the Ally, GPD WIN 4, and Steam Deck (though that’s not Windows), and have deeply researched a number of the other competitors in this space. I can say with authority here that the Ayaneo is probably the best controlling of the bunch with the Ally coming in a close second.

Ayaneo has had multiple generations to fine tune its controls, and it shows. With AyaSpace running, the left joystick controls the mouse and the face buttons handle clicks. The acceleration is dialed in so it feels natural and surprisingly accurate once you get the hang of it. Scrolling pages can be done with the right joystick. Tapping the screen in a text box immediately brings up the Windows Touch Keyboard, which is honestly easier to use than the physical keyboard on the GPD WIN 4. The shortcut keys and touch screen come in clutch for easily moving between screens and dropping to the desktop when you need to go back to square one. AyaSpace 2.0 acts as a launcher for games, so you don’t need to do any of this if you’d rather just get playing.

Learning to use any Windows handheld comes with a significant learning curve. There’s no way around that. But Ayaneo really has the best implementation I’ve seen so far and I think it’s by virtue of its incredible release cadence. The company releases lots of handhelds, and every single release comes with an opportunity for improvement and refinement.

Of course, there will be times when you want to use a mouse and keyboard. Unlike the Steam Deck which really feels like it’s for “games only” with its custom Linux OS, the Air 1S is much closer to a laptop that just happens to be shaped like a handheld. Drop it into a dock, add a monitor and peripherals, and it becomes fairly powerful PC all on its own, completely capable of everything a laptop or desktop can do with the same hardware.

Here’s how it performed in games:

As you can tell, the Air 1S is capable of some impressive frame rates. As you can also tell, it’s not as simple as setting everything to Ultra and seeing how it fares. Every one of these handhelds is a balancing act between power, battery life, and graphics. You need to tweak and find what works best for individual games. With that said, I wanted to get some consistency in here, so all of these tests were performed at 25 watts.

Gone are the days of needing to run games at low settings to hit playable frame rates. The Ryzen 7 7840U inside the Air 1S is surprisingly powerful. My entire playthrough of Baldur’s Gate 3 so far has been on it, running steadily between 35-40 FPS on Ultra settings, minus shadows dropped by a single notch. This has been with Radeon Super Resolution, which scales 720p to 1080p with better results than FSR 1. The game is gorgeous, smooth, and can go with me anywhere.

Actually playing on it is surprisingly nice, too. The grips feel great and the buttons have a nice, snappy tactility. The joysticks and triggers, as I mentioned before, are exceptionally smooth. The triggers offer a surprising amount of throw for their size, though the joysticks have less height and movement than a full-size controller.

First-person shooters can be challenging. I think that’s inherent to this compact, handheld design but there’s still work to be done with gyro controls. The dual gyroscopes work and can close the gap between joystick and motion aiming, similar to the Nintendo Switch, but it’s not as smooth or as accurate. They work, but you can tell that there’s a lack of native integration with Steam and individual games.

Battery life, however, is a concern that you’ll always need to be aware of. This is the case on all of the handhelds at high TDPs. At 25 watts, running demanding games with burn through its 38Whr battery in less than two hours. You don’t always need to run at such a high wattage, though, which is where finding that balance comes in. Still, you’ll need to carry the charger with you if you’ll be playing on the go for more than a few hours.

I’ve been lucky enough to test many of the current crop of handhelds between IGN and Reviewed, and one of the most common points of criticism is the price. Compared to the Steam Deck, it is much more expensive. You’re paying extra for its small size and, even more so, the smaller development team behind it. And now that the ROG Ally is out there, it’s a more challenging decision than ever.

But that doesn’t class the Ayaneo Air 1S out. The fact is, there’s nothing else out there like it right now. This level of performance in this small of a package, with an OLED screen to boot, is exceptionally cool. And the final product is more refined and polished than any generation of Ayaneo before it. It’s exciting to the company growing and making strides so quickly and the Air 1S is one of the best examples of the benefits of its rapid iteration cycle.

If you’re looking for a small gaming PC, a handheld that’s tiny but doesn’t sacrifice performance to get there, a console that lets you play modern games with great graphics and enjoy advanced features like fingerprint wake from sleep and universal motion controls, this is an excellent, and thoroughly joyful, option.

Find out more at the official IndieGoGo campaign, currently in the shipping phase.

The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes.

Chris cut his teeth on MMOs in the late 90s with text-based MUDs. He’s written about video games for many different sites but has made MMORPG his home since 2013. Today, he acts as Hardware and Technology Editor, lead tech reviewer, and continues to love and write about games every chance he gets. Follow him on Twitter: @GameByNight