The 12GB Retroid Pocket 6 is back, at the cost of storage

The Retroid Pocket 6 is one of the best Android handhelds on the market due to the $244 starting price, a capable Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, and a slick 120Hz OLED screen. Retroid temporarily discontinued the 12GB RAM variant back in March due to skyrocketing memory costs, but we’ve now got some good news.

Retroid has announced on Discord that it’s once again selling a Pocket 6 with 12GB of RAM. Unfortunately, this is a 12GB/128GB model rather than the original 12GB/256GB option. But at least the device comes with a microSD card slot, much like most handhelds on the market.

The 12GB/128GB Retroid Pocket 6 is only available in the top-stick configuration, which places the left analog stick above the D-pad. However, you can choose between black, silver, and 16-bit color schemes.

Expect to pay $279 for the 12GB/128GB Pocket 6, which matches the original price for the 12GB/256GB model. That’s not good news, but it’s understandable in light of the RAM crisis, which has dramatically increased the bill of materials for tech manufacturers. So I imagine a 12GB/256GB model would’ve retailed for $300 or more. Otherwise, the 8GB/128GB variant still costs $244 following Retroid’s price hikes in March.

In any event, the 12GB model might be necessary if you plan to play plenty of Switch titles and more recent PC games. However, 8GB of RAM is perfectly fine for PS2, GameCube, and some older/indie PC titles.