ONEXFLY APEX Air vs APEX: Intel Arc G3 Extreme vs Ryzen AI Max+ 388, Battery, Weight, TDP, and Cooling

ONEXFLY APEX Air vs APEX specifications

Arc B390 versus Radeon 8060S

The Radeon 8060S is the obvious specification-sheet winner. Forty RDNA 3.5 compute units give it a larger graphics engine than the 12-core Arc B390, and independent high-power systems consistently show the AMD GPU pulling ahead when it receives enough memory bandwidth, cooling and package power. That makes APEX 388 the safer choice for native-resolution AAA gaming, heavy texture packs and games that do not have a good upscaling path.

Arc B390 is more interesting than the raw core count suggests. Independent wattage-controlled testing shows it can approach or beat Radeon 8060S in some low-power tests before AMD takes the lead at higher limits. That behavior suits a handheld that is designed around roughly 35-45W rather than a system chasing a 75W or 120W benchmark mode. It also makes the game’s API, Intel driver version and XeSS implementation unusually important.

XeSS 3 can add upscaling and frame-generation options in supported games. Those generated frames can make motion appear smoother, but they do not remove input latency or turn an unstable base frame rate into responsive play. Start with a stable 40-60fps base, then test frame generation. For competitive games, lower settings and native rendered frames usually remain the cleaner choice.

Why 1200p changes the result

Both handhelds use a 1920×1200 screen. That is 11 percent more pixels than 1920×1080 and more than twice the pixel count of 1280×800. A game that looks GPU-limited at native resolution may become smooth at 1600×1000, 1440×900 or 1280×800 with a sensible quality upscaler. The panel’s VRR support helps uneven frame delivery look cleaner, so a stable 42-50fps can feel better than a wildly changing attempt at 60fps.

APEX 388 has more room to hold native 1200p in demanding games. Air’s best use is often a lower internal resolution reconstructed to the panel, especially when running below 30W. That is not a failure of the display; it is how an 8-inch high-refresh panel can serve both sharp desktop work and efficient gaming.

A practical TDP strategy

An original APEX owner review found roughly 45-50W to be the preferred balance: the grips remained comfortable, while fan noise was clearly audible but more manageable than pushing the chassis harder. That report came from a Ryzen AI Max+ 395 unit. It is useful evidence about the body and cooling layout, not a measured recommendation for every 388 game.

ONEXFLY APEX Air:8 Gaming Handheld with Intel Arc G3 Extreme

$1,839.00

Deal rating 10/100 Stable tracked price Lowest $1,839 Data checked September 8, 2026

Price and coupon data checked on September 8, 2026; lowest recorded price $1,839 on September 6, 2026.

Tracked price history

View Deal

The removable battery changes the meaning of portable

Both APEX designs move the 85Wh battery into a detachable rear module. The idea has three real advantages: the handheld can become much lighter on wall power, a depleted pack can be replaced without opening the chassis, and battery wear does not automatically turn the entire device into a repair job. APEX Air also supports hot swapping, so a second charged module can extend a session without shutting Windows down.

The compromise is mass. The battery itself is published at about 380g. Add it to the reported 639g Japanese APEX Air body and the working total is about 1,019g. Add it to the 729g figure in the US specification image and the total becomes about 1,109g. That 90g disagreement is large enough that neither figure should be treated as universal until retail units from each region are weighed.

Original APEX owners repeatedly describe the same split. Some like removing the pack and playing beside a charger because the bare handheld feels unexpectedly comfortable. Others find the attached pack too heavy or dislike managing a cable when the battery sits separately. The design works best when the buyer already knows which of three modes fits daily use:

Cooling, fan noise and the real benefit of APEX Air

APEX Air is not simply a weaker APEX. Its dual 5,400RPM fans, four heat pipes and 47,200mm2 fin area are substantial for a 35-45W target. The cooling system is designed to keep Arc B390 near its useful ceiling without requiring the external Frost Bay liquid-cooling accessory associated with high-power APEX configurations.

The AMD APEX can use a similar air-cooled layout, but its 45-120W power range creates a different problem. At 45-50W, owner reports suggest the chassis can keep heat away from the grips reasonably well. Above that, each extra watt buys a smaller performance gain while increasing exhaust temperature and fan noise. A 120W mode may be interesting for a desk benchmark, but it removes most of the ergonomic logic of an 8-inch handheld.

Noise should be judged by pitch as well as decibels. Two fans can move more air at lower individual load, but a narrow high-frequency tone may still be distracting. Before committing to a final profile, test a quiet game scene, a CPU-heavy compilation or shader-building sequence, and a sustained GPU load. A profile that is acceptable under speakers may become tiring with the game muted.

Controls, display and everyday handling

The two APEX models share the strongest parts of the physical design: full-height capacitive sticks, Hall-sensing adjustable triggers, rear inputs, dual linear haptics and a six-axis motion sensor. The triggers can switch between an 8mm analog throw and a short 2mm action, which is more useful than a cosmetic mode toggle. Long travel suits driving games; short travel makes repeated shooting inputs faster.

The controls are fixed rather than detachable. That makes the chassis more rigid and avoids side-rail movement, but a damaged controller is not as easy to replace as a detachable module. One detailed APEX owner review praised the soft stick caps, slightly rubberized shell and grip comfort when the battery was removed. That experience supports the shape of the Air, but the new model still needs long-term owner evidence for button consistency and stick wear.

The shared 8-inch LCD is a practical compromise. Native landscape orientation avoids the rotation problems of older portrait panels, 120Hz leaves room for lighter games, and VRR matters more than chasing triple-digit frame rates in demanding titles. The published 500-nit brightness should be comfortable indoors and usable in shade, but it is not an outdoor-sunlight specification. Buyers expecting OLED blacks or HDR impact should not infer those features from the premium price.

Memory and storage: 32GB is not the whole story

APEX Air’s 32GB is enough for Windows, a modern game and a sensible graphics-memory allocation. It becomes restrictive when the same machine is expected to run a large local AI model, a virtual machine, an editor and a game at once. Because integrated graphics borrow system memory, assigning an excessive fixed VRAM pool can also starve Windows without improving a game that was already GPU-bound.

APEX 388 offers 48GB and 64GB configurations in current specification material. The extra capacity is valuable for workstation use and large texture or mod workloads, but it does not turn the 8-core 388 into the 16-core 395. Choose it for memory capacity and Radeon 8060S graphics rather than assuming every old APEX productivity chart applies.

Both machines support a full-size M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 drive, microSD and an external Mini SSD slot. A sensible storage plan is to keep Windows and frequently played games on the internal SSD, use Mini SSD for a fast removable library, and reserve microSD for emulation, media and less demanding titles. Tiny game updates can become painful on a slow or nearly full microSD card even when average read speed looks adequate.

Settings that make more sense than maximum mode

1. Start at 1200×800 or 1600×1000. Choose the lower value for demanding games and the higher one for UI-heavy RPGs or strategy titles where text clarity matters.
2. Set a frame target before raising TDP. Try 40fps or 48fps with VRR, then increase power only when the frame-time graph shows a repeatable GPU limit.
3. Use upscaling in Quality or Balanced mode. Ultra Performance at this screen size can produce unstable fine detail, especially in foliage, hair and thin geometry.
4. Test frame generation last. First establish a responsive base frame rate. Generated frames improve presentation, not simulation or input latency.
5. Cap background power. Pause game-launcher downloads, disable unnecessary startup tools and let shader compilation finish before judging performance.
6. Watch total system power, not only the TDP slider. Screen brightness, SSD activity, memory and the USB devices also consume the 85Wh battery.
7. Keep one conservative profile. A quiet 18-22W preset is useful for travel, while a 35-45W plugged-in profile can handle heavier games without rebuilding every setting.

Which APEX should you choose?

Pre-purchase checks that prevent the wrong APEX

Final verdict

ONEXFLY APEX Air makes the unusual APEX formula more focused. It keeps the excellent 8-inch 120Hz VRR format, large removable battery, full controls and generous storage expansion, then matches them to a processor that is more comfortable in a conventional handheld power range. For someone who values efficiency, plays at 800p-1000p and expects to remove the battery while plugged in, Air is the more balanced design.

APEX 388 is the machine for buyers who know why they need Radeon 8060S and more than 32GB of unified memory. It has a higher gaming and workstation ceiling, but that ceiling is reached through power and cooling rather than magic. The best APEX experience reported by owners is often around 45-50W, not at the biggest number in the control panel.

The remaining uncertainty favors patience. APEX Air has hands-on coverage but no meaningful retail-owner history yet, its regional documents disagree on weight and maximum TDP, and there is no controlled Air-versus-388 game suite. The smart decision is therefore not “Intel or AMD” in isolation. It is whether the device will be used as a 20-35W handheld or a 45W-plus compact gaming PC. Air fits the first role; APEX 388 has the hardware to win the second.