Retroid Pocket 5 and Flip 2 will receive a free upgrade to 12GB of RAM, and both models will cost $10 more for orders placed after July 14, the company and reporting by Engadget said.
Retroid said the Pocket 5 and Flip 2 previously shipped with an entry configuration of 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The update raises the baseline memory to 12GB while keeping the Snapdragon 865 processor unchanged. The price increase takes effect for new orders after July 14.
The company listed the new U.S. starting prices as $209 for the Pocket 5 and $219 for the Flip 2. In Hong Kong dollars those figures correspond to about HK$1,630 for the Pocket 5 and HK$1,708 for the Flip 2; using the current exchange rate, HK$1,630 converts to approximately $208, and HK$1,708 converts to approximately $218.
Retroid told customers that orders already placed but not yet shipped at the existing price will receive the memory upgrade to 12GB at no extra cost, and customers will not be charged the $10 difference.
Retroid Pocket 5: what the spec change means
For users who run higher-demand emulators or Android games, the extra RAM should improve multitasking and frame-rate stability on the Retroid Pocket 5 and Flip 2. Enthusiasts in Hong Kong and elsewhere who favor retro emulation generally welcome larger memory pools for more demanding system cores and shaders.
Retroid did not provide a detailed breakdown of its cost changes. The company acknowledged that rising memory costs and supply conditions were among the factors it considered when adjusting its baseline configuration and price.
Industry context and RAMageddon
Engadget noted that the move is not unique to Retroid, as increased demand from artificial intelligence workloads has pushed up component prices across the industry. Major makers including Microsoft, Apple, and Framework have recently adjusted product pricing, a trend some commentators have nicknamed RAMageddon.
Analysts say the surge in memory demand has forced some manufacturers to compress lower-cost configurations or eliminate the cheapest tier, effectively moving product lines upward in price and specification.
Retroid Pocket 5 and Flip 2 will be available at the current prices through July 14. New orders placed after that date will be billed at the updated price point, and customers with unpaid, unshipped entry-level orders will receive the 12GB upgrade for free, the company announced.
Reporting by Engadget informed this summary of Retroid’s announcement and market context.