JXD’s Old Favourite Gets A Refresh, Enter The S602.

The JXD S601 was one of the first Android handhelds to get it almost all right, its familiar design and stable Android port made it a firm favourite with many retro gaming fans. I’m surprised it took JXD so long to refresh this product line to be honest, but here it is – the brand new JXD S602. Many things have stayed the same – why fix what’s not broken eh? –  but a couple of nice tweaks have been made that should make this device a great choice.

First of all, the battery has been bumped from 2300mah to 2500mah – not a great improvement perhaps, but the battery life was already fairly impressive so anything extra is a bonus. This time the device ships with Android 4.0 on board, and perhaps the most missed feature on the S601 has now been added – HDMI output. The new machine houses a GeneralPlus SoC which comprises of a 1Ghz CPU, 512MB of RAM and a PowerVR SGX531 GPU. The touchscreen is still resistive, but for a device like this that is controlled mostly by hardware buttons I’ve never seen that as a detriment – and it’s a good way to keep the cost low too. And the price really is quite low – just $65.99 shipped. That’s probably the cheapest of any Android handheld so far.

It’s available now at Willgoo, check it out.

They’ve kindly filmed a demonstration video of the device as well, here it is.

Thanks to Chad W Smith for the heads up 🙂

11 thoughts on “JXD’s Old Favourite Gets A Refresh, Enter The S602.”

  1. They didn’t make the Analog a true analog? That sucks.

    And it’s still resistive and not capacitive. And low resolution.

    WillGoo talks about it being “Prettier” but I really don’t see much of a difference other than the smaller Android logo and the plethora of control buttons. What am I missing?

    Reply
    • Yeah I’m not sure how it’s prettier either – it looks the same to me from the pics. True analog will probably never happen on a budget Android handheld, it’s too much work. The GCW team are having enough of a task getting analog to work on their Linux handheld, it seems that it’s not an easy task.

      Low resolution resistive screen, yep it’s not a step up – but that’s what keeps the price low. For me, those things are not as important in a retro gaming machine. What’s more important is good controls, high compatibility and TV Output.

      It’s not a premium device, but it’s a budget device with some premium features. If it works as it should I think it will be excellent value for money. We’ll have to wait for some reviews to come in I guess.

      Reply
    • Cool – thanks. You can delete my comment if you want. I just saw how much of a whiney dork I’m being there. Sorry about that.

      Anyway – like I said, the important thing is that you answered my question about what is different – not too much. So thanks for the post.

      Reply
    • it’s difficult for me to make the distinction between “premium” and “budget” when a Budget Android tablet in the $50 ~ $70 range will have HDMI out, MicroSD Slot, capacitive screen, gravity sensors, WiFi, and at least 800 x 480 resolution. Granted – those don’t have game controls, but they do have everything else.

      The Archos you mentioned a few posts back – that looks AWESOME. With not one, but TWO real analog sticks, and all the capacitive goodness for under $200 (150 Euros ~ $189 US). Plus the controls will work with Android games – not just Emus. That’s kinda a big deal.

      I admit, it must be CRAZY hard for a manufacturer to keep up. I mean when some company can offer a very similar product with just 1 more feature, or just 1 improved spec and offer it for the same, or (even worse) a lower price, and no one will buy their product anymore.

      Also – how do you know what features to leave out in order to lower price? I mean the JXD here costs LESS than the K1 GBA and does a heck of a lot more. But because the K1 is a hardware clone and not just an emulator – it will have a following.

      When I bought my Yinlips YDPG18A (from WillGoo by the way) I got it for more than just gaming. I wanted another Android tablet as well – for all the stuff you normally use an Android tablet to do.

      I guess it all boils down to – what are you looking for and what are you willing to pay to make that happen. As time goes on, it seems you’ll be able to do more and more for less and less.

      I will say this – if I hadn’t spent the last few months researching and then buying an Android handheld, and this is the first one I saw, I would be AMAZED that such a thing exists, and for such an incredibly low price. Most people (outside of Asia maybe?) don’t even know this market is out there.

      And my amazement would come even knowing about stuff like the Dingoo, the GP2X, and the OpenPandora, etc.. In fact, knowing how much THOSE cost, I would be floored by the value of this product.

      Reply

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