Earlier this year, ZOTAC ventured into the handheld gaming market with the ZONE gaming handheld. Despite being a newcomer, ZOTAC has invested heavily in this device, leveraging the AMD Ryzen 7 8840U platform to ensure a seamless gaming experience. The ZONE also boasts an AMOLED screen for exceptional display quality, along with features like Hall Effect joysticks, flick sticks, and dual touchscreens, providing a highly user-friendly control experience.

Recently, this handheld has officially hit the market, and we've had the opportunity to experience it for some time. Here are our thoughts on using the ZOTAC ZONE.

Ergonomic Design, Aesthetic Appeal, and Enhanced Control Experience

As a gaming handheld, let's start by discussing its design and control features. The ZOTAC ZONE adopts a minimalist design with a gunmetal grey color scheme, giving it a sleek and technological look. Its overall appearance aligns perfectly with its gaming handheld positioning.

Regarding the gaming control experience, the ZOTAC ZONE has undergone numerous optimizations. The lower parts on both sides feature an arc-shaped curve, providing a better fit for the palm and enhancing grip.

For a handheld, the most crucial components are the joysticks and buttons. The ZOTAC ZONE is equipped with Hall Effect joysticks and triggers, using electromagnetic induction technology to avoid joystick drift issues after prolonged use. This provides players with high-precision, low-latency control, ensuring a smooth and accurate gaming experience.

Interestingly, ZOTAC has also incorporated a programmable design into the rings below the joysticks. Players can quickly adjust parameters during gameplay through settings, such as screen brightness and backlight strip adjustments.

Furthermore, the ZOTAC ZONE is equipped with two touchscreens below the joysticks. The left touchpad provides scrolling functionality, while the right one allows cursor movement. As an x86 handheld, these touchpads significantly enhance the control experience in desktop mode.

Another interesting design is the top trigger buttons. The ZOTAC ZONE adopts a two-stage adjustable design. On the back, a lever allows for switching between long and short trigger strokes, catering to different gaming needs.

Looking at other details, the top of the ZOTAC ZONE features an integrated fingerprint power button, with a battery indicator next to it and volume control buttons on the side. It also comes with a USB 4 full-featured port, and a 3.5mm audio jack on the right side.

Additionally, the bottom of the device is equipped with a second USB 4 port. These two USB 4 ports cater well to charging and peripheral expansion needs during gaming.

The ZOTAC ZONE also includes a UHS-II microSD card reader, allowing users to easily expand storage. For instance, games can be stored on a microSD card and played directly after insertion, aligning well with the handheld form factor.

On the back of the device, the ZOTAC ZONE provides two additional programmable back buttons, facilitating more complex gaming operations. It also includes the indispensable RGB light strip for gaming.

The ZOTAC ZONE comes with a built-in stand, allowing users to prop up the handheld. It's very convenient for watching movies or videos on the go.

7-inch AMOLED Screen with 120Hz Refresh Rate

For the display, the ZOTAC ZONE is equipped with a 7-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1920x1080, supporting a 120Hz refresh rate. It covers 99.92% of the Display P3 color gamut, boasts a peak brightness of 800 nits, and has a color accuracy ΔE of less than 2.19, demonstrating exceptional overall quality.

Our tests using a SpyderX colorimeter revealed a color gamut coverage of 100% sRGB and 99% P3, with a color accuracy ΔE of 2.01, aligning with the official specifications. Regarding brightness, the measured value exceeded 800 nits (cd/m²), consistent with the official claim.

For a gaming handheld, balancing experience and portability is crucial. The 7-inch screen adopted by the ZOTAC ZONE ensures a comfortable size while providing a visually appealing experience, making it suitable for both gaming and movie watching.

Smooth Experience Brought by AMD Ryzen 7 8840U

Let's delve into the internal performance of the ZOTAC ZONE. It is powered by the AMD Ryzen 7 8840U processor, fabricated using a 4nm process with 8 cores and 16 threads. It has a base frequency of 3.3GHz, a boost frequency of up to 5.1GHz, and a maximum TDP of 28W, making it quite powerful.

It also employs the Zen 4 architecture and RDNA 3 GPU architecture. The 780M integrated graphics ensure a smooth experience for various AAA titles, which is the core value of a gaming handheld.

CPU-Z Test

3D Mark Steel Nomad Light Test

Our objective tests demonstrate its outstanding overall performance.

AIDA64 Memory Test

CrystalDiskMark Hard Drive Test

Furthermore, the ZOTAC ZONE is equipped with 16GB LPDDR5X-7500 memory and a 512GB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD (2280), sufficient to meet daily needs. Actual tests reveal excellent performance from both components.

As a handheld, the crucial factor is the actual gaming experience. We selected several popular games for testing. To better showcase its gaming handheld characteristics, we tested the performance of each game while connected to a power source and on battery power.

Forza Horizon 4 - Plugged In Performance

Forza Horizon 4 - Battery Mode Performance

Starting with Forza Horizon 4, we can see that at a resolution of 1080p, it performs well whether on battery or plugged in, maintaining a frame rate of 60 fps. This is crucial for a racing game, ensuring a smooth gaming experience.

Meanwhile, thanks to the excellent feel of the ZOTAC ZONE's joysticks and buttons, the gaming experience is outstanding. Additionally, the ZOTAC ZONE provides impressive haptic feedback, enhancing immersion during gameplay. When a vehicle takes a corner or rides over a curb, appropriate vibration feedback is provided, offering a more realistic gaming experience.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider - Plugged In Performance

Shadow of the Tomb Raider - Battery Mode Performance

Next up is Shadow of the Tomb Raider. At 1080p resolution, whether plugged in or on battery, it achieves over 40 frames per second (fps), delivering exceptional performance.

Cyberpunk 2077 - Plugged-in Performance

Cyberpunk 2077 - Battery Mode Performance

Lastly, for Cyberpunk 2077, both plugged in and on battery, it maintains an average frame rate of 44 fps. It's evident that the ZOTAC ZONE ensures stable performance even on battery, demonstrating its capability as a handheld gaming device. Players can enjoy a smooth experience without being tethered to a power source. Furthermore, the ZOTAC ZONE handles these AAA titles with ease, making it possible to enjoy AAA games anytime, anywhere.

As a hot title this year, we couldn't skip Black Myth: Wukong. Using the official benchmark test, the ZOTAC ZONE achieves an average frame rate of 55 fps for Black Myth: Wukong, which is truly impressive.

Addressing the inevitable heat issue during AAA gaming, the ZOTAC ZONE offers an effective cooling solution. It incorporates a 3-heatpipe configuration within its compact body, coupled with high-efficiency fans and a well-designed cooling system, effectively managing heat during gameplay.

Front Temperature After 30 Minutes of Dual Stress Test

Back Temperature After 30 Minutes of Dual Stress Test

After a 30-minute stress test, we measured the device's temperature. The hottest part of the body reached around 50°C, which is well-controlled overall. The joystick and other handheld areas maintained a temperature of around 25°C, making it very player-friendly and preventing overheating during extended gameplay.

Apart from these features, the ZOTAC ZONE comes with the ZOTAC GAMING ONE launcher, which automatically recognizes installed games for centralized management. It allows gamers to launch games with a single click, making the daily use of the ZOTAC GAMING ONE launcher feel more like a gaming console.

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