The highly anticipated GPD Win 5, GPD’s latest gaming handheld, made its official public debut at the ChinaJoy 2025 exhibition in Shanghai, following an earlier private showcase. Despite over half an hour of detailed footage now available, the initial reception from the fan community has been notably mixed, with significant discontent voiced over several key tech design choices.
This unveiling marks a pivotal moment for GPD, as the GPD Win 5 is their first portable gaming device to be powered by AMD Strix Halo processors, a significant upgrade poised to deliver enhanced performance. Coincidentally, Ayaneo, another prominent player in the gaming handheld market, was also expected to showcase its offerings at the same high-profile industry event, setting the stage for direct competition and comparisons.
To commemorate the Win 5’s public unveiling, GPD strategically released extensive video content across its social media channels. These videos meticulously explore the device’s aesthetic and functional aspects, including a detailed look at its substantial 80 Wh external battery pack. Curiously, GPD opted to benchmark the Win 5 against its older models, the Win 3 and Win Max 2, rather than its immediate predecessor, the Win 4, raising questions among enthusiasts.
A central theme of GPD’s promotional efforts has been the GPD Win 5’s raw performance capabilities, touting the 7-inch portable gaming device as delivering “laptop performance levels.” This bold claim aims to position the Win 5 at the forefront of the gaming handheld market, appealing to users who demand desktop-like power in a compact form factor.
However, pushing such high performance inevitably leads to thermal challenges. As GPD itself acknowledged towards the conclusion of their demonstration video, escalating the Win 5’s Thermal Design Power (TDP) to 70W results in noticeable thermal hotspots. Surface temperatures in certain areas were observed to exceed 48 °C, a concern for prolonged portable gaming sessions.
The feedback from the dedicated gaming handheld community has been bifurcated. On one side, a segment of fans genuinely appreciates GPD’s ambition to push the boundaries of what a gaming handheld can achieve, commending their innovative approach to form factor and power. This group views the GPD Win 5 as a bold step forward in tech design innovation.
Conversely, a significant portion of the community has expressed strong reservations, particularly regarding GPD’s tech design decisions. A prominent point of contention revolves around the power button’s unconventional placement, which appears to sit directly beneath where a user’s left hand would naturally rest during use, potentially leading to accidental presses and ergonomic discomfort.
Further exacerbating fan discontent are several perceived omissions. The absence of a physical keyboard, a staple on many previous GPD devices, has been met with disappointment, especially for users accustomed to its utility for productivity and gaming. Additionally, the decision not to include an OLED display, a feature increasingly common in high-end portable gaming devices, has also been negatively received by those expecting premium visual experiences.
Overall, while the GPD Win 5 showcases impressive technological advancements unveiled at ChinaJoy 2025 with its AMD Strix Halo processor, the immediate public reaction highlights a critical balance between innovation and user expectation in tech design. The ongoing debate within the community underscores the challenges of satisfying a diverse and passionate user base.
