R36S Clone List: K36, G80, Soy Sauce, PS202 & Fakes

Last updated October 20, 2026 · R36 Ultra Editorial Team

R36S clones fall into three groups, according to the handhelds.wiki R36S Clones page: EmuELEC clones (usually a K36-style board in an R36S shell), rare “good” clones that run standard ArkOS, and fakes with a weaker chip and no custom firmware. You identify yours from the stock software, the files on the SD card and, most reliably, the mainboard code printed on the circuit board. Which firmware works depends on that board, not on the name on the box.

This page is the reference list of known clone families. If you’re still shopping, our guide to spotting a fake R36S and the R36 Ultra original vs clone checks cover what to look for before you buy.

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Quick answer

The handhelds.wiki R36S Clones page sorts R36S-shaped handhelds into three tiers: genuine (full custom firmware support), EmuELEC clones (limited but improving support) and fakes (weaker chip, no custom firmware).
The wiki says EmuELEC clones were first spotted in August 2024 and describes them as a Gaminja/Kinhank K36 board in an R36S shell. Known boards include G80C, G80CA, G80D, HG36 “sticker” boards and clone versions of R36S-V12 and R36S-V20.
Fakes such as the PS202 (MediaTek MT6572, Android), GA36 and Gaminja Batocera units (Allwinner A33), RK3128 units and GB350-based “R36S V2.x”, R36SX and R36HD have no custom firmware as of 2026, per the wiki.
“Clone Type 1”, “Type 2” and so on are configuration names in ArkOS4Clone’s DTB selector, not models printed on a box. ArkOS4Clone renamed several of them in its 20260915 release.
The dArkOSRE-R36 README lists G80CA boards (Panel 8) and several “Soy Sauce” Y3506 boards as completed, with other clone boards in beta. ArkOS4Clone lists K36, K36S, HG36 and its clone types.
Image the stock SD card before flashing anything: the wiki warns that without the original .dtb files you may have to try many panel files.

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What R36S clone types exist? The full list

The table lists every clone family the community references document, from the genuine baseline to the fakes. Firmware entries list only what a named project or wiki says works.

Clone family	How to recognise it	Firmware documented to work	Source
Genuine R36S (baseline)	Boards R36S-V12 2023-08-18 (original “Panel 0”), R36S-V21/V22 2024-12-18, R36S-V30 and R36S-Y02. Two RAM chips, an EASYROMS partition, “ArkOS 2.0” boot message	dArkOSRE-R36 (“r36s” type), ArkOS4Clone (R36s Panel 0 to 4)	dArkOSRE README; handhelds.wiki Overview; TechTactician
EmuELEC clone (K36 board in R36S shell)	Boots EmuELEC; “We can’t find any systems!” without an SD card; EMUELEC or EEROMS partition; italic X button on some units	Depends on the board (rows below). ArkOS K36, ArkOS4Clone, ROCKNIX “b” image (experimental)	handhelds.wiki Clones; ROCKNIX; Retro Handhelds
Kinhank / Gaminja K36	Its own shell with a curved back and physical face buttons; RK3326, 1GB RAM, 3.5-inch 640×480; two microSD slots on the board, one reachable. Internal name RF3500KG	Shipped with skinned EmuELEC. ArkOS4Clone lists “K36 (Origin Panel)”; ROCKNIX lists “Game Console K36”	Retro Handhelds K36 review; ArkOS4Clone wiki; handhelds.wiki
HG36 / HG3506 “sticker” clone	One of the first clones; a sticker shows the board number; single RAM chip (1GB) plus eMMC storage	ArkOS K36 without dtb changes; ArkOS4Clone “Game Console HG36 (HG3506)”	handhelds.wiki Clones
G80C / G80CA boards	Board name printed in white on the PCB; single RAM chip; no eMMC; EmuELEC; Panel 8 or Panel 9	dArkOSRE-R36: G80CA V1.2 and V1.3 Panel 8 completed, G80C not yet confirmed. ArkOS4Clone “Clone Type 2 without amplifier” for G80C	dArkOSRE README; Retro Handhelds Micro Center; handhelds.wiki
G80D-MB V1.0-20250609	Two RAM chips like a genuine unit; smaller screw holes; no BOOT partition on the stock card; looser, louder shoulder buttons	dArkOSRE-R36 beta (Panel 8); ArkOS K36 with Panel 10 files	dArkOSRE README; handhelds.wiki Clones
Clone R36S-V12 2023-08-18 (Variants 1 to 3)	Same board code as the original R36S. Variant 1: one RAM chip plus eMMC. Variant 2: one Micron RAM chip, no eMMC. Variant 3: 512MB RAM plus 4GB eMMC	dArkOSRE-R36: Variant 2 Panel 1 and Variant 3 completed. ArkOS4Clone “Type 2 Without Amplifier” for Variant 2	dArkOSRE README; handhelds.wiki Clones
Clone R36S-V20 (2025-05-18, 2025-09-18)	V20 board code; the stock system remaps about 750MB of RAM to 1GB; the board is also used in R36 Max units	dArkOSRE-R36 beta (batches 2541, 2548, 2549). ArkOS4Clone “Clone Type 1 Without Amplifier”, but the wiki warns of a speaker overvolt bug	dArkOSRE README; handhelds.wiki Clones
“Soy Sauce” (Y3506 boards)	Y3506_V03 to V06 board codes. Nicknamed after a JD.com deal bundled with soy sauce; the wiki calls it “more of a clone capable of running ArkOS than a revision”	dArkOSRE-R36 “soysauce” type (V03 and V04 completed, V05 beta); ArkOS4Clone SoySauce Panel 1 to 5	handhelds.wiki Overview; dArkOSRE README; ArkOS4Clone wiki
“Good” clones: R35S+/R36S+, no-TF2-slot, round D-pad	Back label R35S+ or R36S+, thinner button labels and smaller joystick holes; or no second card slot; or a rounded D-pad. Rare	Standard ArkOS, according to the wiki	handhelds.wiki Clones
Fakes: RK3128, GA36, Gaminja Batocera, PS202, PS101, GB350 types	Weaker RK3128, Allwinner A33 or MediaTek MT6572 chip; OS often on internal storage; locked stock OS; some lack L3/R3	None. Not compatible with K36 or clone images	handhelds.wiki Clones; Critical Hits

R36S clone types, recognition signs and documented firmware (as listed by the named sources; firmware status can change with each release)

For separate R36-family models, see what an R36 handheld is.

Is my R36S a clone? 8 checks you can do at home

These checks come from the handhelds.wiki, Retro Handhelds and TechTactician. No single check is conclusive, so combine several.

Watch the boot screen. Retro Handhelds puts it simply: if you see the EmuELEC screen, it’s a clone. The wiki adds that some clones skip the “ArkOS 2.0 (release date)” message.
Power on with no SD card. The wiki and Critical Hits both say a genuine R36S won’t start this way, while some EmuELEC clones show “We can’t find any systems!”
Check the card’s partitions on a computer. A genuine card normally has an EASYROMS partition. Clones show EMUELEC or EEROMS instead, according to TechTactician and the wiki.
Look at the .dtb files on the BOOT partition. TechTactician lists rk3326-evb-lp3-v12-linux.dtb, rf3536k4ka.dtb, rf3536k3ka.dtb or no .dtb files at all as strong signs of an EmuELEC clone.
Read the memory in RetroArch. Under Main Menu, Information, System, the wiki says about 497MB points to a 512MB clone. Critical Hits gives roughly 900MB or more for a genuine unit.
Inspect the buttons. The wiki lists a crooked or italic X, very thin letters, a darker blue X and thinner speaker grills on some clones. Retro Handhelds notes that later batches fixed the X, so a normal X proves nothing.
Count the RAM chips on a clear shell. Retro Handhelds explains that a genuine R36S has two 512MB chips, while many clones have one. The G80D board breaks this rule with two chips.
Read the board code and its .dtb. The mainboard code (for example G80CA-MB V1.2-20250423) matches the table above. You can also upload your stock .dtb to the DTB Analysis Tool, which the wiki says works for genuine and clone panel files. Our which panel do I have guide walks through it.

K36 vs R36S: what’s the difference?

The K36 is a copy of the R36S, released unbranded and under the Kinhank name, according to Retro Handhelds. Its review lists the same RK3326 chip and 1GB of RAM, a 3.5-inch 640×480 screen and a 3500mAh battery. It ships with a skinned EmuELEC made to look like ArkOS.

The bigger story is that K36 boards also turned up inside R36S shells. Retro Handhelds reported that AliExpress sellers shipped K36 internals as genuine R36S units, and the wiki’s “EmuELEC clone” family grew from there. That’s why “K36” in a firmware list often means a whole family of boards, not just the Kinhank handheld.

Physically, the K36 is easy to tell apart: the review describes a curved back, physical face buttons instead of the R36S’s membrane style, and one reachable microSD slot. Our K36 product page and R36S product page have the listing specs side by side.

What do ArkOS4Clone “Clone Type 1–5” names mean?

They are configuration folders in ArkOS4Clone’s DTB selector, not product names. The ArkOS4Clone wiki lists Type 1 (with amplifier, without amplifier, or without amplifier with an inverted right stick), Type 2 (with or without amplifier), Type 3 panels and Type 5. The handhelds.wiki device list also shows a Type 4.

The numbering has changed. The 20260915 changelog renamed Type 3 Panels 1 to 3 as Type 1 Panels 2 to 4, folded Type 5 into Type 1 Panel 5, and added Type 1 Panel 6 and Type 2 Panel 2. It also says types are now told apart by the GPIO pin shared with the joystick’s analog input, so you can’t see your type from outside the device.

The practical rule: find your board code or upload your stock .dtb, then pick the type the wiki or the DTB Analysis Tool names for that board.

Which firmware runs on R36S clones?

dArkOSRE-R36. The README describes a “customised dArkOS build” for R36S devices and clones. It sorts boards into “r36s”, “clone” and “soysauce” types. The latest release listed is 03082026, and several clone boards are still in beta.
ArkOS4Clone (and dArkOS4Clone). The archived ArkOS-R3XS README points users here for updated ArkOS. The project keeps the original DTB files and uses a dtb_selector tool to set up each device. Its wiki notes that installing to eMMC isn’t supported yet.
ArkOS K36. The handhelds.wiki says development stopped on August 25, 2025, but many board entries still reference its Panel 8, 9 or 10 files.
ROCKNIX. The ROCKNIX “EE clones” page covers the K36, R36Max/Pro, MyMini and XF35H/XF40H family. It calls support “experimental” and requires the “B” image and nightly 20251110 or newer.
Standard ArkOS-R3XS. The repository was archived on June 9, 2026. The wiki says flashing a standard ArkOS image onto an EmuELEC clone gives a black screen and a flashing red light.

Sources don’t fully agree. Critical Hits says clones are incompatible with dArkOSRE, while the dArkOSRE README lists G80CA and Soy Sauce boards as completed. The likely explanation is that the article means the standard R36S image, but check your exact board against the README before flashing.

The wiki warns that on certain V20 clones, ArkOS4Clone can overvolt the speaker and permanently damage it. ROCKNIX tells eMMC users to copy the stock folder first because a failed flash can brick the device. For general flashing steps on genuine units, see our R36S custom firmware guide and dArkOS guide.

What is a PS202 R36S? And the other fakes

The PS202 is an R36S look-alike with a different chip, probably a MediaTek MT6572, according to the wiki. Its boards are marked PS202_6GEN1_MB_V1 0 or V11, and it runs an old, locked-down Android. The wiki lists no custom firmware for it as of 2026, and a similar PS101_MB_V1.2 board appeared in February 2026.

The other fakes in the wiki share the same problem. GA36 and Gaminja Batocera units use Allwinner A33-class chips, and some of those boards carry a fake RK3326 marking. GB350-based “R36S V2.5/V2.6/V2.7”, R36SX and R36HD units use an HCSEMI E3100 chip with 256MB of RAM and the CubeGM/iCube system.

We found no documented board or firmware source for a “PS5000” R36S look-alike, so it isn’t in the table. If your unit carries an unlisted name, the board code is what counts.

Are GameLab, RetroSnap and other brands clones?

A brand name doesn’t tell you which board is inside. SUPERJUMP’s reviewer concluded that GameLab “seems to be a white-label reseller” of a common R36S-labelled console. The handhelds.wiki lists shopgamelab.com, and the Retropian brand on shop.mashable.com, among clone-reported stores.

For RetroSnap, we found no source that documents a specific board, so it’s not confirmed whether units are genuine or clones. Run the eight checks above on the unit you have. Our GameLab R36S review and RetroSnap review cover the buying side, and our where to buy page covers seller checks.

Is the R36 Ultra or R36 Max a clone?

They are separate R36-family models, not fake R36S units, but their boards sit in the clone side of the firmware lists. dArkOSRE files the R36 Ultra’s GR36S-MB V1.4 board and an R36S-V12 “R36 MAX” board under its “clone” type, both in beta. ArkOS4Clone has dedicated R36Ultra, R36UltraX and R36Max configurations.

TechTactician describes the R36 Ultra and R36 Max as EmuELEC/K36-style devices that ship with EmuELEC. Before changing firmware on an R36 Ultra, back up the stock card with our SD card guide and read the R36 Ultra firmware guide.

Sources

View R36S →

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my R36S is a clone?

Boot it and look for an EmuELEC screen, then check the SD card: EMUELEC or EEROMS partitions, or .dtb files such as rf3536k3ka.dtb, point to an EmuELEC clone. The mainboard code printed on the PCB is the most reliable check. Our which panel do I have guide shows how to read the .dtb.

What is the difference between the K36 and the R36S?

Retro Handhelds describes the K36 as a copy of the R36S with the same RK3326 chip and 1GB of RAM, but it ships with a skinned EmuELEC instead of ArkOS. K36 boards were also sold inside R36S shells, which is where most EmuELEC clones come from.

Can I install dArkOS or ArkOS on an R36S clone?

Only if your exact board is listed. dArkOSRE-R36 lists G80CA and Soy Sauce boards, among others, and ArkOS4Clone covers K36, HG36 and its clone types. Standard ArkOS gives a black screen on EmuELEC clones, so back up the stock card first and see our dArkOS guide.

What is a PS202 R36S?

It’s a fake R36S with a different chip, probably a MediaTek MT6572, running an old Android system, according to the handhelds.wiki. Its boards are marked PS202_6GEN1_MB, and no custom firmware is listed for it as of 2026.

What does Clone Type 1 or Type 2 mean in ArkOS4Clone?

They are configuration names in ArkOS4Clone’s DTB selector, not retail models. The project renamed several types in its 20260915 release, so match your board code or stock .dtb to the type the wiki names rather than guessing.

Is the R36 Ultra a clone of the R36S?

No, it’s a separate R36-family model, but dArkOSRE files its GR36S-MB V1.4 board under its clone type and ArkOS4Clone has its own R36Ultra configuration. See our R36 Ultra original vs clone checks before buying.

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