First look at the gaming smartphone that could bring back an iconic design

Ayaneo returns to be talked about with a device that promises to combine the charm of gaming phones of the past and modern technologies. Is called Ayaneo Phone and, according to the first teaser released by the company, it aims to bring back to life a design loved by the most nostalgic fans: that of slider phonewith physical controls hidden beneath the screen.

Ayaneo teases fans with a teaser that reveals the rear design

The short video published by Ayaneo only shows the back of the device, but it is enough to tickle the curiosity of enthusiasts. According to what we can see, the back is flat, with a dual camera and an LED flash arranged in the top corner. The lines look clean and minimalist.

On the left side, you can see two buttons or perhaps a sliding mechanisma detail that has fueled speculation about the presence of a sled system. The aspect ratio appears narrower than normal, suggesting an atypical screen ratio, but most likely intended for horizontal use in gaming.

The return of the iconic sliding design

According to what the company previously revealed, the Ayaneo Phone could adopt a sliding designan iconic solution that recalls devices such as the Sony Xperia Play in 2011. At the time, that phone integrated an actual physical gaming controller beneath the screen, offering PlayStation-style buttons, thumbsticks, and a D-pad.

Ayaneo, which in recent years has stood out in the market of Android and Windows portable gaming devices, seems to want to propose that same experience in a modern key, however, in the teaser we do not yet see the mechanism in action, but rather the company simply limits itself to promising “a phone truly designed for gamers”, without showing how the sliding part works, if there is one.

The project did not arise from nothing. Ayaneo has already accumulated some experience with Android handhelds, such as the Pocket DS, a dual-screen device inspired by the Nintendo DS and called “the world’s first Android flip”. In addition, it collaborates with Qualcomm for the integration of its processors on different models of the line.

However, today the market for gaming smartphones is already extremely competitivewith brands such as Asus ROG and RedMagic (which just recently unveiled its RedMagic 11 Pro with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5) offering powerful hardware, dedicated cooling systems and high refresh rate displays. To stand out, the Ayaneo Phone will have to offer something truly unique compared to the aforementioned and probably the Xperia Play style mechanism it could be what makes it stand out in the category.

Numerous speculations on the specifications have already opened among enthusiasts and a recurring theme would be the request for a 3.5mm audio jackthe ability to expand memory via microSD and even one removable battery.

In addition to this, it will be interesting to understand whether the device can also prove competitive as a smartphone in itself, perhaps with a capable camera, a powerful processor and good software support in the long term.

For now, Ayaneo Phone remains a mysterious product, shown only later and accompanied by an ambitious promise. If the device lives up to expectations, it could score the return of the slider phone in a modern waycombining nostalgic design and contemporary functionality in a single device.

According to the most recent news, the company has included the project in its roadmap 2025but time is running out if he wants to stick to the timetable.