OneXPlayer 2 review – Gaming handheld with AMD Zen3+ and detachable controllers

Gaming handhelds are slowly coming out of their niche existence and at the latest since the success of the Steam Deck last year, the selection is getting bigger. The manufacturer One-Netbook also offers several handhelds, including the OneXPlayer 2, which we are testing today. In contrast to devices like the Steam Deck or also the recently tested ROG Ally , the OneXPlayer 2 looks more like the Nintendo Switch because the two controllers on the side can be removed.

The hardware is the well-known AMD Ryzen 7 6800U together with the fast Radeon 680M iGPU, which drives an 8. 4-inch IPS display with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels. There are several options for RAM and SSD up to 32 GB/2 TB.

Our review sample is equipped with 16 GB and a 1 TB SSD, respectively. The price for the device is currently around 1,100 Euros. The OneXPlayer 2 is available in either white or black, with orange light elements in each case (but they can be disabled).

The casing is made of plastic and the workmanship is okay, but the two connections of the side controllers cause minimal play in the construction. The connection mechanism itself works well, though, and the controllers also snap in neatly. The central part is ultimately a small tablet with an integrated kickstand, in which all components are installed.

A bit annoying is the fact that the two controllers do not have a battery, and thus only work with an additional adapter when disconnected, which has to be purchased separately. Alternatively, you can of course connect a regular controller via USB or Bluetooth. The OneXPlayer 2 offers a wide range of ports including 2x USB-C (1x USB 4.

0), a microSD reader and even a regular USB-A port. A regular M. 2-2280 SSD is also installed, but the entire device has to be removed for access.

Thanks to USB 4. 0, even an external graphics card can be connected to the device at home. The microSD card reader is even really fast with a maximum of 246 MB/s and could therefore also be used as a memory expansion.

Intel’s AX210 card serves as the WLAN module, so modern Wi-Fi 6 connections are also supported. We did not have any connection problems in our test and the transfer rates are also good. The handheld does not offer a webcam.

Windows 11 Home is used as the operating system, but without any adjustments for touch operation. The two joysticks can be used for pointer control and scrolling, which is a bit awkward, but basically works. Unlike the Steam Deck or the ROG Ally, however, there is no central software that can be used to install/start games or adjust settings, for example.

Here, it is limited to a small control center called Gamer Zone, which allows you to change the CPU’s performance, the vibration and brightness, and the volume. This menu is quite practical and always accessible via a dedicated button, but we would have liked to see an FPS lock here as well, for example. Another drawback is that it is a separate app and not an overlay, which is why you cannot use it in the game, but it is thrown onto the desktop.

The joysticks themselves leave a decent impression, and we didn’t have any problems with the buttons during our tests. However, especially the triggers on the upper side do not leave a particularly high-quality impression and the controllers support a vibration function. The capacitive touchscreen itself works without problems, as expected.

All in all, you simply notice that there was no special software optimization and Windows is unfortunately still not ideal to be primarily operated via the touchscreen. The 8. 4-inch IPS panel offers a high resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels (16:10, WQHD), but only 60 Hz.

The subjective picture impression is very good and all content is sharp. Furthermore, bright surfaces do not look grainy. However, there is also a visible blue cast and the colors look very cool overall.

Our analysis confirms this, but the manufacturer manages to achieve the advertised brightness of 250 cd/m². In fact, the average brightness of our sample is a bit over 360 cd/m² and a maximum of almost 390 cd/m². The black value is just as decent and the maximum contrast ratio is more than 1300:1.

However, the color accuracy leaves much to be desired and even after our calibration there is still significant deviation. The grayscale and the color cast including the color temperature are under control, but the brightness drops by about 70 cd/m². The competition offers better rates overall, also in terms of response times.

We could not detect PWM. The viewing angle stability is good, but there are problems with reflections outdoors due to the highly reflective touchscreen. We used a TDP of 28 watts by default for the following benchmarks and measurements, which is the highest performance value.

The AMD Ryzen 7 6800U offers 8 Zen3+ cores and the multi-core performance is also very good and above all stable. However, the single-core performance is below average in all benchmarks, but this is hardly noticed, at least in everyday use. Here, the OneXPlayer is still responsive and especially when you also use it on an external screen (ideally via USB-C), then you can use it as a completely normal PC.

The graphics performance of the Radeon 680M meets our expectations exactly and is also on par with the GPD Win4, the ROG Ally with the new Ryzen Z1 Extreme however, is faster in both the CPU and GPU tests. There is no performance reduction in the OneXPlayer 2 during prolonged load as well as in battery mode. The 1 TB SSD is split into two partitions ex-factory (409 GB + 499 GB free after the first start-up) and the transfer rates of the PCIe 3.

0 x4 SSD are decent at around 3 GB/s. Moreover, the performance remains stable here even under a longer load. The fan of the OneXPlayer 2 is very often active even during less demanding tasks and then also runs with almost 32 dB(A), which can be clearly noticed.

Reducing the TDP setting helps a bit, but it is not a really quiet device in everyday use. When gaming, it then depends on the processor’s configuration again, because we measured 43 dB(A) with the full 28 watts. If you throttle the processor to 15 watts, it is a much more pleasant 35.

7 dB(A). The battery life when gaming also benefits from a reduced TDP to 15 watts, because The Witcher 3 (high settings, 150 cd/m²) runs for 142 minutes, while with 28 watts and ultra details, it is only 96 minutes. Here, the large 65.

5 Wh battery has a positive effect, which also enables very good runtimes in the WLAN test (10. 5 hours @150 cd/m², 8. 5 hours @max.

brightness). The surface temperatures are not a problem at all when gaming because only the central part gets warm and the controllers always stay pleasantly cool. The two stereo speakers on the bottom can get very loud and the sound is alright overall, but it lacks bass and the result is just not very powerful.

The OneXPlayer 2 is, in effect, a small mini-PC with a touchscreen and attachable controllers and thus differs from other handhelds like the Steam Deck or the Asus ROG Ally. This brings some advantages, for example in the temperatures of the grips or the application possibilities. For example, the controllers can be removed like Nintendo’s Switch and used separately, for example as a controller from the couch.

However, the situation was not quite thought through here because the controllers do not offer batteries and require an adapter that has to be purchased separately. The device also looks relatively bulky and thick, but this in turn also enables the large battery and a large number of ports including USB-C 4. 0.

Thus, the OneXPlayer 2 can also be operated with an external GPU, for example at the desk at home. The performance yield of the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U and the handheld do not have to throttle the performance under permanent load or in battery mode. The battery life depends largely on the selected settings and the TDP when gaming.

The included control software offers the most important settings, but we are missing further optimizations, a central software for the game libraries or simply an overlay with which you can also change the settings while gaming. We could play reasonably for around 1. 5-2.

5 hours depending on the setting, which is not a bad performance. The handheld also easily lasts more than 10 hours in WLAN or video mode with adjusted brightness. Good performance, but weaknesses in operation and not a particularly good display: The OneXPlayer 2 is an exciting gaming handheld with extensive application possibilities, but not all functions have been fully thought through.

In addition, the device is very expensive at more than 1,000 Euros. Besides the lack of software optimizations, the display including poor calibration is also somewhat disappointing as it offers neither a higher frequency nor fast response times. The price is certainly a big hurdle as well because while you can buy the smaller ROG Ally you can already get a new Zen4 processor including a 120 Hz display for 800 Euros, you will have to pay around 1,100 Euros for our test device and versions with more memory quickly end up at 1,500 Euros.

The OneXPlayer2 is currently available at various retailers. Our test device with 16 GB RAM/1 TB is available on Amazon US for around $1,480 . .