Valve didn’t need to upgrade the Steam Deck. The original was already the best handheld gaming PC on the market. But the OLED model takes everything that worked and makes it noticeably better.

The headline feature is obvious: that 7.4-inch HDR OLED display. Colors pop in a way the original LCD never could. Deep blacks, vibrant reds, and a refresh rate bump to 90Hz make every game look and feel smoother. Playing Dead Cells on this screen is borderline unfair to every other handheld.

Battery life sees a meaningful improvement too. Valve claims 30-50% longer depending on the game, and in our testing that held up. We got about 3.5 hours on Cyberpunk 2077 at medium settings, and closer to 6 hours on lighter indie titles.

The build quality has been refined as well. It’s slightly lighter, the thumbsticks feel tighter, and the Wi-Fi 6E module means faster downloads and more stable streaming. The new carrying case is a nice touch.

Is it worth upgrading from the original? If you game on it daily, absolutely. If you’re buying your first Steam Deck, this is the one to get. Period.

Score: 9/10

Pros: Stunning OLED display, better battery life, lighter build, Wi-Fi 6E, 90Hz refresh rate

Cons: Still no significant CPU/GPU upgrade, 512GB max storage, $549 price point