AYN Odin 3 Portal Review: The Android Handheld That Has Me Questioning My Steam Deck

I expected the AYN Odin 3 Portal to be faster than its predecessor. What I didn't expect was to start questioning how often I still need my Steam Deck. After spending time with PC games through DroidDeck and a collection of demanding Android ports, this handheld has become one of the most exciting devices I've tested in a long time. That doesn't mean it replaces a Steam Deck for everyone: compatibility remains the big obstacle.

Familiar design, noticeably better grip

AYN sent me a black review unit, with no agreement about what I would say. The package included a quick-start guide, specification cards and a branded USB-C cable. I can't confirm whether the final retail packaging will be identical, but the hardware itself made an excellent first impression.

Beside my white Odin 2 Portal, the new machine looks familiar. The layout and overall silhouette are largely retained, but the grips are thicker and textured. That's a meaningful change: the older model's glossy grips could become slippery in longer sessions, whereas the Odin 3 Portal feels secure and remarkably natural in my hands. The new front also has a different, more matte feel. One correction to my original video description: the front is frosted glass, not plastic. Its finish fooled me initially, and I actually prefer the way it feels.

A serious hardware upgrade

At the center is Qualcomm's Dragonwing Q8, a platform closely related to the Snapdragon 8 Elite, with an eight-core Oryon CPU and Adreno 830 graphics. The rest of the package is equally ambitious: a 7-inch 1080p 120Hz AMOLED display, a 9,000mAh battery, Android 15, microSD expansion, USB-C 3.1, a headphone jack, Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0. RAM starts at 12GB; the higher configurations offer 16GB.

The AMOLED screen is a major part of the appeal. Paired with the improved ergonomics, it makes the device something I genuinely want to pick up even before considering the performance improvements.

Geekbench: the CPU jump is real

My Odin 2 Portal scored 1,812 in Geekbench single-core and 5,545 in multi-core. On the Odin 3 Portal, I recorded 2,606 and 9,351 respectively: roughly 44% more single-core performance and 69% more multi-core performance. That's a substantial generational leap, not just a small specification bump.

The GPU figures need more caution. I recorded 19,269 on the Odin 3 Portal versus 3,314 on my Odin 2 Portal, but the latter run carried a validation warning and some workloads scored zero. I would not treat that enormous apparent gap as a reliable like-for-like comparison until the older device is retested.

DroidDeck makes Steam games on Android genuinely tempting

DroidDeck uses compatibility and translation layers to bring a Steam-like experience and locally running PC games to Android. We've had ways to run Windows games on Android before, but the familiar interface changes how approachable the experience feels. Some titles I've tried perform as well as they do on my Steam Deck, and a few have felt even better on this hardware.

There is an important catch: this isn't the seamless compatibility of a native PC handheld. Some games require tweaking, others fail to launch, and getting one title running beautifully says nothing about whether your favorite game will work. For now, the Odin 3 Portal can take over part of my Steam library, not automatically all of it.

Android ports are the real showstopper

The most surprising results came from demanding game ports. In one particularly striking test, I saw roughly 80–90fps during the gameplay I captured, remaining above 60fps in those sections. That's extraordinary for a game I've struggled to keep at a stable 30fps on some PC handhelds. More importantly, movement and camera control felt fantastic, not merely impressive on a frame counter.

God of War III offered another useful comparison. I tested a 30fps base with frame generation targeting a 60fps output, then disabled frame generation and unlocked the frame rate. In the footage I captured, the game exceeded 60fps even without generated frames. That distinction matters: generated output and genuinely rendered frames are not the same measurement.

I also spent time with Bloodborne and Uncharted titles. Seeing games I associate with PlayStation running on an Android handheld is remarkable, although short test sessions aren't proof of flawless start-to-finish compatibility. These results describe the specific builds and gameplay sections I tried, not guaranteed performance for every setup.

Pricing and the Steam Deck question

At the time I recorded the video, AYN listed discounted direct-order prices of $399 for the 12GB/128GB Base, $479 for the 12GB/256GB Pro, $549 for the 16GB/512GB Max and $669 for the 16GB/1TB Ultra. These are time-sensitive listed prices rather than guaranteed current offers; check AYN's store for availability, shipping, taxes and potential import charges before buying.

At those prices, a Steam Deck comparison is completely reasonable. The Deck still has the advantage of a more established PC-game environment and broader practical compatibility. The Odin 3 Portal counters with the Android ecosystem, a beautiful AMOLED display, excellent comfort and startling performance in the software that works. Which one makes sense depends heavily on what you actually play.

Verdict: close to my final-boss handheld

For my mix of games, the Odin 3 Portal is already taking over more handheld time than I anticipated. The grips are a genuine improvement, the screen looks wonderful and some of the gameplay I've experienced ranks among my favorite moments on a portable device. DroidDeck still needs better compatibility, and experimental ports deserve realistic expectations. I'm not officially retiring my Steam Deck, but this is the closest an Android handheld has come to making me consider it.

Where to find it

• Watch my AYN Odin 3 Portal review
• AYN Odin 3 Portal purchase link (affiliate)