AYANEO NEXT 2 Announced With AMD Strix Halo Processor and Dual-Fan Cooling

AYANEO has officially shared early details of its upcoming flagship handheld gaming console, the AYANEO NEXT 2, during a livestream hosted by company founder Arthur Zhang. The new model will be powered by AMD’s Ryzen AI Max+ 395 “Strix Halo” processor, bringing high-end desktop-level performance into a portable form factor.

The Strix Halo chip integrates 16 Zen 5 CPU cores alongside a Radeon 8060S GPU based on the RDNA 3.5 architecture with 40 compute units. This combination makes the NEXT 2 one of the most powerful handheld systems currently in development. While many manufacturers have avoided Strix Halo due to its cost and demanding thermal requirements, AYANEO has taken the step to implement it directly, skipping AMD’s more commonly adopted Strix Point APU.

To manage the higher power and heat output, the NEXT 2 introduces a dual-fan cooling system, a first for AYANEO handhelds. This design is supported by a larger PCB that also houses LPDDR5X RAM modules, M.2 SSD storage, and multiple connectivity ports. The company explained that lessons learned from its AI395 Mini PC project helped overcome previous limitations in cooling and stability.

Another notable feature is the built-in battery design, which contrasts with GPD’s recently released WIN 5 that uses a removable battery. Early render images suggest the NEXT 2 will be one of AYANEO’s largest handhelds to date, with a display size estimated at around 10 inches. Although the design shown is still a prototype, it provides a preview of the device’s direction ahead of its launch.

AYANEO has previously introduced several handheld systems, including the Pocket, Flip DS, and NEXT, powered by earlier Ryzen APUs. With the NEXT 2, the company is stepping into a higher performance segment aimed at users who want desktop-class power in a portable form. Final specifications, pricing, and release information are expected to be announced later this year.