When we recently reviewed the MagicX XU Mini M, we noted that it was said to be running the Rockchip RK3562, a relatively new package which was introduced in 2023.
Despite this new chip, we found that higher-end emulation for systems like PSP and Saturn was rather spotty, and now we know why – it's not running the Rockchip RK3562 at all, but the older RK3326 from 2017.
A teardown by TheGammaSqueeze has revealed the older chipset:
According to Notebook Check, MagicX has severed ties with the company which supplied the chipset. As we noted in our review, there were already reports that MagicX was looking to release another variant of the device with an Allwinner A133 Plus chip.
Perhaps the company already knew that the RK3562 inside the XU Mini M was a fake? Who knows, but for the time being, we'd still recommend the device to anyone who is looking for a cheap way to play 8 and 16-bit games via emulation.
If you want something more powerful, then perhaps wait for the Plus variant of the handheld – assuming you can trust MagicX now...