Miyoo is the brand that made the mini emulation handheld mainstream: its 2021 Mini, barely bigger than a thick credit card, started a wave the market has never recovered from. Carried by outstanding community firmware such as OnionOS, its machines remain safe bets for low-cost retro gaming in 2026. Updated in August 2026.
Miyoo is a Chinese manufacturer that has been present in the budget console market since the late 2010s: before selling under its own name, it was already building machines sold under other brands, such as the BittBoy and the PocketGo, which kick-started the affordable emulation scene. The turning point came in 2021 with the Miyoo Mini, a 2.8-inch vertical handheld at 60 dollars that became a worldwide hit and stayed hard to find in stock for a long time. The brand's positioning has not changed since: very cheap consoles with likeable hardware, whose software is elevated by the community.
The range is organised into three formats. First the Game Boy-style vertical models: the Mini and above all the Mini Plus, the historic core. Then the clamshells, which arrived in 2025: the Flip, a more powerful clamshell built on the Rockchip RK3566 chip, and the Mini Flip, which takes the Game Boy Advance SP format with the technical base of the Mini Plus (SigmaStar SSD202D chip). Finally, the A30, a compact horizontal model, rounds out the line-up. Remember the technical dividing line: the SigmaStar-based models benefit from the OnionOS ecosystem, while the Flip runs on another platform with more limited alternative firmware.
Miyoo Mini Plus (2023). The absolute benchmark for the pocket vertical format: a 3.5-inch 640 × 480 screen, Wi-Fi, and full compatibility with OnionOS. Perfect for 8- and 16-bit consoles, the Game Boy Advance and the PS1, often for less than €60.
Miyoo Flip (early 2025, then a V2 revision). The brand's most powerful clamshell thanks to its RK3566 chip, comfortable up to the N64 and the PS1. The first version was criticised for its noisy hinge and its imperfect screen; the V2 partly fixes that, with a surprisingly complete stock system, now around 69 dollars.
Miyoo Mini Flip (2025). The tribute to the GBA SP: the compact clamshell format with the innards of the Mini Plus. The first units suffered from swapped L/R triggers, since fixed by an update, and a community version of OnionOS has made it fully recommendable.
Miyoo A30 (2024). The compact horizontal model in the range, also carried by an active alternative firmware community. A discreet but appreciated choice for 4:3 gaming at a very low price.
Miyoo's historic weak point is software: the 2021 Mini was likeable but imperfect at launch, and it was the community that turned it into a great console via OnionOS. The stock system has improved, and the Flip V2's is decent, but installing OnionOS or MinUI is still recommended whenever the model allows it; be careful, OnionOS does not work on the Flip, whose chip is different. On the hardware side, quality is good for the price but quality control varies from batch to batch: the Flip's hinge creaks over time, the first Mini Flip units had swapped triggers. Availability has long been erratic on the popular models. As manufacturer support is limited, buying through a reseller makes the warranty easier. Finally, these consoles are sold without games or ROMs, and the microSD card sometimes included is worth replacing with a branded card.
OnionOS is a community firmware that transforms the interface and the ergonomics of the Miyoo Mini and Mini Plus; a community-adapted version also exists for the Mini Flip, but not for the Flip, which is based on another chip.
The Mini Plus is the queen of the pocket format for 8- and 16-bit games, the GBA and the PS1; the Flip, more powerful with its RK3566 chip, adds the clamshell format and goes up to the N64, at the cost of a less reassuring hinge.
No, they are sold without games or ROMs; you legally install your own copies of games via the microSD card.
When a card is included, its reliability is uneven; we recommend installing your system and your games on a branded microSD card, which is more durable.
Find the available models in our Miyoo collection, almost all of them present in our selection of retro consoles under €150, alongside all of our handheld consoles. Our comparison tool puts the spec sheets side by side, and our firmware compatibility table tells you which community system runs on which console.