GPD XD Plus [Latest & Most Stable Update] Portable Handheld Video Gaming Console, 5” Touchscreen, Android 7.0, MT8176 CPU, PowerVR GX6250 GPU, 4GB RAM / 32GB ROM, WiFi, Bluetooth

This review might be a little contradictory, but hear me out. I almost gave it 5 stars. This console is really, really cool, if you're a fan of tinkering, mobile gaming, Android, PC gaming and retro gaming. The design and most of the parts are 3 years old, and even the most recent hardware refresh is now over a year old. So, what does that mean? I'd recommend it only with slight reservations. If you're interested to know exactly why, you can slog through the review below.Short version is that it does a lot of things very well, some even better than I expected, but falls short in ways that will become increasingly important as software continues to outpace the performance of the older hardware.Now, for those who are interested, here is a little more detail broken down by category...Case design & build quality: The case design is functional and pretty solid. It's molded plastic, the latest 2019 refresh has a bit of a metallic grey finish which looks good and doesn't show fingerprints too badly. It feels good in the hand, the hinges for the screen are stiff but not hard to move. I do have concerns about the overall long term durability of the hinges, the 2018 GPD XP+ refresh has had a lot of people reporting hinge cracks, and I'm not sure they have all been addressed with the 2019 refresh. It is fairly ergonomic, easy to position the screen where you can best see it, it isn't too heavy, fits into a pocket. It can get quite warm, especially on the front in the middle of the controls, more on that later. There's a Micro SD slot that can handle up to 128GB cards, which is a good idea to use, given the somewhat limited 32GB of on-board storage (64GB would be a nice upgrade). SD card transfer performance is pretty good, around 50MB/s depending on the speed of the card you use.Screen: The screen is a 5" 720p IPS touch panel with 5 point multitouch that is laminated, meaning there is no air gap between the glass touch surface, so it is pretty bright and has good viewing angles. The color tone is a little cool. I think the sharpness is fine given the size and the resolution, it doesn't need to be higher than 720p, any higher and it would perform worse for gaming. For reference, the Nintendo Switch is a 6" 720p display that is not laminated. The GPD XP+ is arguably better looking, though smaller. It is surrounded by a large bezel which looks dated now. An upgrade to a bigger screen to fill those bezels should have happened already.Performance: This is where the hardware both exceeds and falls short of expectation. It has 4GB of RAM, which is generous and fine for this type of device. Generally this wouldn't be used for multitasking or much outside of running one game at a time, and the games you can run on it wouldn't benefit from more than 4GB anyway. The processor is a Mediatek MT8176 6-core 64bit processor which (through rooting or installing CleanROM, highly recommended you look up the fairly easy instructions on how to install CleanROM, can run at up to 2.1GHz on the 2 primary cores). It has a PowerVR GX6250 GPU. This is a SoC which was first released in 2016, 3 years ago. Normally I am a spec junkie, and I had big reservations about the SoC performance. But with some caveats, I'd say it is just fine. Emulation is generally more CPU than GPU dependent, and most emulators don't take full advantage of higher numbers of CPU cores. So 2 2.1GHz clocked cores are good enough to emulate everything up to Dreamcast very well. It struggles with Gamecube & Wii, and driver issues prevent Saturn from being playable. The latest hardware from Mediatek, Huawei, Samsung and Qualcomm, even mid-tier chips, could run GC/Wii & Saturn. But none can run PS2, 3DS, etc., so not missing a ton as far as emulation goes. Android gaming performance is OK. It runs most of the stuff on the Play store just fine, but some of the newer games like Call of Duty the framerates aren't great and the detail has to be turned down. Not enough that it isn't still fun to play, but the SoC is in serious need now of an update as it has hit the max of its capabilities. I can recommend it if you are cool with the emulating limits, and are OK with some newer Android games being decreasingly an option. And, finally, back to how hot the case can get, the SoC is large, 28nm, with high heat generation, and isn't super power efficient so it gets hot when running intensive games. Uncomfortably hot, if you touch the case directly. I don't think any throttling is happening, so performance is still good, but another sign that the SoC is dated. Finally, WiFi performance, it is capable of Wireless AC and pretty high throughput, and range is good. I count the WiFi performance as a definite plus. Battery performance is great, even with the older SoC. It's a big 6000MAh battery, which is nearly twice the battery most phones have, and bigger than most 8"-range tablets. Standby power drain is low, I've let it sit on standby for 3 days and it still had 85%. I haven't had it run down to the point of it interrupting my playing yet, and I've gamed on it for several hours in a row. Definite strength and a long way from the days of swapping out AA batteries every hour on my old Game Gear or Nomad. Charging is through a micro-USB port, USB-C would be a welcome update, same with faster charging. It supports some form of quick charging but will still take a couple hours to charge up fully. Last note, on speaker performance, there are two front facing speakers which are pretty tinny but are clear and don't distort at higher volume levels. Overall sound is OK. Sound quality through the headphone jack is fine, no feedback.Controls: The layout is good, it has two shoulder buttons that are relatively easy to reach and work well. If someone could manage to put analog triggers on this small of a console, that'd be cool, but they're fine. The front has two analogs that are a little hard to be super precise with but otherwise work well, much better than cheap phone controllers, and better than the PSP-style sliding pad. There are four standard xbox/PS-style buttons, two L3/R3 buttons (the analogs aren't clickable, that is something that should be improved on the next version). There is a Dpad that is functional, a little mushy, maybe not best for hard-core 2D fighters. The rest are pretty standard but appreciated, start & select, back, menu & home (for Android navigation), volume controls, power button. The last button is pretty cool and makes Android gaming much more enhanced, it is a button which turns on an overlay on the screen which lets you assign button presses to act as touches on the touch screen. So you can use the analogs, and all buttons, as on screen controls for games that don't have native controller support. The configurations are also automatically saved for each game, somehow. Very cool. The console supports reporting its controller as either an XBox controller, or PS2 controller, which improves compatibility with some games for one or the other.X-Factors: One is the aforementioned touch screen control mapping feature. Another is Android native apps, being able to use Netflix, Hulu, Plex, Spotify, etc. Last, and IMO the biggest, requires a gaming PC and fast WiFi, which is to use Moonlight game streaming, Steam streaming, or Parsec. This allows you to run AAA PC games at a high frame rate, high bitrate, and as high of a detail level as your PC can handle, also keeping in mind that you really only need to run it at 720p given that the screen is only 720p. This is a ton of fun and really opens up your options for gaming. The emulation limitations I mentioned earlier? Install emulators on your PC and stream them. Can't play the latest Android games? Play (generally better) AAA games from your PC instead. Game streaming will only continue to improve and expand, with services like Stadia, PS4 and XBox One streaming either here or coming very soon. Running streaming apps also is generally less CPU intensive, doesn't get as hot, doesn't drain the battery as fast. The WiFi on this is plenty fast to handle it with no problem. The only real issue I have is with the L3/R3 being buttons instead of clicks on the thumbsticks, but that can typically be worked around with button mapping or just being aware of it. It also means that, in this regard (game streaming), the device is "future proof". Unless one of the new services arbitrarily decides to not support it for some reason (like Stadia's device limitations, and Xbox requiring an Xbox One controller...), it should be able to keep streaming at very high quality long after Android native games/apps have moved on to requiring higher performing SoCs.Final thoughts: I have researched everything I can find about existing and upcoming consoles in this space and, as of the time of writing, I think this is the best option for this niche type of console. I have a couple high end tablets that I've paired with telescoping controllers, which works OK (the controllers are generally kind of poor), but I wanted an all-in-one solution without having to worry about bluetooth pairing, multiple device charging, portability issues, or using a device for split-purpose (my phone struggles enough with battery life already). There are cheaper emulation handhelds which are cool if you're OK not going past PS1, and OK with not having any streaming capabilities. There are some higher end options out currently, too, like the GPD Win2 (not fast enough really to run PC games well so might as well just stream those anyway, though it does open up PS2/GC/Wii emulation) which is 3-4x more expensive, and the Moqi i7s which is 2x more expensive with more limited control options, but does perform better for native Android games and can do a better job with GC/Wii/Saturn emulation (though still has some games it can't handle). And, finally, upcoming consoles. GPD has rumored to be working on a Switch-like Android based console, but exactly what the hardware will be or what the ETA is, is not clear. If the rumors are true it will be less portable and pocketable but will have a bigger screen and surely by now also a faster SoC. Probably more expensive as well. GPD is also reportedly working on a replacement for the GPD Win2, the Win Max, with a bigger screen and updated clamshell design. That one is interesting but will be very expensive. Then there's the SMACH-Z Windows-based console which is most likely vaporware and the prototypes look very disappointing.I love this little thing, 3 years old and rehashed and all. I'm sure it'll be a part of my console rotation for quite a while. And if GPD comes out with something even better? Then this isn't so expensive that I'll feel I wasted my money. Hope this review helps someone.Edit: I've had this for a few weeks now and haven't touched my Switch once. Switch has great first party exclusives, still a great console, but with PC streaming, emulation, and a lot of good Android games, there is a lot to love here.

Summary: This is probably the best all in one Android or SBC handheld that I've owned and is well worth the price. If you want a system that can play everything up to N64, Dreamcast and PSP as well as being able to play/use native Android games and apps, this is the handheld you should check into.I've purchased many of the recent handhelds including the Retroid Pocket 2, Odroid Go Advance and RG351p and have never been fully happy with them. They are all unique in their own way, but have something that detracts from the overall experience even at a lower price point than the GPD XD Plus. For the difference in cost, you get a much better overall experience with the XD than the others meaning you won't have to spend the same or more in terms of cost by buying new SBC handhelds.Hardware:If you're familiar with the feel of a New 3DS XL, you'll be right at home with the feel for the XD. It's a hair smaller than the 3DS XL, but has the same look and feel when the screen is closed. The analogue sticks are reminiscent of the sticks you find on a Vita and are all very responsive when used, if just a little sensitive at times.The face buttons all feel great and are not spongy feeling and the shoulder buttons feel like tactile switches and are clicky and responsive ( a little loud, but nothing too major). The D-Pad is decent, but there are times when using the analog sticks feels better, especially with fighting games which require quarter and half circle movements.Probably my favorite hardware/software piece of this system though is the screen mapper. With any game or app, you can a button which brings up a menu with buttons that can be mapped out to each part of the screen for different actions. These have been a lifesaver for playing Android native games that do not have full controller support. You can drag over the respective mapped button onto the onscreen action including the analog sticks. To me, this greatly enhances the compatibility and customization abilities for the handheld and allows for more games to be played with the physical controls.Software:The system is Android based and this might be where the shortcoming for the device. Since it's app driven, there is no consistent game selection UI you would find with something like the OGA, RGB10 or RG351p. Most emulators are split into their own apps with their own UI and menu options, so it does require a lot of tinkering to get right. Using RetroArch helps, but some of the standalone apps will yield better performance than using the cores within RA.There are apps which accomodate this to an extent, the biggest being the Dig app which does offer a nice interface that accounts for most of your games and can be customized extensively if you are willing to invest the time.However, there are a number of up to date games and emulators to choose from and most work extremely well up to Dreamcast, PSP and N64 systems. If you are only looking to play games up to these generations, this handheld can play most games flawlessly. Do not pick this up if you intend on anything beyone this though. Gamecube/Wii, PS2 and 3DS with Citra are pretty much unplayable and those games that are are no where near as seemless and playable as the other systems mentioned.Android games seem to run great on this with many games being fully compatible with the controls. The system is also powerful enough to handle newer titles as well including Call of Duty Mobile, Minecraft and PUBG without issues.On top of this, if you have a PC or are subscribed to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, you can stream your games and content do the XD Plus and use the build in controls natively as well through cloud streaming. Xbox games have been perfectly playable and work great with the controls and look crisp and sharp on the XD's screen. I've been enjoying couch gaming Gears 5, Dead Cells, Forza and all play great with this handheld over Wi-Fi. Unfortunately Stadia isn't compatible with the XD yet.Running Android does put it in the same place as the Powkiddy X15, X18 and even the Retroid Pocket 1/2. these system are half the cost, but the performance isn't quite as good as using the XD. The X15/X18 do not include the App Store by default and the RP 1/2 are much slower and have less storage, memory and no touch screen which makes navigation feel clunky at times compared to the XD.So after years of buying cheaper, less capable systems, picking up the XD plus is exactly what I should have done a long time ago. If you are a fan of the look/feel of a New 3DS XL, are comfortable with using Android games/emulators and are willing to pay the more premium price tag, this could be the handheld you've been looking for. It's a great and powerful little device and is just what I wanted so that I can play all of my favorite classics as well as newer Android games as well.

This will be a great device - in a few days from now.I've given it to someone I know who is more technical than I am, and they are graciously flashing the 'CleanROM' onto it over the weekend for me. With the stock ROM, every emulator I tried chugged pretty badly. But apparently from all the videos on YouTube we've seen, once CleanROM is on there it should be a much better device.

This is the absolute best portable Android (gaming) device around.It's powerful enough to emulate a wide range of systems, has a large screen with great colors, and the Plus version helps smooth out some of the defects of the original model such as Vulkan support, Bluetooth, better Wifi, newer Android, etc.Also quick shout out to the seller - GPDGaming got this to me in record time AND they shipped me a free accessory kit that arrived in maybe 3 days, after I filled out a quick registration form (receipt of the accessory kit was NOT contingent on this review in any way nor was I told I had to give a review in order to receive it)