AYANEO NEXT 2 Finally Ships Globally in Late July, and the Top Model Now Costs $5,299

What started as an expensive handheld has become an extraordinarily expensive one, with the top configuration now sitting at $5,299. That is a meaningful jump from the pricing structure we covered when the NEXT 2 topped out at $4,299, and the reasons are less about greed than about a components market that has turned brutal.

What each configuration costs

Three SKUs make up the current line-up, all built around AMD’s Strix Halo silicon. Only one of them is actually available to preorder right now.

For context, that top SKU costs roughly three times as much as MSI’s already pricey Claw 8 EX AI+. AYANEO’s broader product page positions a Polar Black Edition from $1,799, but that reflects a lower base spec rather than a contradiction of the maxed-out pricing above.

Orders go through the official AYANEO Store and Indiegogo. There is no dedicated UAE retail channel, so buying one here means importing, with international shipping, customs and VAT stacked on top of those USD figures.

Why the pricing has spiralled

AYANEO has been unusually candid about the situation. A slide shown during the livestream stated that ongoing LPDDR5X memory cost increases have made the NEXT 2 temporarily unavailable for restock, with the company promising to arrange future availability once component conditions improve. Back in March, AYANEO said storage price rises after Chinese New Year had pushed the total product cost to nearly double the original selling price, prompting it to suspend new sales entirely while continuing production for existing backers.

This is the same squeeze that has been hammering gaming handhelds across the board, but the NEXT 2 is particularly exposed because its whole pitch rests on large unified memory pools. A 128GB LPDDR5X configuration was always going to hurt in this market; right now it hurts to the tune of $5,299.

The CEO, per VideoCardz’s coverage of the livestream, appeared genuinely deflated, describing the device as “really beautiful” and stressing the R&D investment behind it. It is hard not to sympathise: AYANEO built its flagship around a chip AMD now markets primarily as an AI platform rather than a gaming one, and launched it into the worst memory market in years.

Should UAE buyers even consider it?

At $3,699 for the only orderable SKU, plus import costs, the NEXT 2 is a niche proposition even by premium-handheld standards. The Strix Halo chip with its Radeon 8060S graphics remains the most powerful option in a handheld form factor, but the competitive picture is shifting quickly, with Intel’s Arc G3 Extreme already testing impressively for the next wave of devices. Unless you specifically need 64GB or more of unified memory in your hands, waiting for component prices to settle looks like the sensible move, which, in fairness, is exactly what AYANEO itself is doing with restocks.