R36 Plus (R36S Plus): The Square-Screen R36 With Wi-Fi
The R36 Plus, listed by many sellers as the R36S Plus, keeps the vertical R36S body but swaps the 4:3 panel for a 4-inch 720×720 square screen and adds built-in Wi-Fi. Same Rockchip RK3326 inside, so the games it can run are the same; what changes is how they are framed on the screen.
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Quick Verdict
🏆 A good pick if you want Wi-Fi without a USB dongle.
The square screen shows 4:3 systems with bars top and bottom, and Game Boy systems unusually large. Decide whether that suits what you play.
R36 Plus Specifications
Every row names where the figure comes from. "Seller listing" means the manufacturer-supplied specification on a retail listing, which we could not verify independently.
| Spec | R36 Plus | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | Vertical | Handhelds Wiki |
| Chip | Rockchip RK3326 (4× Cortex-A35), Mali-G31 MP2 | Handhelds Wiki |
| RAM | 1GB | Handhelds Wiki |
| Screen | 4-inch IPS, 720×720, 1:1 | Handhelds Wiki |
| Storage | Two microSD slots | Handhelds Wiki |
| Wi-Fi / Bluetooth | Built in / None | Handhelds Wiki |
| Video out | None | Handhelds Wiki |
| Audio | Front-facing speaker, 3.5 mm jack | Handhelds Wiki |
| Battery | 3000 mAh | Handhelds Wiki |
| Released | April 2025 | Handhelds Wiki |
Emulation ceiling for every RK3326 handheld on this site: comfortable through the PlayStation era, with N64, Dreamcast and PSP depending on the game. See our systems guide.
Video: our channel, @r36shandheld.
Who the R36 Plus Is For
- You want Wi-Fi for scraping box art or network transfers without buying a dongle.
- You play a lot of Game Boy, Game Boy Color or square-format games.
Who should look elsewhere
- You mainly play PlayStation or SNES: the 4:3 image uses only part of the square panel.
- You want the widest community firmware support; the R36S is better documented.
How It Compares With the R36H
Against the R36H you gain Wi-Fi and a bigger panel but lose the horizontal grip and the 4:3 screen that matches most retro systems. See how the R36H adds Wi-Fi if that is the only thing pulling you here.
Firmware
Check the firmware project's device list before buying for custom firmware; the square panel needs its own display configuration, so an R36S image will not simply work. Our firmware guide explains how to verify support.
What you need
Whichever R36 model you pick, the bundled microSD card is the weak point. A branded card and a reader let you back up the stock card before you change anything. More options on our accessories page.
SanDisk Ultra 128GB microSD card
A branded card for games or a backup of the original card.
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SanDisk MobileMate USB 3.0 microSD card reader
Lets a computer read and write the console's cards for backups and images.
Check Price →Frequently Asked Questions
They are the same device under two names. Sellers use both; Handhelds Wiki files it as R36Plus.
No. Handhelds Wiki lists Wi-Fi as built in and Bluetooth as absent.
It depends on the system. 4:3 consoles such as the SNES and PlayStation show black bars top and bottom; Game Boy titles fill more of the panel than on a 4:3 screen.
Sources
Other R36 Family Models
See the full model list, or jump to the R36H guide.