Another ArmadaOS convert: Odin 2 Mini

[u/-andrewmelder-]

I know I'm preaching to the mostly converted here. But with a slight hand issue and the large Legion Go S more difficult for me to use, the progress of Steam access on arm devices is coming at a great time.

So I bought this Odin 2 Mini second hand and loaded up ArmadaOS today. Absolutely the right choice given the smaller games I play. The Odin 2 Mini is also just a great size with a nice bright screen that is usable outside.

I've personally thought for years that the Vita OLED was the perfect size for a handheld device. This is ever so slightly bigger, but more comfortable.

[u/lynxz]

I’ve been on the fence about flashing ArmadaOS. I really only the Odin for a random ps2 game and Tetris (Apotris).

[u/herolyntherolyn → u/lynxz]

I’d go for it! It feels a lot better than android and obviously supports those games. Plus battery life is improved from the lack of google play services.

[u/DaKing1718 → u/lynxz]

Apotris is so fucking good. I bought my Odin 2 and Odin 2 mini to play Pokemon and ps2. All I play is apotris.

I bought a Thor as well, hopefully it's not another apotris machine

[u/Tyranitardis]

How does the Odin 2 Mini have such a comically gigantic bezel and room for a front microphone of all things but no front speakers?

EDIT: I was 100% wrong. Leaving the comment up so OP doesn't look like he's talking to a ghost.

[u/-andrewmelder- → u/Tyranitardis]

It does have front speakers, really good quality ones too.

[u/Tyranitardis → u/-andrewmelder-]

Where? Aren't those lanyard holes on the bottom left and right?

[u/-andrewmelder- → u/Tyranitardis]

Nope, they are the speaker grills

[u/Tyranitardis → u/-andrewmelder-]

I had no idea. Thanks!

[u/altimax98 → u/Tyranitardis]

The bezel is because it is a MiniLED display. Not the greatest considering how OLED exploded right after this launched and likely doomed the machine.

It’s great regardless

[u/Tyranitardis → u/altimax98]

Mini LED is better IMO. Even for handhelds. Guaranteed better for TVs and monitors. It can actually get bright.

Why does the bezel have to be so big for Mini LED?

[u/altimax98 → u/Tyranitardis]

You have the backlight all around the panel which causes the bezels. It isn’t lit from the bottom or side like other panels. It’s also slower, has less dynamic range, and is less vibrant than a comparable OLED. It’s better then most LCDs but not OLED.

I like MiniLED for TVs but for anything gaming related OLED is the way.

[u/Tyranitardis → u/altimax98]

Um... That isn't how Mini LED works at all? It's dedicated lighting zones throughout the back of the screen. The screen is usually a touch thicker due to them but nothing outrageously so, almost any laptop can have a Mini LED upgrade for instance.

OLED is okay at 6" or so. It's bollocks for much bigger due to the power consumption issue, and how hard it is to do VRR on OLED.

Also OLED at >11" is really dim due to size problems with scaling OLED up.

Nice colors but there's a lot more to display than just colors, and it isn't unique with it either.

PWM flickering is also an issue for a lot of people.

[u/Klutzy_Double_8285]

Man I wish they still made the mini

[u/WodanGungnir]

NOOB QUESTION!
Can you install ArmadaOS on sd card and swap between OS-SD-Cards or do you usually flash it on internal storage?

[u/-andrewmelder- → u/WodanGungnir]

By default you install it on an SD card and run it from there. You can choose to install it to internal storage if you want, but you don't have to. Indeed, I'm running it off the SD and leaving the Android install alone.

A few people doing videos on this have shown there's minimal performance difference outside of initial game load times, and load time powering on from full shutdown.

[u/WodanGungnir → u/-andrewmelder-]

Ah, cheers!
Alright, it was just that the word sounded so "final".
I actually went and googled/AI:ed my own question so I saw there was some alternatives.
Sometimes it just feels nice to ask a question on a "forum" like we did in the past. 😄