Retroid Pocket 4 Pro Review: The Best Used Retro Gaming Handheld You Can Buy
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I bought the Retroid Pocket 4 Pro expecting to be a little disappointed in it. I knew buying it I would find stuff I didn’t like compared to my Odin 2 portal.
That sounds harsh, but hear me out. I'd already spent weeks with an AYN Odin 2 Portal (read my review here) — bigger OLED screen, flagship internals, that premium in-hand feel that makes you forget you're holding a $300+ device. In my head, the Portal had already won. The Pocket 4 Pro was going to be the "budget option," the thing I'd use when I didn't want to risk scratching the good handheld.
Instead I found the catch I was looking for, and it just... never showed up.
R36S vs Pocket 4 Pro vs Odin 2 Portal
The Deal That Started It
I picked mine up on eBay for $170 shipped — complete with the original box and accessories, in Ice Blue, which is the harder color to track down compared to the standard black/gray units that flood the used market. It showed up looking barely touched. No stick drift, no shell wear, no scuffed screen. For that price, in that condition, it's honestly one of the best purchases I've made in this hobby in years. I didn’t want to wait for a newer one from China, read my article here for the best ones you can get fast!
That deal is a big part of why this review exists. When a handheld this capable is floating around the used market for $170, it changes the whole conversation about what "good value" means in retro gaming.
Small Enough to Actually Use
Here's something I don't hear enough reviewers talk about: the Odin 2 Portal is great, but it's big. Not Steam Deck big, but big enough that it's a conscious decision every time you toss it in a bag. It sits on a shelf more than I'd like to admit.
The Pocket 4 Pro doesn't have that problem. It disappears into a sling bag, rides fine in a glovebox, and I genuinely forget it's in my pocket half the time. And because of that, I've probably put more hours into the Pocket 4 Pro over the last few months than the Portal — not because it's the better handheld on paper, but because it's the one that's actually with me. A flagship you leave at home doesn't count for much.
Performance: I Ran Out of Games to Throw at It
This is where the Pocket 4 Pro really won me over. N64 runs flawless — no chugging, no audio crackle, nothing. GameCube runs clean across everything I've thrown at it, from Metroid Prime to Melee. Dreamcast is a non-issue. PS2 handles the titles I actually care about without hiccups.
At this point I've stopped asking "what can it play" and started asking the opposite question: what doesn't it play? Honestly, for the library I care about — N64 through GameCube, plus everything below it — I haven't hit that wall yet. If you're chasing high-end PS2/GameCube performance without compromise, this is doing it in a shell that fits in your pocket.
Controls and Build
I expected the buttons to be the thing I'd complain about. They're not. The face buttons have a satisfying click, the sticks track accurately without any of the mushiness I've felt on cheaper handhelds, and the triggers feel like they belong on something twice the price. Nothing about the shell feels like a corner was cut to hit this price point — which, for a device now floating around $170 used, is kind of wild. Read our R36S review here!
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How It Stacks Up
Pocket 4 Pro vs Odin 2 Portal
vs. Odin 2 Portal — The Portal still wins on raw luxury. The OLED display is gorgeous and the extra horsepower is real. But the Pocket 4 Pro gets close enough on performance that the gap stops mattering for most games, while being dramatically easier to actually carry. If I'm being honest with myself about how I actually game, portability wins more days than raw power does.
vs. Retroid Pocket 5 — The Pocket 5 gets you a nicer screen and some quality-of-life refinements, but the Pocket 4 Pro — especially used — is still one of the best values in the entire handheld space right now. Unless the OLED panel is a dealbreaker for you specifically, I'd put the savings toward games or a bigger microSD card instead.
vs. Retroid Pocket 6 — The Pocket 6 is the more powerful device, full stop. But after living with the Pocket 4 Pro, I'm not convinced I need that extra power for the way I actually play. That's the highest compliment I can give it: the Pocket 6 is the handheld I admire from a distance, the Pocket 4 Pro is the one I'd actually put in someone's hands.
Buy It Used — Seriously
If there's one takeaway from this whole review, it's this: shop eBay, Facebook Marketplace, wherever. The used market on the Pocket 4 Pro right now is one of the best deals in retro gaming, full stop. Mine arrived in practically new condition — original accessories, Ice Blue shell, $170 shipped — and that's not a fluke, that's the market right now for this device. Here is why I stopped buying gaming consoles and switched to handheld gaming!
Final Verdict
Is the Odin 2 Portal still the more premium handheld? Yes. Is the Pocket 6 more powerful? Also yes. Would I still tell almost anyone asking me for a recommendation to go find a used Pocket 4 Pro instead? Without hesitation.
It hits a combination of price, size, and performance that I genuinely haven't found anywhere else in this hobby. Unless a best-in-class screen is non-negotiable for you, buy this used and put the money you save into your game library instead.
