A new gaming handheld inspired by a classic Nokia phone? Yes, please

There’s no shortage of weird and wonderful gaming handhelds in 2025, but the Sugar Cubes N97 Elite might be one of the most peculiar. Inspired by the famous Nokia N97 - you know, the 2009 cell phone with the sliding screen - the device has just arrived in China, and despite a mixed reception so far, we can’t help but be a little intrigued by its form factor and emulation potential. While it might not look like a gaming powerhouse, the Sugar Cubes N97 Elite has a surprisingly impressive specs sheet, even when compared with some of the top picks from our guide to the best retro handhelds. It packs 512GB of storage, 12GB of RAM, a 4.7-inch adjustable display, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ chip. Admittedly, that Snapdragon chip is hardly brand new, arriving back in 2019, but it should still be capable enough of running some of the best mobile games, especially those that don’t demand too much of a device’s processor. Continue reading A new gaming handheld inspired by a classic Nokia phone? Yes, please MORE FROM POCKET TACTICS: Best portable gaming consoles, Best gaming phones, Best Android phones

Feb 12, 2025 - 14:56
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A new gaming handheld inspired by a classic Nokia phone? Yes, please
A new gaming handheld inspired by a classic Nokia phone? Yes, please

There’s no shortage of weird and wonderful gaming handhelds in 2025, but the Sugar Cubes N97 Elite might be one of the most peculiar. Inspired by the famous Nokia N97 - you know, the 2009 cell phone with the sliding screen - the device has just arrived in China, and despite a mixed reception so far, we can’t help but be a little intrigued by its form factor and emulation potential.

While it might not look like a gaming powerhouse, the Sugar Cubes N97 Elite has a surprisingly impressive specs sheet, even when compared with some of the top picks from our guide to the best retro handhelds. It packs 512GB of storage, 12GB of RAM, a 4.7-inch adjustable display, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ chip. Admittedly, that Snapdragon chip is hardly brand new, arriving back in 2019, but it should still be capable enough of running some of the best mobile games, especially those that don’t demand too much of a device’s processor.

MORE FROM POCKET TACTICS: Best portable gaming consoles, Best gaming phones, Best Android phones