This handheld gaming PC by Valve is not just a lighter and brighter version of its sibling, but it also boasts a beefier battery and more storage space. However, if you’re expecting a massive leap in performance, hold your horses – it’s pretty much on par with its predecessor. This makes it an ideal pick for those who haven’t yet jumped on the handheld gaming PC bandwagon.
Steam Deck OLED Specs
- CPU: 6nm AMD “Sepiroth”, 4 Zen 2 CPU cores / 8 threads, 2.4 GHz – 3.5 GHz, 4-15 watts
- GPU: 8 RDNA 2 Compute units, 1 – 1.6 GHz
- Display: 7.4 inches, 1280 x 800 pixels, HDR OLED, 90 Hz, 1000 nits peak brightness (HDR), 600 nits (SDR), 110% P3 color gamut, <0.1ms response
- RAM: 16GB, LPDDR5-6400
- Storage: 512GB/1TB NVMe SSD
- Input: Full-sized controls, Trackpads, Gyro, Grip buttons, Touchscreen
- Battery: 50 Wh, 2.5 meter charging cable
- Ports: USB Type-C, 3.5mm audio, microSD card reader
- Wireless: WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
- Audio: Hi-Fi audio
- OS: SteamOS
- Dimensions: 298 x 117 x 50mm
- Weight: 640 grams
The Steam Deck OLED shares a lot of similarities with its older sibling in looks and size. It’s a tad lighter though, weighing in at 1.41 lbs. The layout is familiar with two analog sticks, trackpads, a USB-C port, headphone jack, and a microSD card slot.
The OLED screen is where the magic happens. It’s slightly larger at 7.4 inches and switches from IPS to OLED. This means you get stunning colors, deeper blacks, and better power efficiency, even though the resolution stays at 1200 by 800 pixels. While there’s no Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) support on the device itself, you can enjoy it through an external display with the Steam Deck Dock.
Under the hood, there’s a bump in RAM to 16GB of LPDDR5, making it faster than the original model. You’re looking at a peak bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s, up from 88 GB/s.
The battery gets a boost too, from 40wh to 50wh, promising between 3 to 12 hours of playtime, depending on your game. And with Wi-Fi stepping up from 5 to 6E, downloads are faster. Plus, the new model is quieter, thanks to reduced fan noise.