Review of the AYANEO FLIP DS, a portable gaming PC featuring two screens! Play large titles in full HD quality "while playing"!

AYANEO FLIP DS to be released

Black

Processor: Ryzen 7 8840U / Memory: 32GB / Storage: 2TB

Price: 193,600 yen (including tax)

Processor: Ryzen 7 8840U / Memory: 64GB / Storage: 2TB

Price: 234,300 yen (including tax)

White

Processor: Ryzen 7 8840U / Memory: 32GB / Storage: 2TB

Price: 193,600 yen (including tax)

Processor: Ryzen 7 8840U / Memory: 64GB / Storage: 2TB

Price: 234,300 yen (including tax)

The model that the author touched this time is a Ryzen 7 7840U processor with 32GB of memory. Only the processor specifications differ from the production version, so the specs are not 100% identical, but I would like to share the features and performance of the AYANEO FLIP DS and my impressions after playing some titles on this model.

A portable gaming PC that allows users to play while working on two separate screens

This model is foldable, and when unfolded, the screen unfolds into an upper and lower screen. When unfolded, the device unfolds into an upper and lower screen, allowing users to enjoy playing games and surfing the Internet on the so-called dual screen.

The upper screen is 7 inches in size with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 and a refresh rate of 120 Hz. The LCD panel uses the IPS method, and the color gamut is 120% sRGB with 100% color gamut coverage. However, the refresh rate and color reproduction are more than enough to cover the difference.

The lower sub-screen is 3.5 inches in size and has a resolution of 960 x 640, almost two times smaller than the main screen, but it too uses IPS. Although the screen itself feels narrow, the headlines and text of articles are clearly displayed when the browser is expanded, and visibility is excellent.

Furthermore, both screens of this model are equipped with touch functionality. In addition to sticks and buttons, intuitive finger operation is possible, so there is no need to move the cursor every time. However, in the case of the sub-screen, it is difficult to switch between small tabs in the browser with a finger due to the size of the screen, so a device such as a stylus would be desirable.

The back of the main unit, with USB4 Type-C, USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C, and OcuLink ports, and a microSD card slot.

The size of the main unit is quite compact. According to the official website, it measures 180 x 102 x 29.8-37.5 mm, which compares to the 264.5 x 105 x 36.1-21.5 mm dimensions of AYANEO's previous "AYANEO2" products. When actually held, it did not seem bulky, and the grip on the bottom of the unit gave it a sense of stability. It weighs about 650g, which is not exactly light for a portable gaming device, but it is probably on the lighter side when viewed within the framework of portable gaming PCs, which are often heavy. I even tried playing on my back while holding up the machine, but I did not feel any fatigue, and it seemed to be able to handle long hours of play.

The processor of the test machine used in this review is the Ryzen 7 7840U, as mentioned above. The 7840U is a model released in May 2023. In this review, we played several major titles on a machine using this processor, and we were not bothered at all by the processing speed, and it was comfortable from start to finish. The production version of this machine is the new 8840U, so it should be even easier to use than this machine.

The Ryzen 7 8840U is also equipped with 32GB of LPDDR5X memory, an improved version of LPDDR5, a DDR5 model with lower power consumption that excels in data transfer speeds, etc., and like the Ryzen 7 8840U, this model also extends battery life. In other words, the AYANEO FLIP DS is a good spec for a portable gaming PC with a long life.

The sub-screen can be turned off when not needed, which can also be used to extend battery life. Nominally, the battery will run for about 2 to 3 hours. The titles we tested for this review differed in terms of the quality of the graphics, the amount and variety of objects depicted, and the genre of the game, but the battery life was generally consistent.

Dual screens allow for "play while you play." Sub-screens are loaded with useful functions.

Since the upper and lower screens are independent of each other, it is possible to output different screens on the top and bottom. For example, you can play a game on the top 7-inch screen while viewing a browser on the bottom 3.5-inch screen. You can also play YouTube videos on the sub-screen, or display social networking sites such as X (formerly Twitter) while following the information. This allows you to work on other tasks while playing games, which is ideal for today's users who demand efficiency.

The sub-screen also has another useful aspect. One is the ability to display a dedicated application called "AYASpace.
This application is installed on the device from the start, and once it is launched, pressing the "Dual Screen Key" button switches the sub-screen. This allows the user to see in real time how the device is performing in relation to the game being played.

Many items are displayed, including frame rate, TDP (thermal design power), cooling fan speed, and the power consumption and temperature of the CPU and GPU respectively. The higher the TDP number, the higher the frame rate and performance of the game you are playing, but it also consumes more power and generates more heat, which in turn drains the battery faster, Whenever possible, use the AYASpace function to check the status of the device.

Pressing the Dual Screen key again will turn off AYASpace and restore the sub-screen. This means that you can instantly switch between checking performance and surfing the web at any time. This is a very convenient and stress-free feature that requires only one button.

Incidentally, AYASpace also has the ability to directly launch games installed on other platforms. After launching this application, select "Addgame" from the "Gamemanagement" menu to detect and register games stored on the device. Steam titles were detected automatically, but EA titles did not seem to be supported, so we had to specify the exe file in the installation location ourselves.

Checking performance by playing three titles

From here, we will present our impressions after playing actual game titles on the "AYANEO FLIP DS". As samples, we chose the Steam versions of "Persona 3 Reload," "Elden Ring," and "Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.

Released in February 2024, the RPG "Persona 3 Reload " is a remake of one of Atlus' signature series, the 2006 PlayStation 2 title "Persona 3."

Persona 3 Reload: Recommended Environment

OS: Windows 10

Processor: Intel Core i7-4790, AMD Ryzen 5 1400

Memory: 8GB RAM

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, 4 GB, AMD Radeon R9 290X, 4 GB

The graphics setting is set to the maximum High. When the TDP was increased to 28, the frame rate was 50-60 FPS. I also turned off reflection in the settings and was able to keep it mostly at 60.

The TDP was still able to maintain frame rates above 30 even with the default TDP, so playing this game should not be a problem.

The next game we tried was " Eldenring," an action RPG released in 2022 that won the "Game of the Year" award for the best game title released that year. Shadow of the Erdtree" will be released on June 21, 2024.

Erdenring: Recommended Environment

OS: Windows 10/11

Processor: INTEL CORE I7-8700K or AMD RYZEN 5 3600X

Memory: 16 GB RAM

Graphics: NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1070 8 GB or AMD RADEON RX VEGA 56 8 GB

The overall processing is a bit heavy, probably due to the photorealistic images and the large open world. However, the frame rate was maintained at around 30 FPS, which seemed fine at this level; increasing the TDP from the initial 15 to 28 increased the frame rate to around 40 FPS. If some compromises are made with some settings such as reflections, a frame rate of around 50 can be achieved, depending on the situation. The fact that this rather processing-intensive work could be played even with the initial settings may be said to demonstrate the strength of this machine, which is based on Full HD quality rather than 4K or WQHD.

Lastly, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown was released in 2019. It is the latest installment in the "Ace Combat" series of flight-shooting games, in which players become fighter pilots and engage in various battles.

Ace Combat 7 Skies Unknown: Recommended System Requirements

OS: Windows 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10 (64-bit OS required)

Processor: Intel Core i5-7500

Memory: 8GB RAM

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (3GB)

The frame rate was around 60 even with a TDP of 15, and there were no problems flying around in the realistic weather conditions that characterize this title, such as cumulonimbus clouds and lightning strikes. TDP can be increased up to 28.

When the TDP was increased to 28, the frame rate was around 80, reaching 120 or more in some situations. As with the other titles, it will be important to change the TDP and processing-intensive settings to take advantage of the main screen refresh rate of 120 Hz.

The Full HD picture quality puts it behind other portable gaming PCs that pursue higher picture quality. However, the 7" and 3.5" screens are small to begin with, and thanks to the IPS system and other specifications, there are no rough edges, so you can rather enjoy games with beautiful graphics. The foldable design makes it easy to store, and it also has the advantage of being a portable device. This is a title that is especially recommended for those who want to play PC versions of major titles regardless of their location.

AYANEO FLIP DS Specifications