# AYN Thor

- Source: https://stierproducts.com/products/ayn-thor
- Category board: https://stierproducts.com/categories/retro-handhelds
- Placement: #9 of 18 in Retro Handhelds, C tier
- Brand: AYN
- LP on this board: 451
- Last researched: 2026-09-23T13:11:24.172Z
- Method: https://stierproducts.com/methodology
- Dataset: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22062813 - every board at once, one dated snapshot per release, same licence, prices and photographs left out
- Reuse: Text, rankings, tier assignments, LP values and verdicts are free to quote and reuse with attribution to stierproducts and a link to the source URL (CC BY 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Product photographs are not covered: they belong to their respective owners and are reproduced to illustrate the product being reviewed. Do not redistribute them under this licence.

## Verdict

Best dual-screen device available and well built, but hinge and lid-closed quirks keep it out of the top three under a reliability lens.

## For

- Ranked the best dual-screen Android handheld on the market and one of the best retro handhelds in general
- Strong AYN firmware cadence
- Largely positive full review from Joey's Retro Handhelds
- The cheapest credible way into DS and 3DS-style dual-screen play
- Highly regarded as one of the best retro handhelds overall

## Against

- Video output can cut out when the lid closes
- Dual-screen hinges are a category-wide wear risk to watch
- Dual-screen retro is a niche use case
- Price reflects the niche appeal
- Dual-screen hinge presents a long-term wear point

## Evidence

Consolidated from 4 cited sources across 3 outlets

| Outlet | Said by | Stance | Link | Link status |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Joey's Retro Handhelds | - | - | https://www.joeysretrohandhelds.com/reviews/ayn-thor-review/ | fetched and confirmed |
| IGN | Scott White | A | https://www.ign.com/articles/ayn-thor-review | fetched and confirmed |
| DroiX Blogs \| Latest Technology and Gadgets | droix.net | A | https://droix.net/blogs/ayn-thor-handheld-review/?srsltid=AU7gw4Ue8kkLY6_ac5AGyLwWBViNY_rRzuJRpyukfq0QRncWS7GBYs46 | fetched and confirmed |
| DroiX Blogs \| Latest Technology and Gadgets | droix.net | A | https://droix.net/blogs/en-au/ayn-thor-review/?srsltid=AU7gw4XPnos5CyG_RMkLQaPq3Bw2Tik0_HKV2iXiZhelbIPybc53heS0 | fetched and confirmed |

## Nearest alternatives on this board

| Rank | Product | Tier | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 4 | Analogue Pocket | A | https://stierproducts.com/products/analogue-pocket |
| 5 | Anbernic RG28XX | B | https://stierproducts.com/products/anbernic-rg28xx |
| 6 | Anbernic RG Cube | B | https://stierproducts.com/products/anbernic-rg-cube |
| 7 | Retroid Pocket Flip 2 | C | https://stierproducts.com/products/retroid-pocket-flip-2 |
| 8 | Retroid Pocket Classic | C | https://stierproducts.com/products/retroid-pocket-classic |
| 10 | R36S | C | https://stierproducts.com/products/r36s |
| 11 | Anbernic RG476H | C | https://stierproducts.com/products/anbernic-rg476h |
| 12 | Anbernic RG Cube XX | C | https://stierproducts.com/products/anbernic-rg-cube-xx |
| 13 | Miyoo Mini Plus | D | https://stierproducts.com/products/miyoo-mini-plus |
| 14 | Trimui Smart Pro S | D | https://stierproducts.com/products/trimui-smart-pro-s |

The full board is at https://stierproducts.com/categories/retro-handhelds.

## What this tier means

- C: Fair. Acceptable in the right situation, outclassed at its price.

## How to read this

- Each category is researched in four independent runs, one per lens (expert consensus, value, reliability, community pulse). Every run ranks a board of candidates that deliberately includes products buyers cross-shop but should avoid. Placements score on a ranked ladder (LP), and tiers are derived from LP, so no tier is ever assigned by hand.
- LP is this product's points on its own category ladder. It is comparable within a category and not across categories.
- Link status reports what our pre-publication link check found when it fetched the cited URL. It says nothing about the quality of the review.
- A citation with no usable link is listed rather than dropped, and is excluded from the counted total above.

## Image

https://stspimgdevmfyk46r5vwkay.blob.core.windows.net/images/products/ayn-thor.webp

Product photographs are not covered: they belong to their respective owners and are reproduced to illustrate the product being reviewed. Do not redistribute them under this licence.