Anbernic RG40XX H Review

The Anbernic RG40XX H is yet another H700-powered handheld from Anbernic, joining the RG35XX Plus, RG35XX H, RG28XX and RG35XX SP with essentially the same internal hardware and performance.

So what’s actually different this time? The biggest change is the 4-inch 4:3 display, along with a redesigned shell that makes the RG40XX H considerably more comfortable than the RG35XX H.

But is half an inch really enough to justify another handheld with the same processor?

Anbernic RG40XX H Specs

The RG40XX H shares almost everything internally with Anbernic’s previous H700 devices. That means the same overall performance, along with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and video output.

The biggest hardware differences are the screen and battery.

The RG40XX H has a 4-inch 640×480 display and a 3200mAh battery, which is actually 100mAh smaller than the RG35XX H.

This is now another device using the H700 processor, so we already know exactly what to expect from the performance side.

That makes the screen, controls, ergonomics and overall design much more important here.

RG40XX H vs RG35XX H

The obvious comparison is the RG35XX H.

I’ve never been particularly fond of the RG35XX H, and discovering that the battery in mine was actually bulging out of the case certainly didn’t improve my opinion of it.

The RG40XX H is essentially what I wish the RG35XX H had been.

Anbernic is using the same molded D-pad found on the RG35XX Plus, which makes much more sense to me than the D-pad they used on the 35XX H.

The buttons also sit lower than they did on the 35XX H, although not enough to make a huge difference.

Menu has also been moved to the front of the device and placed where I think it should have been from the beginning, while Start and Select are now on the bottom right.

The changes aren’t revolutionary, but they add up to a much better overall design.

Controls and Ergonomics

The RG40XX H has stacked shoulder buttons, although the triggers aren’t analog. Given the systems this device is intended to play, that’s not really an issue.

The sticks are the same ones Anbernic has been using on its recent H700 devices, and unfortunately they still have the same cardinal-direction snapping problem.

The range of free movement is extremely limited, meaning the stick effectively behaves much more like a D-pad than an analog stick.

Because of that, I’d consider this primarily a D-pad device.

The biggest improvement, however, is the ergonomics.

The curvature of the RG40XX H makes it dramatically more comfortable to hold than the RG35XX H. It’s a night-and-day difference.

For me, that’s arguably the biggest reason to choose the RG40XX H over the older model. If you don’t already own either one, the improved comfort alone is enough to justify the small price difference.

Price

The RG40XX H costs around $70 US directly from Anbernic, plus shipping. That generally puts it around $82 shipped.

It’s also available from GoGameGeek for around $73 US shipped worldwide using my code JOEY. GoGameGeek also provided the device for this review.

At around $73 shipped, the RG40XX H is currently one of the cheapest 4-inch 4:3 handhelds available.

That’s worth considering for anyone who finds 3.5-inch screens a little too small.

RG40XX H vs TrimUI Smart Pro

The elephant in the room is the TrimUI Smart Pro.

It’s pretty obvious that the RG40XX H takes some design inspiration from the Smart Pro, and I previously compared the RG35XX H against the TrimUI Smart Pro.

The TrimUI Smart Pro has a larger and higher-quality display, a better D-pad and better buttons. The RG40XX H has better sticks, although that’s not saying much, and it also has features that the Smart Pro doesn’t, including video output and Bluetooth controller support.

With CrossMix available on the TrimUI Smart Pro, the two devices are also much closer in terms of software and emulation performance.

So the decision really comes down to what you want from the hardware.

The TrimUI gives you a larger, better display, while the RG40XX H gives you a smaller 4:3 display, video output and Bluetooth controller support.

Personally, after using the TrimUI Smart Pro for months, picking up the RG40XX H felt like a downgrade in several ways. I wouldn’t choose it over the TrimUI Smart Pro for my own use.

The RG40XX H does have some nice color options, including the blue model, but beyond that, it doesn’t do much to distinguish itself from the growing number of similar handhelds.

Is the 4-Inch Screen Worth It?

The 4-inch screen does make a difference.

It’s not a massive change, but when you’re comparing a 3.5-inch screen to a 4-inch screen at roughly the same price, having that additional half inch is noticeable.

The bigger question is whether that alone is enough to justify buying another H700 handheld.

For me, it isn’t.

The screen is still only 640×480, and we’ve now seen this same processor and performance across a huge number of Anbernic devices.

The RG40XX H is comfortable, functional and perfectly capable, but there’s nothing particularly exciting about it from a performance perspective.

Anbernic Needed to Do More

This is where my hesitation with the RG40XX H comes from.

It’s frustrating to see another H700 device when Anbernic could have used this opportunity to make something considerably more interesting.

If this had been a plastic version of something like the RG405M, but with a more powerful processor such as the T610, T618 or something newer, we’d be talking about an entirely different device.

That would have opened the door to an entirely new audience instead of giving us another handheld with essentially the same performance as the previous five.

The RG40XX H feels like it could have been much more than it is.

Final Thoughts

The Anbernic RG40XX H is perfectly fine.

It has a large 4-inch screen, decent controls, good ergonomics and all of the features you’d expect from one of Anbernic’s recent H700 devices.

There’s not much to complain about outside of the sticks.

But there’s also very little here to get excited about.

The half-inch screen increase absolutely matters, particularly when the RG35XX H and RG40XX H are priced so closely together. The improved ergonomics matter even more, and for me, those changes are enough to make the RG40XX H the obvious choice between the two.

If you want a 4-inch 4:3 handheld at this price, the RG40XX H is a perfectly reasonable option.

But I can’t help feeling that Anbernic could have done much more with it.

I know I have a reputation for not being impressed by every handheld that comes through the door, but I’d rather use whatever limited influence I have through these reviews to push manufacturers to make better products rather than simply declaring every new release amazing because it has one new feature.

There are plenty of handhelds that I genuinely love, like or can appreciate. Then there are products like the RG40XX H that are simply fine.

And if you’re looking for a channel that’s going to needlessly love everything for more views, this isn’t it.

I’d rather tell you when something is actually worth buying — and when a manufacturer had an opportunity to do something much more interesting and didn’t take it.