D007 Review: the cheapest Android retro handheld emulator, but don’t expect much from it

The D007 has some clear strengths: a RockChip RK3326 for less than $50, a sensible controller board for retro games, and finally, Android system on budget. While the handheld has a few rough edges, and being an obscure device means you’re totally on your own, the price makes these downsides a bit more palatable. So, get ready to the D007 review.

D007 ranks C in my retro handheld emulator ranking list

Another portrait handheld using the same chipset as the PowKiddy RGB20S, R35S and R36S. Low-end market is becoming more interesting.

D007 Review: Price

With the release of the duo R35S and R36S, as well as big names like the PowKiddy RGB20S, it’s not really a surprise to see just another retro handheld emulator with vertical form factor, and uses the same RockChip RK3326 chipset. And it is no surprise that it feels like an age has passed, since you still find things like the Anbernic RG351P and even Anbernic RG351M that ask you more than $100 for the same internal specs.

Again, we have a no-name retro handheld emulator, something that you can’t truly tell whether it’s from SZDIIER or Ampown (hope that I don’t misspell them). It doesn’t really matter if you just surf on the AliExpress, which is a sea of numerous retro handheld emulators with no name and even no specifications.

One thing you will want to know is the price of the D007 (or D-007, whatever), and you will accept it for less than $50. It would go down even more, and then you have a device that can run even Nintendo 64, Dreamcast and PSP. I’m looking for a cheaper RG351MP, come on Anbernic, look at the competition.

So far, it is certainly one of the most value retro handheld emulators you can get out there. Sadly, if you vow for Amazon, you need to pay a lot more than $50, which will discourage you into buying this product.

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D007 Review: Design and Build Quality

The design of the D007 is at first rather traditional and staid, but look a little deeper and there is an awful lot to distinguish it with the likes of the PowKiddy RGB20S. The handheld is big and bulky, to the point it is even thicker than the Anbernic RG405V. It is certainly not suitable for my likings, as I prefer portrait handhelds to be small and light. At 120 mm x 180 mm x 50 mm, the D007 isn’t really a pocketable handheld, as it will drag your trousers all the way down.

Not only does the D007 big, it has grips. While the grips are absent from a common retro handheld emulator at this price point, the size and form factor of the D007 would be easier to hold with grips, theoretically. Problem is, the grips aren’t really for me, as I find my gaming sessions are far worse trying to find a comfortable hand position. Finally, I gave up.

The unknown manufacturer has positioned the buttons and sticks in sensible locations on the D007, which resembles the R36S, which again mimics the Anbernic RG353V. Buttons are decent to press with short travel, something that you hate about even more expensive handhelds like the Retroid Pocket 2 Plus. The thumbsticks are covered with LEDs, and I know that it’s an instant buy for many people.

In equaling the screen resolution of my current favorite mini handheld – the Miyoo Mini Plus, I feel like the screen of the D007 is hindered by the black bars. I feel like the screen is a lot smaller than 3.5 inches, and once you enjoy the big ones, you can’t go back. The screen is still an IPS screen that’s featured in every current retro handheld, so I don’t think you will find the D007 different from others.

All told, the D007 package is pretty good. Whichever model you get there, the finishing seems to be not as cheap as the R35S. However, the design isn’t retro-nostalgic nor creative, truth to be told.

One thing that makes me hate a lot is the rear-facing speaker location, making the already bad speaker even worse. Normally, I prefer switching the volume to zero to reserve battery.

C for Design & Feel.

D007 Review: Gaming Experience

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Performance

🔵 A

🔵 A

🔵 A

🔵 A

🔵 A

🔵 A

🟢 B

🟡 C

🟡 C

🟡 C

🟠 D

🔴 F

🔴 F

🔴 F

🔴 F

🔴 F

🔴 F

Inside the D007 is the mainstream RockChip RK3326 chipset that began to appear in the lowest-end segment of the retro handheld market. At its price point, the RockChip RK3326 is perhaps the most powerful chipset available.

Other specifications remain the same as most other Chinese single-board handhelds you can find these days using the RockChip RK3326. There is 1GB of RAM which is enough to cover most of NDS, N64 and even PSP emulators. The 8 GB of internal storage is enough to store system software.

You should read the RG351’s N64 compatibility list and RG351’s PSP compatibility list if you want to try more demanding systems on the D007. By default, the D007 is already packed with systems and games, so you can try immediately.

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Gaming session

When booting, the D007 shows that it runs a version of Android 8.1. However, on the box, the manufacturer said clearly that it only uses a custom Linux system on the D007. I need more time to decide, but whichever system is running on the board, the D007 doesn’t have Wi-Fi.

Seeing a device launch at this price with Android is pretty much unbelievable for me, but many people find out a way to add Daijisho into the handheld, so perhaps it’s the truth. If that’s the answer, the D007 doesn’t do anything special from any Linux units using the same RockChip RK3326 processor.

Playing with the D007 isn’t really comfortable due to its size and form, but if you don’t care about the design, you can draw much out of the system. While it’s not possible to make AmberELEC working, the stock firmware is very familiar to EmulationStation. It only makes use of common features from RetroArch like save states, fast forwarding and rewind, but I guess that’s more than enough for most basic gamers.

So far, the D007 isn’t really a suitable handheld for running PSP. It is a bit laggy than the common RK3326 handhelds like the RG351V or PowKiddy RGB20S, either on AmberELEC or ArkOS. I still recommend to at least buy the PowKiddy RGB10 Max 2 for PSP emulation, though the performance is still far from desire. If you’re a lazy handheld man, and you want to specifically target PlayStation Portable system, I recommend to buy a Retroid Pocket 3 Plus, and be done with it.

I guess the best emulators you can try are SNES, GBA and PSX. They all work quite flawlessly on the D007, with the exception of a few demanding PS1 titles. The dual sticks seem to be wasted on such unit, however it doesn’t block your fingers from reaching D-Pad buttons.

Battery life

The D007 seems to have a 3500 mAh battery, which is the same as the PowKiddy RGB20S. It is supposed to draw out up to 8 hours of playing games. If you’re a multi-system hog like me, you’ll likely finish after 4-6 hours, which is still pretty good for a modern handheld.

You can use the normal USB-C cable for the D007, and it needs 3 hours to be fully charged. Fast charging can speed up the charging process, but it will degrade your battery.

B for Gaming Experience.

My verdict

Now it’s just another handheld using the RockChip RK3326 chipset at a very low price. It isn’t as stable as the PowKiddy RGB20S and R36S, due to the lacking of a fully-supported custom firmware like ArkOS. As a result, unless you want to get the cheapest RK3326 handheld available, you should think twice about its software.

I recommend to at least try the handheld on hand first before buying, because the thick boy isn’t easy to handle.