Hands-on with the Anbernic RG 55G1; Anbernic's Snapdragon Gamble

On paper, the RG55G1 looks like the beginning of a new chapter for Anbernic. This is the company’s very first handheld powered by a Snapdragon chip, and not just any Snapdragon chip: the Snapdragon G1 Gen 2 is a modern Qualcomm platform designed with handheld gaming in mind. It sounds like the sort of hardware that should finally push Anbernic further into the increasingly capable mid-range Android handheld market.And yet, the RG55G1 is a rather more complicated proposition than that suggests. For one thing, it’s a lovely handheld. Anbernic has taken a familiar shape (there’s more than just a little Nintendo Switch Lite DNA here) and turned it into one of its most comfortable and approachable designs. The rounded body feels so solid and nice in the hands, the 5.5-inch 1080p display is excellent, the speakers face the right way, and the controls are very good in my eyes. There’s a lot to like before you even switch it on. I really, really like the ergonomics and design of this one.The…