REVIEW
Miyoo Mini Plus Review 2026: Pocket Retro, Still Worth It
The Miyoo Mini Plus is a £60-class pocket retro handheld. What it runs at full speed, its real battery life, and who should still buy one in 2026.
The Miyoo Mini Plus is not trying to be a shrunken Steam Deck, and that is the reason it still has a brief in 2026. The brief is pocket retro play, not portable PC performance. This Miyoo Mini Plus review asks whether that brief still earns pocket space when larger handheld hardware now covers the PC library. The answer depends on the contract you expect from it: quick sessions, low battery draw, pocketable controls, and no pretence that it can replace a modern portable PC. The category is narrower than a Windows handheld. It is also more honest when the software is configured properly.
Product Snapshot
| Field | Detail |
| Manufacturer | Miyoo |
| Form Factor | Vertical retro handheld (pocket size) |
| Display | 3.5-inch IPS, 640×480 |
| Controls | D-pad, face buttons, shoulder buttons |
| Storage | microSD card (32 GB, 64 GB, or 128 GB configurations) |
| Battery | 3,000 mAh internal cell |
| OS / Firmware | Stock Linux-based OS; Onion OS custom firmware widely supported |
| Weight | Pocketable; fits a jacket pocket with a slim case |
| Release Date | Current iteration in active retail rotation 2026 |
| Price | $62.99 to $69.99 (varies by storage configuration and retailer) |
| Category | Dedicated retro emulation handheld |
Build and Design
The useful measurement here is pocket fit, not power ceiling. A device this small either lives in a jacket pocket and survives loose-bag travel, or it becomes another desk object with a screen. The Miyoo Mini Plus sits in the first category once paired with a firm case, and the case-first rule from our dbrand Killswitch 2 review applies double at pocket scale. A pocket device needs a case before it needs a dock.
The 3.5-inch vertical form factor is the defining build decision. Face buttons are easy to find without shifting grip; the D-pad sits at a natural thumb angle for short sessions. Grip depth is the category cost: larger devices spread load across both palms, while this asks the thumbs to do more work. That trade is acceptable when sessions stay short, which is the brief the device was built for.
The design is consistent across colour variants (grey, white, purple, black). The screen is protected by a flush bezel that does not catch bag edges. For a device living in a jacket pocket, the lack of protruding sticks or triggers is a practical advantage over devices designed around an analogue-heavy PC library.
Performance and Software
The Miyoo Mini Plus should be judged against the systems it is meant to carry, not against handheld PCs that draw laptop-class power. The ARM Cortex-A7 processor is built for retro emulation up through the PlayStation 1 and GBA generation, with SNES, NES, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, and similar systems running at full speed when firmware is correctly configured. That is the target range. Anything above it approaches the edge of the hardware envelope and should be treated as such.
Software is the deciding variable. Onion OS, the community custom firmware built for this device, improves scraper behaviour, sleep state reliability, save-state management, and shutdown prompts compared with the stock firmware. Onion OS is the recommended path for daily carry. Format a quality microSD, copy the current Onion OS release across, and let the first boot finish the install; the whole job is ten minutes.
Compared with larger premium devices, the Mini Plus wins only if setup friction stays low. The test that matters is not a synthetic benchmark: it is whether the device resumes cleanly, holds a save state, and keeps you playing through the typical train journey out and back in the light-use profile it was bought for.
Daily-Use Experience
Daily use is where the 3.5-inch screen and 3,000 mAh battery stop being spec-sheet entries and become a routine. Runtime lands between four and five hours of active play at light retro loads, which covers a working-day commute with room to spare on most routes. Heavier PS1 sessions pull it toward the bottom of that window.
The right daily test is not whether the Miyoo Mini Plus can run everything. It is whether it wakes without fuss, keeps your save, and disappears into the commute. The quick-boot character of the device is its strongest daily argument: there is no launcher friction, no cloud-sync delay, and no audio-routing prompt to manage before the game starts.
This is also where it separates from the larger handhelds on the bench. Our Steam Deck OLED review describes a device that knows its brief through controls, screen size, and operating system. The Miyoo Mini Plus has a different brief: it should disappear into a pocket, wake quickly, and avoid the overhead that makes a short session feel like admin. When firmware is correctly configured, it does that reliably.
Value and Longevity
At $62.99 to $69.99 depending on storage configuration, the Miyoo Mini Plus sits at the budget end of the retro handheld category. That price reflects the narrow brief honestly. This is not a general-purpose handheld. It is a narrow device for a narrow library, and narrow is not a criticism when the price reflects it.
The value case is strongest for players who want a pocket retro machine, already understand ROM and BIOS legality, and do not want a Windows handheld in miniature. The comparison with our AYANEO 3 review is useful because it shows the category split clearly: the AYANEO 3 tries to compress a PC into a carryable shape; the Miyoo Mini Plus tries to make old games quick to start and easy to stop.
Decision rule: if you want a pocket retro handheld for short sessions, this is the right kind of device; if you want modern PC games, buy a portable PC instead; if the confirmed price at the time of purchase climbs too close to stronger retro handhelds, check the current market before committing.
Technical Notes
Hardware: ARM Cortex-A7 processor, 3.5-inch 640×480 IPS display, 3,000 mAh internal battery, microSD expansion up to 128 GB, Wi-Fi connectivity, Linux-based OS with Onion OS custom firmware support. Battery runtime: four to five hours at typical retro loads. The supplied microSD card suitability varies by configuration; for long-term use, a quality card from a trusted retailer reduces the risk of save-state corruption on library scans.
Final Word
The Miyoo Mini Plus belongs to the retro-pocket category, not the portable PC category. That distinction does most of the review work. It should not be asked to compete with the Ally X, the Ayaneo 3, or any Windows handheld on raw performance. It should be asked to boot quickly, hold saves reliably, keep battery draw honest across four to six hours, and fit into a pocket without turning the controls into a compromise. At $62.99 to $69.99 with Onion OS configured, it does all of that reliably for the retro systems it was built for. Accept the narrow brief, accept the setup work, and buy it for short retro sessions.
Is the Miyoo Mini Plus worth buying in 2026?
The Miyoo Mini Plus earns its place as a pocket retro handheld for short sessions at $62.99 to $69.99 when Onion OS custom firmware is correctly configured. Battery runtime of four to five hours at retro loads covers a commute. It is not a miniature portable PC and should not be judged against devices that draw laptop-class power.
How does the Miyoo Mini Plus compare to larger handhelds like the Steam Deck or ROG Ally X?
The heavy-lifting advantage belongs to the larger Windows or SteamOS handhelds. Low-friction pocket play and quick boot for retro systems favour the Mini Plus, provided firmware is configured and the device disappears into a jacket pocket with a firm case. They answer different questions and are not substitutes.
Does the Miyoo Mini Plus need custom firmware?
Stock firmware can work, but Onion OS custom firmware improves scraper behaviour, sleep state, save states and shutdown prompts, and is the recommended path for daily carry. Confirm the current Onion OS installation route and test one session with the intended microSD card before relying on it for commute use.
What is the battery life on the Miyoo Mini Plus?
Active gameplay runtime sits between four and five hours at typical retro loads. That covers a working-day commute on most routes. Battery draw is modest in the light-use profile the device was designed for; heavier emulation targets reduce that window.
Which retro systems does the Miyoo Mini Plus actually handle well?
The ARM Cortex-A7 processor runs NES, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, and PlayStation 1 at full speed when firmware is correctly configured. Systems above that range approach the edge of the hardware envelope. The working rule is that it holds full speed on the retro systems a buyer actually wants when Onion OS is right; anything above that range is the ceiling, not a promise.
