Every so often a retro handheld comes along that punches far above its size, and the TrimUI Brick is exactly that. It is one of the smallest serious handhelds you can buy — genuinely pocketable — yet it pairs that tiny footprint with a gorgeous high-resolution screen and a premium metal build. The retro community has fallen for it hard, and after spending real time with one, we understand why.
So is the TrimUI Brick the right handheld for you? In this review we cover the screen, build, performance, battery and the all-important question of which games it actually plays well.
What Is the TrimUI Brick?
The TrimUI Brick is a compact, vertical (portrait) retro gaming handheld built around a 3.2-inch high-resolution IPS display. Where most budget handhelds use a standard 4:3 panel, the Brick goes for a sharp, square-ish high-res screen that makes pixel art look genuinely stunning. It runs a Linux-based system and supports the popular custom firmware the community loves, giving you a clean, fast interface and deep customisation.
The name is a nod to its dinky, boxy shape. It is small enough to disappear into a jacket pocket, which is a big part of its appeal — this is the handheld you actually carry everywhere because there is no reason not to.
Screen & Display
The standout feature is that screen. The 3.2-inch high-res IPS panel is dense, bright and colourful, with excellent viewing angles. Because the resolution is so high for the screen size, classic systems look razor-sharp — Game Boy Advance, SNES and Mega Drive games in particular look fantastic, with crisp pixels and no smearing.
The square-ish aspect ratio is well suited to a lot of retro content. Vertical arcade shooters, Game Boy titles and many 4:3 systems fill the display beautifully, and the high pixel density means even simple sprites look clean rather than blocky.
Build Quality
This is where the TrimUI Brick really separates itself from typical budget handhelds. The build quality is excellent, with a solid, premium feel in the hand that belies the low price. The buttons are tactile and responsive, the D-pad is accurate, and despite the small size the controls never feel cramped during normal play.
For something this compact, it feels reassuringly well made — the kind of device you are happy to throw in a bag without babying it. It is a clear step up from the flimsy plastic shells you find on the cheapest clone handhelds.
Performance & What It Can Play
The Brick is a capable little machine. It handles the core of retro gaming brilliantly:
- NES, SNES, Mega Drive / Genesis, Master System — Flawless. Full speed, every time.
- Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance — Perfect, and they look superb on that high-res screen.
- Arcade (Neo Geo, CPS1/2, classic boards) — Runs the vast majority of the classic arcade library smoothly.
- PlayStation 1 — Excellent. PS1 is well within its comfort zone, so Crash, Spyro, Tekken and Final Fantasy all play great.
- PSP and Dreamcast — Capable of lighter titles, but this is the edge of what the hardware does comfortably. Demanding 3D games will need tweaks and not everything runs at full speed.
In other words, if your priority is the golden age of 8-bit, 16-bit, arcade and PS1 gaming, the Brick is an absolute joy. If you specifically want heavy PSP and Dreamcast performance, a more powerful device like the R36S Ultra is a better fit.
Battery Life
The TrimUI Brick carries a 3000mAh battery, which is generous for such a small device. In real-world use you can expect around 5 to 6 hours of play on retro systems — impressive given how little there is of it. It charges over USB-C, so you can top it up with the same cable as your phone, and a small power bank effectively makes it endless on the go.
If you want to squeeze out even more, dropping the screen brightness has a big effect on such a small panel, and using sleep mode between sessions keeps it ticking over for days of casual use. For a fuller breakdown of how it stacks up against the rest of the range, see our retro handheld battery life comparison.
Setup & Software
One of the quiet pleasures of the TrimUI Brick is how little fuss there is to getting started. It boots straight into a clean, fast menu, and the community custom firmware it supports adds box art, save states, quick resume and per-system settings that make jumping between games effortless. Save states alone are a game changer for handheld play — you can pause mid-level on the train and pick up exactly where you left off later.
Everything is organised by system, so finding a game is quick, and the high-res screen makes the menus themselves look slick. For newcomers it is approachable out of the box; for tinkerers, there is plenty of depth to explore.
Who Is It For?
The TrimUI Brick is ideal if you:
- Want the most pocketable serious handheld available — one you will genuinely carry every day.
- Care about screen quality and want your retro games to look their absolute best.
- Mostly play 8-bit, 16-bit, arcade and PS1 classics.
- Appreciate a premium metal build over a cheap plastic shell.
It is less ideal if you need a large screen for comfort, or if heavy PSP and Dreamcast emulation is your main use case. For those, look at the bigger R36S Max or the more powerful R36S Ultra instead.
How Does It Compare?
Against the R36S, the Brick offers a sharper, higher-resolution screen and a noticeably more premium build, but in a smaller package with a slightly smaller display. The R36S remains the better all-rounder for outright value and a larger screen, while the Brick wins on portability, screen quality and that lovely metal finish. If you want a clamshell instead, the Miyoo Flip is worth a look. You can see how the range stacks up in our UK buyer's guide.
The Verdict
The TrimUI Brick is the best tiny retro handheld you can buy. A stunning high-res screen, a premium metal build and excellent performance for everything up to PS1 — all in something that fits in your pocket. If portability and screen quality matter to you, it is hard to beat.
And because it ships from GameBro, you skip the usual headache of importing clone handhelds from China — the weeks-long wait, the customs fees, the gamble on whether it arrives faulty. We keep the TrimUI Brick in UK stock with 2–3 day delivery, tested and ready to play out of the box.
Ready to grab one? Check out the TrimUI Brick product page for full details and colours, or browse the rest of the range in the GameBro shop.
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