Donner Sample Boy, leaked this Summer on Amazon, is an upcoming battery-powered sampler workstation – first details
Over the summer of 2026, an image of a new groovebox from Chinese company Donner appeared on Amazon—without any additional information. Its colors and design elements made it look like a Teenage Engineering product, or even a clone of the OP-1.
Now, at the Beijing Modular event, Donner confirmed that it is developing the “Sample Boy,” showcased a prototype, and revealed the first details.
Donner Sample Boy
Donner officially unveiled the Sample Boy at the event, as shown in a Sonicstate video. The Sample Boy is still in development and is designed as a sample workstation/groovebox.
The hardware matches the leaked photo, though it feels significantly larger than expected. Keep in mind that this is a prototype.
It features a 2.8” full-color IPS LCD display, four color-coded parameters, six touch points, and 16 backlit buttons. In the middle are a fader, a jog wheel, and a navigation pad.
The current prototype isn’t finished, so it also doesn’t have everything implemented yet. So far, its feature set doesn’t match the scope of something like the OP-1 Field. It’s more of a sampler than a full-fledged groovebox.
The prototype shown has 32-voice sampler polyphony. You can sample from several sources: line input, the internal mic, USB audio, or the internal digital tape mode for resampling.
Interestingly, you can sample cleanly or apply an input effect, choosing from a filter, EQ, compressor, distortion, or colored mode. The internal engine samples at 48 kHz and 32-bit.
Once you’ve sampled, you can quickly slice the sample using a dedicated mode and the 16 backlit mini buttons along the bottom.
According to Jake at Donner, the prototype has a 7-track sequencer that lets you create tracks from scratch.
And the display with the Teenage Engineering interface that appeared in the leaked photos was just a placeholder—something Jake also confirmed on Gearspace a few weeks ago. You can see the actual interface in the video.
Connectivity
The sleek back reveals the connections. A USB-C port transmits data like audio and MIDI and charges the internal battery. You then have a mini jack MIDI IN and OUT, analog sync IN and OUT, and a line input and output.
On the side, you also have an orange slider and a microSD slot for storing samples and more.
According to Donner, the Sample Boy is still under development and slated for release in 2027. Price is TBA.
More info will follow here: Donner Music
Article from August 28, 2026
Donner Sample Boy is a new Synthesizer that popped up on Amazon that could be a Teenage Engineering OP-1-inspired synthesizer and sampler.
The Chinese company Donner entered the synthesizer and electronic music market a few years ago with a range of affordable analog and digital products, including the B1 (TB-303 clone), Essential L1 (SH-101 clone), and others.
Since the L1’s release, there has been little news of new products. However, something has surfaced this summer. The Donner Sample Boy is described as a new synthesizer and may be inspired by the much-loved-and-hated Teenage Engineering OP-1.
Leaked Image
One thing to note right away: Details about Sample Boy are not yet available at the time of writing.
The Donner Sample Boy appeared on the company’s official Amazon.com store this summer, listed with just one image and the name: “Portal: Sample Boy Synthesizer”.
No detailed information is available, but two words may hint at what’s coming: sample and Synthesizer. So it’s likely a Synthesizer that can play samples and even sample live. That would be exciting!
A glance at the photo reveals a handy instrument that appears to be made of aluminum. It also features a round, four-way gray button and flat knobs similar to a joywheel. A fader sits between them, possibly for fading from one track to another.
Below that are more buttons and two controls that look like miniature dials. The layout of the 16 buttons in the Sample Boy’s final third is striking, suggesting a sequencer you can program hands-on.
TE OP-1 Display Visualization?
Then there are four small color encoders, probably for tweaking the engine, and a large OLED display above them. That wouldn’t be notable on its own, but what it shows fuels further speculation.
It displays a “Porta 4-Track” visualization copied 1:1 from the Teenage Engineering OP-1 Field tape user menu. It’s unclear whether this is simply an unfinished placeholder UI or whether it’s meant to look this way.
Either way, it fuels speculation that the Donner Sample Boy could be a kind of OP-1 for the masses—without the big price tag. Time will tell. There’s also a built-in speaker on the right side.
On the side, there’s also an orange dial that looks like a volume control, along with what may be a microSD card slot.
Early Impression
From a design perspective, it could be a Synthesizer similar to the OP-1, with similar features and concept, but developed for the mass market. A user on the Gearspace forum mentioned it appeared for 194€, but that listing has since disappeared.
It’s exciting to see what Donner is cooking. I’ll definitely keep an eye on this topic.
Donner Sample Boy availability and price are TBA.
Source: Amazon.com