POWKIDDY X55, Review: 5.5″ HD retro console with RK3566

Today we will see in detail the retro console POWKIDDY X55 of the brand POWKIDDY in our analysis or review. An interesting console for its screen and Linux system.

This console with a very ergonomic design has an interesting 5.5″ IPS screen and 16:9 format. In addition, it has the Rockchip RK3566 SoC, a Quad Core with Cortex A55 cores manufactured that allows us to run quite a lot of emulators. Also, we have Linux operating system with different compilations, we will see how ROCKNIX (former JELOS) works emulating simple PC games thanks to Portmaster. In terms of specifications, we have 2 GB of LPDDR4X RAM and we have two micro SD slots for the OS and games.

Let’s see how this console performs and how it compares to the competition in the sector.

Details of the POWKIDDY X55

First contact POWKIDDY X55

This retro console POWKIDDY X55 comes in a simple cardboard box. Inside we find the console, the USB-C charging cable and a manual in English. In the following video you can see the content, how the operating system runs, emulators installed and we made an emulation test.

Description

The POWKIDDY X55 console is made of blue plastic, the touch is somewhat basic, but the ergonomics are quite good and it has a large 5.5″ IPS screen with HD resolution. In the lower area we find two speakers that give us a good sound. A micro SD card is included with the OS and can also be purchased with an additional one with games.

As for controls on the front we have a directional pad, two analog knobs, four buttons with Switch scheme and volume buttons. The top buttons L1 and R1 and triggers L2 and R2, are simple but comfortable to use.

In the upper frame we have the power and reset button. In the lower area we have the two microSD slots, at the top we have, reset, power, miniHDMI, audio jack and two USB-C, one for charging and one OTG. The POWKIDDY X55 retro console is quite solid, although the feel of the plastic could be more premium.

Display

The 5.5″ IPS 720p 60Hz screen has a brightness sufficient for normal indoor use, the quality of colors, angles and contrast are fine. The screen is ideal for format and resolution to emulate 16:9 games.

• Light output: Manual brightness / Good contrast / Display without light leakage.

Controls

As for the precision of the controls, we have a small analog, but they work quite well. On the other hand, the crosshead can be improved when it comes to detecting positions. The front buttons are adequate, also the triggers are quite pleasant to use, although somewhat noisy. The volume controls are in a somewhat odd position, we also have start and select next to them.

System and performance

Environment and user experience

We start the POWKIDDY X55 console and go through an automatic initial configuration phase. We see that it comes with the Emulationstation system which by default works quite well. We recommend changing it for the ROCKNIX system that gives us better performance. With it we also have the possibility to use Portmaster to play PC games ported to Rockchip ARM processors.

• SD cards: TF1 slot for OS with 16GB / TF2 slot with large card for games.
• Backup: Before modifying anything on the console, create a backup of the original SD card.
• NOTE: The default cards that come with the consoles are very bad and may stop working. We recommend other quality microSD cards like Samsung or Sandisk with large capacity.

Power and performance

In terms of power, the POWKIDDY X55 has a Rockchip RK3566 Quad Core chip. An SoC with 4 Cortex-A55 CPUs at 1.8 GHz and in the graphics section integrates a Mali-G52 MP3 GPU which is in the medium / low range today. An SoC manufactured in 22 nm maintains a good performance, but playing heavy games for a long time can get hot because of the lack of ventilation.

• Performance: Rockchip RK3566 is a little more powerful than Allwinner A133+, his direct competitor. Check our benchmarks for more information.

Battery and temperature

The POWKIDDY X55 console has a 4000 mAh battery, as we have checked the autonomy in a normal use in emulators can last us about 3 hours depending on the brightness. As we can see, the thermals are quite good, but it is a factor that depends on the game we use.

• Battery: Use in heavy 3D games 2-3 hours / Simple 2D games 4 hours.
• Charging: 8W maximum / Somewhat slow

Emulators and Streaming

Emulator Testing

The POWKIDDY X55 console has hardware that, supports simple games up to PSP correctly, even some Dreamcast games. As you can see in our test tablet we also have other quite demanding devices that we can emulate. Undoubtedly this console where it shines is with Portmaster that allows us to load simple PC games compiled for ARM processors, which work quite well.

• Portmaster: Celeste, Half Life, TMNT Shredders Revenge, Quake, Stardew Valley…

Consoles Test table

Game streaming

As for steaming games, it is possible to use Moonligth systems that have a menu within the system settings. To connect it is advisable to connect to a Wifi 5 GHz network of our router. The results are quite good if we have a stable network.

Conclusions and Buy Links

Opinion

As we have seen, the POWKIDDY X55 console is an interesting console because of its 5.5″ IPS screen as well as its Linux system that allows us to use ROCKNIX and the option to run Portmaster. In this console we have the SoC Quad Core Rockchip RK3566 that offers a pretty decent performance up to PSP.

It also offers us a pretty good ergonomics for this type of consoles, something that we appreciate to use for quite a long time. We have two speakers that give a good sound and multiple connectors, plus integrated Bluetooth Wifi adapter. The controls are quite decent and allow us to play comfortably.

After testing the POWKIDDY X55 console we can say that it offers us a versatile and comfortable console. If we are looking for something economical and we want to play at ease it is certainly ideal.

Where to buy

Score