As promised, Zotac is using the Computex show in Taiwan this week to provide an early look at its next-gen handheld gaming PC. The company is showing off a prototype of the new Zotac Gaming Zone that looks, at first glance, a lot like last year’s model. But there are some big changes under the hood.
For one thing, the new 2025 model is powered by an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor which should bring a big boost in CPU and graphics performance. And while the original shipped with Windows 11 software, the new model is also expected to ship with a version of Manjaro Linux that’s been optimized for gaming handhelds.
That’s an interesting move – a lot of criticism around handheld gaming PCs that aren’t the Steam Deck have focused on the fact that Windows isn’t really designed for small-screen devices that lack keyboards, which makes navigating the operating system difficult. Valve’s Steam Deck runs a Linux-based operating system that’s designed to make the company’s handheld feel more like a console, and Valve has been working with other companies to bring SteamOS to third-party hardware.
Rather than go that route, it looks like Zotac may have partnered with the same folks who had been working to bring Manjaro to the Orange Pi Neo handheld gaming PC. The move could provide a way to make Zotac’s next handheld easier to use without the need to develop special software in-house the way that Asus, Lenovo, GPD, AYANEO, and One Netbook have done (each has some version of a tool that’s supposed to make it easier to adjust settings and other features on Windows handhelds). It’s unclear why Zotac didn’t opt for SteamOS though.
Also unclear is why the company didn’t put a bigger battery in its second-gen handheld. Like last year’s version, the new Zotac Gaming Zone handheld has a 48.5 Wh battery, despite having a processor that’s capable of consuming more power.
Zotac hasn’t announced how much the new handheld will cost or when it will be available for purchase. But here’s what we know so far about how the new model stacks up against the original:
| Zone (2025) | Zone (2024) | |
| Display | 7 inches 1920 x 1080 pixels 120 Hz OLED Up to 800 nits brightness | |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 12 x Zen 5 Series CPU cores / 24 threads (4 x Zen 5 + 8 x Zen 5c) Up to 5.1 GHz 15 – 54W TDP | AMD Ryzen 7 8840U 8 x Zen 4 CPU cores / 16 threads Up to 5.1 GHz 15 – 30W TDP |
| Graphics | Radeon 890M 16 x RDNA 3.5 cores Up to 2.9 GHz | Radeon 780M 12 x RDNA 3 cores Up to 2.7 GHz |
| RAM | 24GB or 32GB LPDDR5x-8000 | 16GB LPDDR5x-7500 |
| Storage | 1 x M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 | |
| Battery | 48.5 Wh | |
| Wireless | WiFi 6E BT 5.2 | |
| Ports | 2 x USB4 1 x 3.5mm audio microSD card reader | |
| OS | Manjaro Linux | Windows 11 |
| Controllers | Hall Effect joysticks & triggers 2-stage adjustable triggers and radial dial Rear buttons Dual touchpads | |
| Other features | Built-in kickstand Fingerprint reader | |
| Launch price | ? | $799 |
via TweakTown, Wccftech, and KLGadgetTV (YouTube)
