SF3500 vs R36S: which one should you choose?

If you are into pocket retro consoles, you have almost certainly come across the R36S. It kicked off the craze for small, affordable emulation handhelds, and it is still the one everybody mentions. The SF3500 turns up with a simple idea: a much bigger screen, plus a way to play on the TV.

So which one should you choose? It depends on how you play. Here are the differences that matter, with figures confirmed by several sources on both sides.

In a nutshell

	SF3500	R36S
Screen	5″	3.5″
Resolution	854 × 480	640 × 480
Battery	3000 mAh	3200 mAh

The SF3500 wins clearly on the screen. The R36S keeps a slightly bigger battery. Everything else comes down to how you use it: sofa and TV, or pocket and commute?

The screen: 5 inches against 3.5

This is the first difference you notice, and the one that changes the experience most. 5 inches against 3.5 does not sound like much on paper. In area, though, the gap is huge: the SF3500 gives you about 81% more display area than the R36S.

What does that change in practice?

• Text is easy to read. Menus, dialogue, scores: no more holding the console up to your nose.
• You can play for longer without tiring your eyes. A big screen is comfortable at a relaxed distance, lying on the sofa or in bed.
• It is easier to share. A child looking over your shoulder can actually see what is going on.

If you remember the tiny screens of your childhood, you will enjoy seeing the same worlds again, only bigger.

Resolution: more pixels, better spread

The SF3500 displays 854 × 480 pixels. The R36S displays 640 × 480. The height is the same, but the SF3500’s screen is wider, closer to the shape of today’s TVs.

Your videos are at home on it, full screen. And because the screen is bigger for the same pixel height, each pixel is larger too, so the picture keeps the sharp, chunky look people love about retro.

Battery: the R36S wins, just

Here the R36S does a little better: 3200 mAh against 3000 mAh for the SF3500. The gap is small, around 7%.

In practice, both are easy to recharge. If you mostly play at home, it barely matters, because the console is never far from a socket. If you travel with it a lot, keep the cable in your bag.

Size and grip

The SF3500 is held with both hands, with curved grips, two sticks and round buttons. It brings back the feel of the living room controllers you grew up with. Owners who talk about it on Reddit mention this comfort: one user calls it “super comfortable” (r/SBCGaming, June 2026).

A 5-inch screen needs a console to match. The SF3500 is more at home in a bag, on a bedside table or on the arm of the sofa than in a jeans pocket. If having it on you at all times is your priority, keep that in mind.

TV and two-player

This is where the SF3500 really steps up. It has a video output for your TV: plug it in and your games move to the big living room screen.

Add controllers and it becomes a small living room console. Our packs are built for exactly that: the Duo pack adds one controller, the Salon pack adds two. In the evening, when a friend drops by, you hand them a controller and play side by side, just like before.

unGamer’s Short, watched more than a million times, compared the two consoles starting from an advert (“Is the SF3500 MUCH BETTER than the R36S?”). It makes a useful point: trust verified figures over the promises in listings. That is what we have done here.

Which one is right for you?

Go for the SF3500 if:

• you want a big, comfortable screen for long sessions;
• you mostly play at home, on the sofa or in bed;
• you want to plug the console into the TV and play with someone else;
• you are looking for a gift the whole family can share.

Look at the R36S if:

• you want the smallest possible console, always in your pocket;
• a slightly bigger battery matters more to you than screen size.

For a lot of nostalgic players, the choice is quick: you have waited years to see those memories again, so you may as well see them big. The three packs of the SF3500 handheld game console are waiting for you, with free delivery. You have 14 days to change your mind, and the full terms are on the shipping and returns page. Between the sofa, the bedside table and the TV, it will find its place quickly.