OnePlus just turned its next phone into an Android gaming handheld

OnePlus has officially confirmed that the upcoming Ace 6 Ultra isn’t just a gaming smartphone, but the device can also transform into a gaming handheld.

Ahead of its April 28 launch, the company has now shared details and images of how the Ace 6 Ultra works with its attachable gamepad.

The phone slots directly into the new controller, effectively turning it into a handheld console-style device rather than relying solely on touchscreen inputs.

OnePlus is pitching an ergonomic grip that mimics the feel of a traditional handheld console. The controller includes customizable button mapping and four physical buttons, allowing players to move beyond basic two-thumb controls into more complex, multi-finger inputs.

Performance is another area where OnePlus is making big claims. The company’s controller uses micro-mechanical switches with a 1000Hz polling rate and a 1.8ms response time.

The images shared by the company also point to a detachable magnetic cooling fan designed to help with heat dissipation during extended gaming sessions. There’s also a built-in gaming antenna for stronger signal reception and a bottom-placed USB-C port so you can keep charging while playing.

OnePlus Ace 6 Ultra specs

Backing up the controller is some serious hardware on the phone itself. The Ace 6 Ultra is expected to feature a 6.78-inch 1.5K flat display with a 165Hz refresh rate, a MediaTek Dimensity 9500 chip, a massive 8600mAh dual-cell battery, and 100W fast charging.

That said, these newly confirmed details raise an obvious question — Is this the dedicated OnePlus gaming handheld we’ve been hearing about?

Well, what OnePlus is showing here isn’t a standalone handheld in the traditional sense, but a smartphone that docks into a dedicated controller.

While a previously leaked image of the so-called OnePlus gaming handheld (see above) was fairly sketchy, it showed a very different device compared to this phone-controller combo OnePlus is launching.

It’s possible that a standalone OnePlus gaming handheld is still in the works, though there’s no concrete evidence to confirm that right now.