GoKawiilANBERNIC RG Rotate ANBERNIC's tiny, square handheld brings a refreshingly unique design, a low price, and decent oomph for a low-end device. However, this all comes at the expense of comfort, controls, and battery life.
I’m always intrigued by unique takes on smartphones, and Motorola came up with a cool form factor when it launched the Flipout in 2010. This phone featured a square display that swiveled out and up to reveal a keypad. Was it practical? History says no, but it definitely stands out among the sea of slab-based phones at the time.
Now, ANBERNIC has decided to take this same approach with its new RG Rotate Android handheld. But is this merely a gimmick, or is there more to this form factor?
Is the RG Rotate design actually great?
Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
The ANBERNIC RG Rotate indeed uses a swiveling slider design that’s vaguely reminiscent of a jackknife. Simply push your thumb on the lower-right edge of the display to swivel the screen, revealing a set of physical controls underneath. The company’s promotional material suggests this scratches the same itch as a fidget toy, and I have to admit I’ve opened and closed the device many times just for the fun of it. I also do appreciate the satisfying thwack when you open or close the device.
I occasionally found that slowly opening the handheld would result in the screen being slightly skew, as it failed to completely deploy. However, you really have to deliberately open it very slowly, and even then, it’s a rare occurrence.
Once you pop open the device, you’ll see a rudimentary set of controls. You’ve got a D-pad, four face buttons, and start and select keys. Yep, there are no analog sticks or nubs. That’s a shame and means some Nintendo 64 titles and later PS1 entries are a no-go, let alone many sixth-generation games. But in light of the RG Rotate’s size, form factor, and price, this omission is understandable. There’s also a solitary home/back button above the start and select keys.
Otherwise, the handheld’s controls are pretty solid. Don’t expect any fancy materials here, as we’ve got simple, hard plastic. The D-pad and face buttons are also extremely clicky compared to more premium Android handhelds. I generally liked this clickiness, but I definitely wished the controls weren’t so loud when I was playing games while my partner was watching a movie. The shoulder buttons are pretty clicky too, but L2 and R2 are strictly digital affairs. It also doesn’t help that all four shoulder keys are extremely small and close together, which means you sometimes press one key when you meant to press the other. ANBERNIC’s solution is to offer a pair of larger L2/R2 buttons in the box, which can be switched out after removing the rear cover and disconnecting the speaker.
The RG Rotate's swiveling hinge makes for a fun design, but I wish the actual gaming controls were better.
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