The Anbernic RG 477m finds itself in a very weird spot. On one hand, it’s Anbernic’s most powerful, premium, and overall best handheld yet. On the other hand, it’s over-engineered and filled with conflicting design choices. You might have heard people say the 477m is the king of 4:3 handhelds, and I agree, but a large part of that is simply due to the fact that it’s complete overkill for 4:3 gaming.

Anbernic RG 477m specs and benchmarks

On paper, the RG 477m’s Dimensity 8300 should be able to handle almost anything you throw at it, but reality is a bit different. While the chipset is quite capable, the fact that it’s a Mediatek means you can’t use Adreno drivers to fix games with compatibility issues. If a game isn’t compatible with the RG 477m, there’s not much you can do about it. On the bright side, this simplifies troubleshooting, but it feels like you miss out on a ton of games that should run on the device. More on that in the Emulation section.

The above benchmarks are extremely solid and even put the chip in the same ballpark as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which can be found in many popular handhelds.

The RG 477m is a hefty handheld, but premium

When you hold the RG 477m in your hands, it absolutely feels like a premium product, but it’s noticeably heavy. As someone who owns the 353m and 405m, I didn’t think I’d be surprised by the extra weight of the 477m, but it’s in a completely different category.

The metal shell looks great, and it’s very smooth, to the point where it feels like you can’t really get a solid grip on the device. Anbernic does include a case to go over the 477m, but the difference it makes in holding the device comfortably is quite minimal. I’d still recommend it for anyone who doesn’t like how the metal feels, or for people who have trouble feeling the power and volume buttons, which are recessed into the shell.

Despite the device’s size, it’s surprisingly pocketable. Without the sticks, it’s around the size of a large cell phone. As long as you’re willing to dedicate an entire pocket to the 477m, it could work as an everyday carry handheld.

Ergonomics

The 477m’s ergonomics are great and terrible at the same time. Personally, I like flat handhelds without ergonomic bumps, so I find the 477m very comfortable to hold. My thumbs naturally reach the D-pad, face buttons, and all of the shoulder buttons. When it comes to D-pad gaming, the 477m truly shines and is one of my favorite handhelds for D-pad-controlled games.

Using the joysticks is a different story. The placement of the sticks makes them awkward to reach; they stick out far above the D-pad and face buttons, and are very inconvenient to use. I had to shift my hands around to some weird positions to use the sticks, and using both at the same time definitely compromised my grip on the 477m, which is not something I want to do with a handheld this slick.

Buttons

The D-pad and face buttons are, in my opinion, pretty much perfect. They have a soft, yet tactile feel when you press them, but are also quiet. It’s one of the main things I love about Anbernic handhelds.

Sadly, I can’t say the same thing about the shoulder buttons. I do enjoy the snappy, tactile feel that they offer, but they are extremely loud and clicky. If you’re playing a game that heavily uses shoulder and trigger buttons, it will definitely bother everyone around you, and probably yourself as well.

Screen

The 477m’s screen is the star of the show and one of the device’s biggest selling points. It’s a 4.7-inch LTPS display with a 4:3 aspect ratio, a 1280×960 resolution, and a 120Hz refresh rate. This makes it perfect for a 2x upscale for all your 4:3 games, and the Dimensity 8300 can easily make it happen, even for PS2 and GameCube games.

The 120Hz refresh rate might seem unnecessary when all 4:3 systems ran at 60Hz, but it opens the door to black-frame insertion. And at the very least, it reduces input lag across the board. Simply put, this is the best 4:3 screen in the handheld business.

Software

The stock software is fine if all you’re doing is the basic setup to get games running. However, once you start getting into some more niche things, it gets frustrating. The 477m comes with Google Play Services preinstalled, which means many important folders are restricted. Simple tasks like accessing save data for certain emulators or adding HD texture packs become quite the chore since you need root access for those things.

I did find a pretty simple solution by using an app called Shizuku, but it was annoying to set it up and launch it every time I wanted to put HD textures on the 477m or access my save files.

Fan and thermals

My experience with the fan has been pretty wild. The original fan in my 477m was defective. The auto fan setting would have speeds all over the place; it would also kick on during the simplest tasks, like using Fast-Forward in GBA games, and would randomly make a very loud grinding noise when on the highest setting. I reached out to Anbernic about the situation, and they charged me $1.30 for shipping and sent two replacement fans.

After swapping out the fan, it runs as expected and makes normal fan noises. It does get noticeable at higher speeds, but it’s now in line with every other handheld with an internal fan. Getting a handheld with a defective fan definitely sucked, but Anbernic’s customer support was very good about working with me to find a fix, so kudos for that.

As for the temperature, it never got hot. There were times when I could feel the device get warm, but I also didn’t spend too much time pushing the 477m to its limits, so your experience may vary depending on your use case.

Retro emulation is where the RG 477m shines

PS1 and below

You’d have a difficult time finding an Android handheld in 2026 that can’t play PS1 games, and it normally wouldn’t be worth writing about, but with how good this device feels for D-pad gaming, combined with the screen’s resolution and refresh rate, retro systems like the PS1 are an absolute joy to play on the 477m.

N64, Dreamcast, and PSP

You will have no problems emulating games from these systems, but this is where we start getting into platforms that rely heavily on the joystick, so they’re not as comfortable to play. In the PSP’s case, you’ll be stuck with a 16:9 aspect ratio on a 4:3 screen. You still get a decent amount of screen space when playing these games, but if black bars around your game bother you, you won’t have a good time playing PSP titles on here.

PS2, GameCube, and Wii

The 477m is able to play games from all of these systems without any major tweaks or compromises. As long as the game doesn’t have issues running on the emulator you choose, you’ll have no problems playing games from these systems, and can even pre-load HD texture packs. I personally found this to be the best use case for the 477m. The Dimensity 8300 and 12GB of RAM seemed like overkill for a 4:3 handheld, even for PS2 and GameCube games, but once I started loading up HD texture packs and playing games at 2x resolution, it felt like the hardware was justified. This is what the 477m was made for, in my opinion.

Switch and PC

Switch and PC emulation are hit-and-miss on the 477m, but more often than not, it’s a miss. The sad reality of using a Mediatek chip is that you lose out on the Adreno drivers, which are your most powerful tool for making Switch and PC games run on your handheld. It’s basically a requirement for a majority of Switch and PC games to even boot through Android emulators, and without them, you’re going to be staring at a blank screen most of the time. It’s very frustrating and discouraging, and even if you do find a game that works, these are 16:9 systems running on a 4:3 screen. The juice just isn’t worth the squeeze here, especially when you can get a good Snapdragon handheld with a 16:9 screen, like the Retroid Pocket 5 or 6, at a lower price than the RG 477m.

Who is the Anbernic RG 477m for?

The 477m might have the highest highs and the lowest lows out of any handheld that I’ve owned. It’s the best 4:3 handheld, and D-pad gaming on it is a bliss, but with the price you pay for the power you get, odds are you’re going to want to play more demanding systems like PS2 and GameCube, which are awkward to play due to how much the joysticks stand out on a flat handheld, and the in-line shoulder buttons instead of proper trigger buttons don’t help either. The same control and design issues apply to Switch and PC games that you can run on the Dimensity 8300 chipset.

Sure, other handhelds have flaws as well, but most stem from compromises made to hit certain price points or sizes, whereas the flaws of the 477m are due to conflicting design choices. The lack of analog trigger buttons in particular feels egregious when the sticks are barely recessed and stand out as much as analog triggers would from the case. I also believe that if the main selling point of your handheld is to play demanding 3D games, the left joystick should be placed above the D-pad. But the biggest offenders of the 477m’s conflicting design are also the best things about it; the beautiful 4:3 screen and the powerful Dimensity 8300 chip. Individually, these are amazing to have in a handheld, but it doesn’t make any sense to have them in the same device.

I eventually found my niche use case for the 477m: loading up tons of HD texture packs for PS2 and GameCube games and playing them at a 2x resolution, but I had to fight the software to make it happen, and it adds a lot of extra steps to setting up the device. Even then, I could do the same on another handheld like the AYN Thor and also enable widescreen patches for the games. It’s hard to recommend or justify buying a 477m, especially if you won’t be using HD texture packs for your games.

Pros

• Beautiful 4:3 screen
• Top-notch D-pad and face buttons
• Runs PS2, GC, and Wii games
• Pocketable

Cons

• Loud in-line shoulder and trigger buttons
• Restrictive software
• Spotty compatibility with Switch and PC
• Very expensive for 4:3 gaming