R36 Max in smoke black · front view
Illustrative game scenes.
R36 Max · square 4″ screen
Your R36 Max
A vertical body, a square 720 × 720-pixel panel and a 4000 mAh battery. Choose the shell, then the microSD card capacity.
Free delivery, taxes and customs duties included. Returns accepted within 30 days.
720 × 720Square laminated IPS panel
In the hand
A dual grip
under your palms.
The front stays flat. On the back, the shell curves into two grips where your fingers rest. The L1, L2, R2 and R1 triggers line up along the back, just above.
Stated dimensions: 83 × 153 × 35 mm, including 35 mm of thickness at the grips. The translucent shells let you see the circuit board.
Choose my R36 Max
4-inch IPS screen
A square screen.
Taller, just as wide.
The 4-inch IPS panel shows 720 × 720 pixels, about 254 pixels per inch. It is fully laminated (OCA) under the glass.
A 4:3 game shown without stretching keeps its proportions, with bars above and below. Display options depend on the system and the emulator.
About 36% more screen area, calculated from the stated diagonals. The same 4:3 image, without stretching.
Physical controls
D-pad, ABXY, two sticks.
And four triggers.
The D-pad and the diamond of ABXY buttons sit at the top of the front, the two analogue sticks in the lower corners. In the centre: heart-shaped SELECT and START buttons, and a round FN button printed like a ball.
Power and Reset are on the left edge, the volume control on the right edge.
Battery life
4000 mAh.
USB-C charging.
The 4000 mAh Li-Po battery is shown on the label on the back of the console. Battery life: up to about 6 h, as stated by the manufacturer. It varies with brightness, volume, emulator and game.
Charging goes through the USB-C port marked DC. A USB-A to USB-C cable is included. Use a 5 V adapter rated at least 1.5 A: no mains adapter is supplied.
64 / 128 GB
Two microSD slots.
The system on one side, games on the other.
The TF1 slot, on the right, holds the system. The TF2 slot, on the left, takes the games. Choose a 64 or 128 GB card.
128 GB doubles the nominal space without changing performance. The number of games depends on their size, and usable space after formatting is slightly lower.
Twice the space with 128 GB
| Design | Vertical, dual grip on the back |
|---|---|
| Screen | 4-inch laminated IPS · 720 × 720 (1:1) |
| Battery | 4000 mAh Li-Po |
| Processor | Rockchip RK3326, 4 Cortex-A35 cores up to 1.5 GHz |
| Graphics | Mali-G31 MP2 |
| RAM | 1 GB |
| Storage options | 2 microSD slots · 64 or 128 GB card |
| System | Linux, EmulationStation-style menu |
| Connections | USB-C (charging), USB-C OTG, 3.5 mm headphone jack |
| Wireless | No Wi-Fi, no Bluetooth |
| Dimensions | 83 × 153 × 35 mm (stated) |
| Touchscreen | No |
Compare the designs
Which R36 is for you?
Your questions answered
Before your
first game.
R36 Max or R36S: what’s the difference?
Both consoles use a Rockchip RK3326 and 1 GB of RAM. The R36 Max moves to a square 4-inch screen at 720 × 720 pixels, compared with 3.5 inches at 640 × 480 on the R36S. It adds a 4000 mAh battery, a dual grip on the back and four rear triggers.
R36 Max or R36 Ultra 4″: which should I choose?
They share the same square 4-inch screen at 720 × 720 pixels and the same processor. The R36 Ultra adds 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, with a 3000 mAh battery. The R36 Max does without Wi-Fi but carries 4000 mAh and a dual grip.
Does the R36 Max have Wi-Fi or Bluetooth?
No: no Wi-Fi, no Bluetooth and no video output to a TV. Depending on the installed system, a USB Wi-Fi dongle plugged into the OTG port may work. It is sold separately, and online play is not guaranteed.
What kinds of games can it emulate?
The RK3326 handles 8-bit and 16-bit consoles well, along with Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance, arcade classics and many PlayStation games. On N64, PSP or Dreamcast, results depend on the game and settings. PS2 is not supported. Only play games you own the rights to.
Can I change the system on the R36 Max?
The console ships with a Linux system and an EmulationStation-style menu. Community firmware exists, such as versions of ArkOS for the R36 Max. Installing it is at your own risk: always back up your microSD cards first.
Your next game starts here.
Choose my R36 Max