Retroid, the company behind a growing lineup of Android-based gaming handhelds, has announced that both the Retroid Pocket 5 and the Retroid Flip 2 are getting a mid-cycle spec bump — upgrading from 8GB to 12GB of RAM at no extra cost for customers with existing orders. However, the price relief won’t last long: after July 14, both devices will cost $10 more.

A Welcome Upgrade, But at a Cost

Existing buyers with unfulfilled orders of the entry-level 8GB/128GB models will automatically receive the upgrade to 12GB of RAM at no additional cost, according to Retroid Handhelds. But after July 14, the higher RAM configuration becomes standard — and the price goes up accordingly.

The new pricing sees the Retroid Pocket 5 start at $209 and the Flip 2 at $219, a $10 increase on both models. Existing customers who already locked in their orders before the deadline get the RAM upgrade without the price hike — a rare win in a market where components are only getting more expensive.

Powered by Snapdragon 865

While Retroid’s newest device is the upcoming Retroid Pocket Nova, the Pocket 5 and Flip 2 remain highly capable emulation machines. Both are powered by the Snapdragon 865 chipset, which provides enough horsepower to emulate consoles up to the GameCube and PlayStation 2 generations. The additional 4GB of RAM should make multitasking and high-end emulation even smoother.

RAMaggedon Hits Retro Handhelds

Retroid hasn’t officially stated the reason for the change, but the broader technology industry offers a clear explanation. The soaring demand for memory from AI companies has pushed component prices sharply upward, a trend some are calling “RAMaggedon.” Companies across the board — from Microsoft and Apple to Framework — have been forced to raise prices or restructure product tiers to cope.

Retroid’s situation is most comparable to Framework’s, the modular laptop company. Both sell popular products but operate at a scale far smaller than an Apple or a Samsung. That means they lack the leverage to negotiate better RAM pricing or fall back on large stockpiles of memory components. Eliminating the cheapest configuration and folding in a modest price increase is, for a company of Retroid’s size, simply the most sustainable business decision.

What This Means for Buyers

If you’ve been considering a Retroid Pocket 5 or Flip 2, the window to lock in the current pricing is tight. Orders placed before July 14 will still ship at the old price with the upgraded 12GB of RAM. After that date, the $10 increase takes effect as the new baseline.

For emulation enthusiasts, the extra RAM is a meaningful upgrade — it should help with more demanding PlayStation 2 and GameCube titles, as well as Android games and multitasking. The question is whether the $10 bump is enough to push fence-sitters into buying now rather than later.

Disclosure: Know the Tech is not affiliated with Retroid Handhelds. Pricing and availability are subject to change.