Zotac Zone 2 release date estimate, confirmed specs, and price prediction
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At this year’s Computex, we were able to get our hands on the upcoming (prototype) Zotac Zone 2 gaming handheld and take it for a spin, along with getting confirmation from the company on its specifications, and it’s a very impressive device, to say the least. The new device looks to be a contender for the most powerful gaming handheld ever, thanks to its upgraded APU, increased RAM capacity, and the efficiency of its operating system.
We’ve yet to receive confirmation of a Zotac Zone 2 release date, unfortunately, other than we should expect to see it later this year, and nor do we have official news about the price, but we can make a stab at predicting both.
Zotac Zone 2 release date window estimate
Back at CES in January, Zotac said that they were working to launch the Zone 2 ‘later’ in 2025, and we haven’t heard anything new since then. Given the original Zotac Zone was released on September 12th, 2024, September 2025 seems like a likely option. If it were significantly earlier than this, we would have expected to hear more about it by now, although it could end up falling later into Q4 2025.
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Considering all the above then, we put the likely Zotac Zone 2 release date as landing somewhere between September – December 2025, but time will tell!
Zotac Zone 2 specifications (confirmed)
| Specification | Zotac Zone 2 (prototype) |
|---|---|
| Processor | AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 |
| Graphics | Radeon 890M iGPU |
| Display | 7″ AMOLED Multi-Touch display, 1080p, 120Hz, up to 800 nits, HDR ready |
| RAM | 24GB / 32GB LPDDR5X |
| Storage | 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD (2280) |
| Controls/buttons | Hall Effect joysticks & triggers, 2-stage adjustable triggers and radial dial |
| Battery | 48.5WHr |
| Connectivity | WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, UHS-II microSD slot, USB4 ports |
| Operating system | Manjaro Linux OS |
The new Zotac Zone comes with the same 120Hz AMOLED touchscreen display as the first one did (which is not a bad thing, as it’s a fine display) and the same WiFi 6E chip and Bluetooth 5.2 connection. Although there was a hope that the company would develop a larger battery than the 48.5WHr one in the previous model, it turns out we’re getting the same one, which is a bit of a disappointment, and we do wonder what duration we’re going to get out of it given the more powerful components. Fingers crossed that Zotac releases an upgraded variant with a bigger battery.
Onto the upgrades then: we now have 1TB of storage as standard, an increased amount of memory – either 24GB or 32GB of LPDDR5X – and of course, the main event – the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor. This is a powerful APU as seen in recent AMD-powered laptops, based around the company’s latest Zen 5 architecture, plus RDNA 3.5 integrated graphics – specifically the Radeon 890M iGPU. This chipset has four more CPU and GPU cores than the Ryzen 7 8840U in the Zone 1, so we’re expecting quite the uplift. Indeed, this promises to be the most powerful gaming handheld of the year, if indeed it does release in 2025.
As we’ll discuss more below, additional performance benefits should also come from the transition to the new Manjaro Linux OS. Below are some photos we snapped at Computex this May.
Zotac Zone 2 price prediction
There’s been no confirmed price info from Zotac Gaming about the price of the Zone 2, however we heard murmurings at Computex of a price around the $1,000 mark, which is in line with what commenters like JustSomeJacob have estimated (he thinks possibly $900-$1,000), due chiefly to the inclusion of the AI 9 HX 370 processor.
This is a pretty eye-watering price to say the least, considering picking up a Steam Deck OLED with 1TB storage will cost around $649 and the original Zotac Zone costs $749, however, the Zone 2 will be significantly more powerful than both.
Why the transition to Manjaro Linux?
Compared to Windows, the Linux operating system is a more streamlined, less cluttered OS. Besides being a less ‘busy’ experience for the user, this can also mean faster load times and smoother gameplay, particularly on less powerful devices. As a result, switching to a Linux OS for a gaming handheld makes a lot of sense.
This is already evident on the Steam Deck, which uses the Linux-based SteamOS. When the official SteamOS version of the Lenovo Legion Go S came around (this was a follow-up to the Windows version earlier in the year), it was highly praised in reviews, with one hands-on reviewer saying it’s “So much better than the Windows version,” with tests to prove it.
Will the Zotac Zone 2 be worth a buy?
Based on our brief time playing with the Zone 2, it’s capable of pumping out FPS at an impressive level, notably higher than on any other handheld we’ve tested – and the display looks fantastic. The standard specifications are very impressive, although we are concerned about how limited the battery life may be. The Z2 range of processors at least promise to deliver better efficiency in the battery department.
Without proper independent benchmarking, we can’t say whether or not this performance uplift will be worth the very steep asking price, but if you can stomach the cost then we’re fairly confident that this will be a great buy.
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