Retroid Pocket Duo vs Duo Lite: it's not the same chip

"Retroid Pocket Duo vs Duo Lite" is one of the top searches around this launch, and I understand why. On Retroid's store the models look like the same device at three prices. They aren't. When I lined up the spec sheets, the cheapest model turned out to be a different class of machine, and the one I'd point most budget buyers to is the variant with the least attention: the Duo Lite Plus.

All three, from Retroid's own spec sheets

Everything above comes from Retroid's Pocket Duo and Duo Lite store pages. Both are also running pre-order coupons: "DUO" takes $20 off the Duo until 15 October, "LITEPLUS" takes $20 off the Lite Plus until 31 October, and "DUOLITE" takes $14 off the base Lite until 30 September.

What the $100–$120 actually buys

• A newer chip. This is the big one. The Duo's Q-7790 uses Cortex-A720/A520 cores and an Adreno 722 GPU. The base Lite's QCS6125 uses much older Cortex-A73/A53 cores and an Adreno 610. That's my on-paper reading of the parts, not a benchmark, but it's not a close call. The Lite Plus closes this gap completely for $50 less than the Duo.
• OLED and 120Hz on both screens. The Duo's panels are AMOLED at 120Hz. Both Lite models use 60Hz TFT. For DS and 3DS the bottom screen is half the game, and the Duo's is also bigger: 4.5 inches against 4.2.
• Analog triggers. The Duo has analog L2/R2, and both Lites have digital. It doesn't matter for DS or 3DS. It does for anything that uses pressure-sensitive triggers.
• Faster storage and wireless. UFS 2.1 against eMMC on the base Lite, and Wi-Fi 6E against Wi-Fi 5.

What about 3DS?

This is where the chip difference bites. The only public footage so far is a Retroid-released gameplay video covered by Time Extension that shows a Duo Lite running Mario Kart 7 in the Azahar 3DS emulator. It doesn't say whether that's the base Lite or the Lite Plus, and those are very different chips. Until shipping units are tested and published, I'd treat the $149–$169 Lite as a DS-and-older device that may manage some lighter 3DS games. That's inference from its chip class, not a result. If 3DS matters to you, the Lite Plus or the full Duo is the safer money.

Which one I'd buy

• You want the best DS/3DS experience these three offer: the Duo, $269 ($249 with the pre-order code). The OLED 120Hz bottom screen is the reason to buy a dual-screen device at all.
• You want 3DS headroom and don't care about OLED: the Duo Lite Plus, $219. Same chip as the Duo, for $50 less. You'll wait until mid-November.
• You mainly play DS, GBA and older, and want it now: the Duo Lite at $149 or $169. It's already shipping, and it's the cheapest way into Retroid's dual-screen design.
• You want even more power: look at the AYN Thor's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 models, compared in Retroid Pocket Duo vs AYN Thor.

None of these are on Amazon right now, so the only place to buy them is Retroid's store. Once you have one, setting up Azahar and melonDS for two screens is where the dual-screen layout pays off.