The retro gaming handheld with a big screen and good performance at a very reasonable price
The TrimUI Smart Pro is a super affordable PSP-inspired console, featuring an almost 5″ IPS screen and good controls with compact stacked shoulder buttons. It’s capable of emulating up to PS1 games, all housed in a comfortable shell!
Moving up in screen size brings a whole new dynamic to gameplay while the plastic ergonomic shell is light and easy to hold/ handle. The black or white case with forward-facing stereo speakers adds to the experience.
Keeping it simple there’s no HDMI output or Bluetooth, but instead, the bigger 1280 x 720 IPS screen shines, with the compact stacked shoulder buttons getting the job done in comfort.
The TrimUI Smart Pro is an impressive mid-range gaming console. So how big is it? Size-wise it’s 19cm wide x 8cm tall and under 2cm thick @ 250 grams.
So why would you buy this over an Anbernic console? Unlike other consoles at this price point, the Trimui doesn’t feel cheap to hold or play and did we mention the large gorgeous IPS screen.. While no console is perfect, this is a great mid-ranged retro gaming handheld that’s still pocketable.
With the power and volume at the top along with 3.5mm headphone jack at the base along with LED lighting around the JoyPads the Trimui is pleasant visually and esthetically.
Running on a custom Linux-based operating system with RetroArch, the Trimui Smart Pro comes pre-loaded with a user-friendly interface and various emulators. It supports a wide range of classic gaming systems. You can expect the following to run well overall:
Atari 2600 – 7800
Nintendo (DS, NES, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance)
Sega (Master System, Genesis/Mega Drive, Game Gear)
Sony PlayStation
Various arcade systems including Capcom 1,2,3, Neo Geo, PC Engine
For more demanding games and systems, you may encounter occasional slowdowns and sound hiccups, particularly with high-end PS1, PSP, Dreamcast, N64, and Nintendo DS titles.
Since this console utilises RetroArch and standalone emulators, you can customize settings individually for each game. Use DraStic for DS games, PPSSPP for PlayStation 1 titles, and RetroArch for most other emulations.
As a side note, because the JoyPads lack the press-down function if needed, you’ll have to map the L3 and R3 to other buttons and lastly, to help improve playability on more demanding games, frameskip is your go-to.
The Electro Arcade Trimui comes with the larger stock 128GB Micro SD card.
We were impressed with the box as it builds the anticipation 🙂 The overall build quality and finish is good as is the variety of emulators for its price point. The common theme with reviews for the Trimui Smart Pro is its bang for buck value at its price point.
This is a pretty decent device for retro gaming. If you spent many an hour of misspent youth in video arcades like I did, then you'll love this. Also, if you're into console gaming from the same era then this will be your fun thing. And it can do Portmaster games if you get the CrossmixxOS microsd card. Glad I bought it.
