Ayaneo is finally launching its first Android gaming phone, and it’s a true Sony Xperia Play lookalike
It’s official, Ayaneo is stepping into the gaming phone arena. The brand has made serious headway in 2025, releasing multiple handhelds, but now it’s revealed the Ayaneo Pocket Play. However, this is an Android gaming phone with a difference, seemingly paying tribute to the iconic Sony Xperia Play with a sliding form factor, which could help it stand out from the crowd of brick-shaped handsets. As you can see in the teaser video further down this page, the Ayaneo Pocket Play’s display slides upwards to reveal a d-pad, some face buttons, and two touch-sensitive pads in place of joysticks, much like the iconic Sony phone. It’s a pretty bold move to opt for this sort of form factor for a debut, but Ayaneo is a fan of taking inspiration from iconic devices, as it has with the Pocket DS, its Nintendo DS clone, and the Game Boy-style Pocket Vert. Despite revealing the form factor, we don’t have much in the way of confirmed specs for the Ayaneo Pocket Play. Given that it’s a gaming phone, we’d anticipate a pretty decent processor, likely a Snapdragon chip. I’m also holding out hope for an OLED display, as that’s the standard in 2025, as you can tell by the fact that all the top picks from our guide to the best gaming phones boast OLED screens.
Read the full story on Pocket Tactics: Ayaneo is finally launching its first Android gaming phone, and it's a true Sony Xperia Play lookalike
The Ayaneo Pocket Play just got its big reveal, and the Chinese tech brand is attempting something pretty bold with its first Android phone.