AYANEO will give out free handhelds to make up for a major production mistake

AYANEO is clearly making an effort to improve its company image, but a major production mistake just torpedoed its efforts to speed up shipping in the worst possible way. Just a few days after the Pocket S Mini was surprisingly put up for sale and set to ship within the same week, it was discovered that one of the main components didn’t match the intended specs.

Initially advertised to ship with a 6,000mAh battery, the Pocket S Mini went into urgent production in order to ship before the Chinese New Year, which kicks off next week. However, it was discovered that the retail units slated to start shipping today actually have 4,700mAh batteries.

It appears that an early prototype of the Pocket S Mini had the smaller cell, but the capacity was increased for mass production. Somewhere, a miscommunication led to the company’s suppliers receiving and installing the smaller batteries, which went unnoticed until now.

In a livestream that’s still running at the time of writing, AYANEO CEO Arthur Zhang outlined two potential solutions. The first is to change the specs and offer compensation, and the second is to place a new order for 6,000mAh batteries and replace them in existing stock. However, with the Chinese New Year just around the corner, it would likely take months before the new batteries are ready, pushing the shipment date to Q3 2026.

The company opted for compensation, offering anyone who buys or has bought a Pocket S Mini a free 2+32GB Pocket AIR Mini. The budget handheld is valued at $89.99, and buyers can also choose to pay an extra $10 to upgrade to the 3+64GB model in the color of their choice. This will be the case for future orders, as well.

Customers who have placed an order before today can also request a refund, which the company promises will be processed within three business days. The company will also send a $20 store coupon that can be used for any of its products.

This is quite a sticky situation for AYANEO. The Pocket S Mini was set to mark a major shift in how it ships products, moving away from crowdfunding platforms and long waits before customers receive their handhelds. Instead, rushing the product for shipment has resulted in a significant production error.

To its credit, AYANEO was quick to announce the mistake and is making efforts to make it up to customers. Previous scandals in the gaming handheld community, like the Retroid Pocket Mini having the wrong screen resolution or the Retroid Pocket Flip’s hinge cracks, weren’t caught until devices had already shipped to gamers around the world.

If you’re still interested in buying the Pocket S Mini, it’s still available (with a free Pocket AIR Mini) on the company’s website. The company is promising to ship all orders before the end of next week, after which it will take a short hiatus for the public holidays