Recently, we received a sneak peek at what's in store with AMD's Strix Halo Ryzen AI Max+ 395 APU coming to the GPD Win 5. Now, Ayaneo has confirmed on YouTube that they will be entering the Strix Halo-powered handheld competition with the Ayaneo Next 2. This will be only the second gaming handheld to feature the powerful AMD APU. The upcoming Windows gaming handheld will serve as the company's new flagship system, succeeding the Ayaneo Next powered by the AMD Ryzen 7 5820U. Although Ayaneo has more powerful handhelds with the AMD Ryzen 7 8840U, the Next 2 is expected to launch in 2025. Unlike the GPD Win 5, the Ayaneo Next 2 will have a built-in battery, potentially limiting its portability compared to GPD's backpack design. Additionally, it will include a dual-fan cooling system, making the prototype assembly shown in the stream appear bulky.
Details about the Ayaneo Next 2 are scarce, but it seems to feature at least an 8-inch display, a "high-capacity battery," and back-mounted paddles similar to those on the Steam Deck and Lenovo Legion Go. The device will likely require a sizable battery pack to support the 16-core APU and Radeon 8060S iGPU. It remains unknown if there will be a version of the Next 2 with the Ryzen AI Max 385. Ayaneo also hinted at the possibility of a mini PC based on the same motherboard as the Next 2, which would compete with products from Aoostar and recently announced Mini-ITX motherboards. For more information, watch the full announcement video on YouTube. The Ayaneo 2 reveal begins around the 51-minute mark.
