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| The AYN Thor Max now costs significantly more than it did at launch. |
If you’ve been following the world of Android gaming handhelds, you’ve probably heard of AYN. The company made waves with its high-performance devices like the Odin 2 and the more recent Thor series. But over the past few weeks, a string of announcements has left fans scratching their heads – and not in a good way.
Earlier reports confirmed that AYN would be switching from UFS 4.0 to UFS 3.1 storage on its upcoming Thor and Odin 3 handhelds. That alone was disappointing for performance enthusiasts, since UFS 4.0 offers roughly double the sequential read/write speeds of UFS 3.1. But as it turns out, that was only the beginning of the bad news.
Now AYN has dropped another bombshell: the highest-end configuration of its dual-screen Thor handheld – the Thor Max – is getting yet another price hike. And to add insult to injury, you’ll be paying more for slower storage.
Price jumps and downgraded specs – a rough combo
When the Thor Max first launched, early-bird pre-orders could snag the 16GB RAM + 1TB storage model for just $429. That was already an aggressive price for a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 device with dual screens. Then the price climbed to $449, and last month it jumped to $489 – blamed on the “exponential increase in the cost of RAM.”
Now AYN says the same Thor Max will cost $549. The official reason? The high cost of UFS storage. But here’s the kicker: these new units no longer ship with UFS 4.0. They’ll use UFS 3.1 instead.
So let’s recap – you pay $60 more than last month’s price ($120 more than the original early bird), and in return you get noticeably slower storage performance. That’s a tough sell for anyone who’s been holding out for the top-tier model.
A new middle-ground option appears
To its credit, AYN seems to realize that a $549 Thor Max with downgraded specs might not fly with everyone. Instead of canceling the 1TB version altogether, the company introduced a new Thor Max configuration: 16GB RAM + 512GB storage for $469.
This variant is available in all four colors and can be ordered right now. It ships with Batch 6 of pre-orders, so if you’ve been waiting for a slightly more reasonable price point, this might be your sweet spot.
Here’s how the full Thor lineup looks today:
- Thor Lite – Snapdragon 865, 8GB RAM, 128GB storage → $249
- Thor Base – Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 8GB RAM, 128GB storage → $319
- Thor Pro – Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 12GB RAM, 256GB storage → $399
- Thor Max (512GB) – Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 16GB RAM, 512GB storage → $469
- Thor Max (1TB) – Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 16GB RAM, 1TB storage → $549
If you’re thinking about grabbing any of these, you’ll want to head over to the official product page. You can check out the full specs and place your pre-order here:
👉 AYN Thor – Batch 6 pre-orders (16GB + 512GB variant)
When will these actually ship?
AYN has already started accepting Batch 6 pre-orders, but don’t expect your device to arrive overnight. According to the company’s website, orders won’t begin shipping until mid-June. That’s still a few months out, so this is very much a “pay now, wait later” situation.
What would we have done differently?
Look, we get it – component costs are unpredictable, and no manufacturer likes raising prices. But charging more for a product that now has inferior storage is a questionable move. In our opinion, it would have been cleaner to discontinue the 1TB Thor Max entirely rather than asking customers to pay a premium for downgraded internals.
That said, the new $469 512GB variant does soften the blow a little. For many users, UFS 3.1 is still plenty fast for gaming – load times will be a hair longer, but nothing game-breaking. And at that price, the Thor Max remains competitive against devices like the Ayn Odin 2 Pro or even the Retroid Pocket 5.
Still, if you were one of the early adopters who snagged the 1TB model at $429 with UFS 4.0… consider yourself lucky. That version is now officially a unicorn.
Final take
AYN’s Thor series is still a fascinating piece of handheld hardware – dual screens, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 power, and a form factor that screams “gaming first.” But the recent storage downgrade and price increases make it a harder recommendation than it was a few months ago.
If you’re set on getting one, the 16GB/512GB Thor Max at $469 is probably the best balance of cost and performance. Just go in with your eyes open: you’re paying more than early birds did, and you’re getting slower storage than originally promised.
Pre-orders are open now, but you’ve got until at least mid-June to wait for shipping. Think carefully – and maybe keep an eye on used units from earlier batches if speed is your top priority.
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| The AYN Thor now comes in a new 16GB RAM + 512GB configuration. |