AYN’s 3DS-style Thor handheld is facing another price hike
Source: Android Authority
TL;DR
- The Android‑powered AYN Thor game handheld is increasing in price starting in April.
- AYN says the price increase is driven by higher costs of memory components.
- Memory components are in high demand due to AI data‑center construction, pushing up prices for consumer electronics generally.
Price hike details
The AYN Thor, a Nintendo 3DS‑style handheld running Android, is set to see another price adjustment. After a previous bump earlier this year, the company announced that orders placed from April onward may be subject to higher pricing.
AYN shared the news on its Discord channel, explaining that “AI‑driven RAM and storage cost increases” could lead to a price adjustment for Thor orders placed starting in April. The exact amount of the increase will depend on the component costs at that time.
Current pricing and configurations
The Thor is sold in batches, with pre‑orders currently open for the third wave of production. Current price points are:
| Model | Chipset | RAM | Storage | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 | 8 GB | 128 GB | $249 |
| Premium | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | 16 GB | 1 TB | $449 |
Why the cost is rising
Manufacturers of consumer electronics are facing higher component costs, largely due to the AI industry’s demand for RAM and storage in data centers. Limited production capacity for these components has driven up prices, and the added expense is typically passed on to consumers of devices such as smartphones and gaming handhelds.
Ordering timeline
Orders for the fourth batch of Thor handhelds open on March 1, ahead of the anticipated price increase. Ordering sooner rather than later could help you avoid the upcoming price adjustment.