TrimUI Smart Pro S Specs Revealed With New A523 Chip, New Home Button, And More

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Not too long ago, TrimUI announced through Mechdiy that their TrimUI Smart Pro would be getting a new model. The TrimUI Smart Pro S was announced with an enhanced processor, a new cooling fan, and a refined design with better compatibility. However, all we had was the name and a list of generalized improvements, not specifics. However, in a new update posted to Mechdiy, we have some specifics about the changes coming in both design and specs, and it's a pretty sizable difference.

Design Changes

Over on the design side, the post highlighted a good chunk of changes. There's a new Home button next to the Power button for quicker access during gameplay, and the power button's design has been improved to be easier to use. The joysticks are now larger and more responsive, and they are now clickable to use R3 and L3 inputs. There's a new reset button for restarting your system, and the microphone is now on the side of the device for better recording.

Hardware Changes

One of the biggest changes is going to be the upgraded chip used, going from the Allwinner A133 Plus to the A523. This is a pretty nice improvement, with the new chip containing 4 more cores, resulting in significantly better performance overall. We also have an upgraded WiFi module and better system compatibility for more emulators on the Linux OS it runs. The RAM is the same, but memory management and system stability have been improved. They specifically note smoother PSP, PS1, and Dreamcast improvements along with full screen support for Vertical games (TATE Mode) in RetroArch.

For comparison, this chip is around 15-20% more performant than the chip being used in the upcoming Anbernic RG DS, the RK3568. This should easily be able to handle most older emulation that comes our way, including DS, though it probably won't be good for any emulation above PS1. PS1 will be rock solid, though, most N64 games should run decently as well, and lighter Dreamcast and PSP games should be good.

There doesn't seem to be many, or any that we could find, handhelds that are using this chip, so it will be very interesting to see it in action.

There's also a new active cooling fan, which will help dissipate heat, which will help a lot with the new processor that has been added in. This is major, and will help dramatically with longer play sessions.

It looks like this refresh wasn't meant to be a fully fleshed-out new device, but instead to polish it to be vastly improved on almost all fronts. There is no word on pricing yet, but if it sticks close to the Smart Pro's pricing, it's going to be very hard to say no to this handheld.

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