TrimUI Smart Pro vs. R36S: Horizontal 16:9 Widescreen vs. Vertical 4:3 Game Boy Form Factor

Below, I compare the horizontal 16:9 TrimUI Smart Pro against our vertical 4:3 2Bluebox R36S across real 4:3 screen math, thumbstick hardware, PSP performance, and day-one game library readiness.

TrimUI Smart Pro Review vs. R36S Form Factor: Why 4:3 Fits Classic Consoles Better Than 16:9

On paper, the 4.96-inch (1280x720) TrimUI Smart Pro beats the 3.5-inch (640x480) 2Bluebox R36S ($79.99). Because NES, SNES, Genesis, PS1, N64, and Dreamcast output in 4:3, 25% of the Smart Pro screen sits as black side bars inside a 188mm body.

When first-time buyers compare these two handhelds in this r/SBCGaming thread debating the R36S vs. TrimUI Smart Pro, the 4.96-inch screen number usually gets the first look. According to the RetroCatalog TrimUI Smart Pro specification sheet, TrimUI built a horizontal widescreen shell measuring 188 x 78 x 17 mm and weighing 231 grams, which puts it close to a Nintendo Switch Lite (208 mm wide).

The 2Bluebox R36S, tested in our in-depth R36S hardware review, uses a vertical 130 x 83 x 21 mm shell (about 163 grams) built around a 3.5-inch 640x480 IPS screen. Here is how the screen geometry works when you boot a 4:3 home console without stretching the pixel art:

• 4:3 active area on the 16:9 TrimUI Smart Pro: A 4:3 game rendered on a 1280x720 screen uses a 960x720 center window (about 4.05 inches diagonal, or 7.88 square inches), while 320 horizontal pixels (160 on the left, 160 on the right, or 25% of the panel) stay dark as black pillarbox bars. You do get a larger image than on a 3.5-inch screen, plus extra width for GBA (3:2) and side-by-side Nintendo DS screens, at the cost of carrying a two-handed horizontal slab in a bag.
• Full-panel 4:3 fit on the 2Bluebox R36S ($79.99): On the R36S, NES, SNES, Genesis, PC Engine, PS1, N64, and Dreamcast fill 100% of the 640x480 IPS panel (5.88 square inches) with zero black bars. Most PS1 and N64 games render at 320x240, so they scale to the 640x480 panel at a clean 2x ratio.

Table 1 lines up the 2Bluebox R36S ($79.99), the TrimUI Smart Pro, and our 2Bluebox Portable HDD Super Console 500GB ($64.99). To see how they place across all sub-$100 models, check our best retro handheld comparison guide.

Table 1: 2Bluebox R36S ($79.99, 2bluebox.com) vs. TrimUI Smart Pro vs. 2Bluebox 500GB Batocera HDD ($64.99)

"Tested on our unit" means we checked it on a device we own. "Manufacturer spec" means the maker states it and we haven't verified it ourselves. "Community reports" means players report it, and results can vary.

Screen shape is only half the story; once you launch a 3D game, the physical thumbsticks and emulator shortcuts separate these two designs.

Allwinner A133P (TrimUI Smart Pro CrossMix-OS) vs. Rockchip RK3326 (ArkOS 2.0) Performance

With CrossMix-OS, the TrimUI Smart Pro's Allwinner A133 Plus (1.8GHz) has a modest edge in 2D and lighter PSP games. Heavy 3D PSP still needs frameskip on both. The 2Bluebox R36S ($79.99) answers with clickable L3/R3 sticks and ArkOS 2.0 preinstalled.

Out of the box, the TrimUI Smart Pro runs a closed Linux frontend stored partly on its 8GB internal eMMC. To get standalone emulator tweaks, PortMaster support, and better PPSSPP presets, most owners install the community CrossMix-OS firmware package on GitHub onto a fresh microSD card. With CrossMix-OS on its 1.8GHz Cortex-A53 cores, owners report the Smart Pro handles 2D-leaning PSP RPGs (Persona 3 Portable, Final Fantasy Tactics) and lighter 3D games like Ridge Racer more comfortably than an RK3326 handheld.

Even so, buyer expectations around PSP often overshoot what a budget Linux chip can do. Demanding 3D PSP titles like God of War: Chains of Olympus or Midnight Club 3 still require frameskip on the A133 Plus, and neither handheld can touch PS2 or GameCube. On the R36S, PS1 runs smoothly, while N64, PSP, and Dreamcast are limited to lighter playable titles; if you want to squeeze every frame out of PPSSPP on your R36S, follow our R36S PSP PPSSPP settings and frameskip guide.

Where the TrimUI Smart Pro loses points in RetroCatalog owner reviews is its thumbstick hardware. Its low-profile analog sticks have a short throw and no clickable L3 or R3 buttons, which creates an immediate problem in PortMaster PC ports, PS1 DualShock games, and twin-stick shooters. Table 2 compares everyday control and OS actions between our 2Bluebox R36S (ArkOS 2.0) and the TrimUI Smart Pro (CrossMix-OS):

Before you pick a widescreen handheld solely for its spec sheet, run this four-step check on how your games actually render and control:

1. List the five retro consoles you play most and check whether they output native 4:3 (SNES, Genesis, PS1, N64, Arcade) or 16:9 (PSP).
2. Search your must-play titles inside our public /pages/r36s-games-list database to confirm they are preloaded on the 64GB card.
3. Check whether your favorite 3D or PortMaster games use L3/R3 for sprinting, crouching, or centering the camera.
4. Press FN + X inside any PS1 game on the R36S and set Controls -> Port 1 Controls to DualShock for full two-stick control.

Ordering an unconfigured widescreen handheld means formatting your own card, installing CrossMix-OS, sourcing BIOS files, and working around sticks that don't click. If you want a true pocket handheld with clickable L3/R3 sticks, ArkOS 2.0, and a verified 4:3 game library ready on day one, grab our 2Bluebox R36S Handheld ($79.99):

Pocketability, Dual MicroSD Slots (TF1/TF2) & Replaceable Battery Access

At 188 mm long, the TrimUI Smart Pro requires a backpack, sling bag, or hard case. The 130 mm vertical 2Bluebox R36S ($79.99) slips into a coat or jeans pocket and adds a second microSD slot plus a removable 3200mAh battery.

The TrimUI Smart Pro has real quality-of-life perks for home and backpack use: built-in Wi-Fi for RetroAchievements and OTA updates, Bluetooth audio, a 5000mAh internal battery, and a sleep mode that sips very little power when you tap the top button. If you carry a sling bag every day and mostly play GBA, PSP 2D RPGs, or wide Nintendo DS layouts, those features are genuinely nice to have.

I still open old SNES cartridge shells to check the PCB and clean the brass pins with 99% isopropyl alcohol and a Q-tip, so I judge any handheld by how easy it is to get inside when something goes sideways. Both the Handhelds Wiki R36S Buying Guide and owner reports on RetroCatalog's TrimUI Smart Pro page highlight why physical serviceability matters:

• Dual microSD slots (TF1-OS + TF2-GAME) vs. a single card slot: The TrimUI Smart Pro has one microSD slot, so your custom CrossMix-OS files, BIOS folder, ROMs, and save states live on the same card. The R36S has two slots (TF1-OS and TF2-GAME). Our 2Bluebox unit ships with ArkOS 2.0 and all 15,768 files on a single 64GB card in TF1-OS, so the two-card safety net kicks in once you pop a second microSD card into TF2-GAME: after that, you can reflash or update ArkOS without touching your games or .srm saves.
• Latch-door removable battery vs. sealed shell: The TrimUI Smart Pro keeps its 5000mAh battery inside the shell, so a hard freeze or a worn-out cell means opening the case with a screwdriver. On the R36S, the 3200mAh battery sits behind a clip-on rear door you can open in seconds.

If you prefer TrimUI's build quality in a vertical pocket shell without analog sticks, read our TrimUI Brick vs. R36S vertical handheld comparison.

Keeping your operating system separate from your ROMs and following the 5V charging rule prevents the two most common causes of lost save data.

Out-of-the-Box Value: Unconfigured Imports vs. 2Bluebox's 15,768-File R36S Library

Many marketplace TrimUI Smart Pro listings ship with an empty slot or an unlisted card. Every 2Bluebox R36S ($79.99, 2bluebox.com) ships with ArkOS 2.0 on a Dual-RAM RK3326 board, 15,768 publicly listed files, and a 30-day replacement guarantee.

When you buy a TrimUI Smart Pro from a generic import storefront, you face two choices: buy it without a card and spend your weekend downloading CrossMix-OS from GitHub, hunting down BIOS files (scph1001.bin, gba_bios.bin), and scraping ROM sets, or pay extra for a bundled card with no title list and duplicate filler ROMs.

When I pulled the 64GB microSD card from our 2Bluebox R36S unit on my desk and exported the directory tree, we published the full database so you know what you're paying for before checkout:

• 15,768 total files filtered to 12,805 unique playable games: We stripped out duplicate numbered dumps and non-working files from the count. You can search every console folder right now on our verified 15,768 R36S game list to check for Chrono Trigger, Pokemon Emerald, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Marvel vs. Capcom, or Mario Kart 64.
• Dual-RAM RK3326 board running ArkOS 2.0: Marketplace R36S clones often cut costs with a single RAM chip and locked EmuELEC firmware. Our units use the Dual-RAM RK3326 board (1GB DDR3L) with ArkOS 2.0 preconfigured.
• US LLC support and 30-day replacement guarantee: Every order from 2bluebox.com is backed by 2Bluebox LLC (1500 N Grant St, STE N, Denver, CO 80203) with Free Tracked Shipping on orders from $50 and a 30-Day Hardware & MicroSD Replacement Guarantee.

Table 3: 2Bluebox (2bluebox.com) vs. Marketplace TrimUI Smart Pro Imports vs. Generic Marketplace R36S Listings

When my seven-year-old daughter sits next to my desk playing 16-bit platformers, she doesn't care about Vulkan drivers or custom GitHub overlays; she just wants her game to boot and her Save State to load with FN + L1. That out-of-the-box readiness is what you're buying at $79.99.

Which Console Should You Buy for SNES, GBA, PS1, and Widescreen 3D Gaming?

Pick the 2Bluebox R36S ($79.99) when most of your play is 4:3 classics (SNES, GBA, PS1, Arcade, lighter N64) in your pocket. For smooth PSP, PS2, GameCube, and Wii on a Windows PC, choose the 2Bluebox Portable HDD Super Console 500GB ($64.99).

Here is the straightforward way to match your budget to the right hardware without getting caught by screen-size marketing:

• Choose the 2Bluebox R36S Handheld ($79.99) if: You want a true pocket handheld with a native 4:3 IPS screen (zero pillarbox bars on classic systems), two clickable L3/R3 analog sticks, a second card slot for future backups, a removable 3200mAh battery, and 12,805 unique playable games ready to play out of the box. Skip it if you want to plug into a TV (it has no HDMI-out) or if your main goal is heavy 3D PSP, PS2, or GameCube.
• Choose the TrimUI Smart Pro (marketplace import) if: You carry a backpack or sling bag, want built-in Wi-Fi and sleep mode, enjoy setting up CrossMix-OS and curating your own ROM card on a computer, and spend most of your time on GBA, 2D/medium PSP titles, or side-by-side Nintendo DS screens where a 16:9 display makes sense. Skip it if you need clickable L3/R3 sticks or pocket-sized carry.
• Choose the 2Bluebox Portable HDD Super Console 500GB ($64.99) if: The real reason you looked at a 16:9 handheld was to play God of War on PSP plus PS2, GameCube, Wii, and Dreamcast at full speed. Plug this 500GB USB 3.0 drive into a Windows PC or laptop to boot Batocera Linux with 110,686 games, using your computer's CPU and GPU for smooth widescreen 3D play. Skip it if you only use an Apple Silicon Mac (M1/M2/M3/M4).
• Choose the 2Bluebox Retro Game Stick 4K Pro ($59.98) if: You want two-player couch co-op on a living-room TV. Neither the R36S nor the TrimUI Smart Pro has HDMI output; our white SEGAM-M8-V5.0 HDMI stick plugs straight into your TV and includes two 2.4GHz wireless controllers plus 14,755 unique games listed at /pages/all-games.

Whether you want a 4:3 pocket console for your daily commute, a 500GB external Batocera drive to unlock PS2 and GameCube on your Windows laptop, or a two-player TV stick for family nights, all three 2Bluebox systems ship free with tracking on orders from $50:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Conclusion

The TrimUI Smart Pro is a capable horizontal handheld if you carry a bag, enjoy tweaking CrossMix-OS over Wi-Fi, and spend most of your time on GBA or lighter 16:9 PSP games. Nearly every home console before the PS2 era output a 4:3 picture, though, so a 188mm widescreen slab with black side bars and sticks that don't click makes less sense for everyday pocket play.

For classic 4:3 consoles from NES and GBA up through PlayStation 1 and lighter N64 titles, the 2Bluebox R36S Handheld ($79.99) gives you a full-panel 3.5-inch 4:3 IPS display, clickable L3/R3 sticks, dual card slots, a removable battery, and 15,768 files ready the moment you switch it on. And if big-screen 16:9 3D gaming is what you really want, pair your Windows PC or laptop with our 2Bluebox Portable HDD Super Console 500GB ($64.99) instead.

Match the screen to the games you actually play, keep a 5V charger by your desk, and Press Start.