I found out early that a new sister brand was going to be released from Gynoid. It only took a few weeks before I decided to place an order for the new HouYu doll because the curiosity just took over. The trust in Gynoid has been there for a long time, and especially for their contact person, Eric. Eric has been very helpful and service-oriented to me and many others.
The order was placed on September 1, 2024, and I received the factory video on December 7, 2024. It took a while for the doll to be manufactured, but this was expected. She was delivered this past Monday, January 27, 2025. The delivery went easy, fast, and smoothly without any problems.
I filmed the unpacking process to prevent unexpected problems if the doll had been damaged during transportation. The outside of the box had no damage, but it was clear that customs or someone else had opened the box and inspected the doll during transport. The blanket was wide open, and the head lay unprotected. This resulted in the makeup on the chin peeling off due to friction against the packaging material. I have mentioned the flaws to Gynoid about their packaging a couple of times. I think they need to change or upgrade their packaging method, especially for the head. Other than that, the doll looked very good and had no major damage!
The first doll on the left is the Model 19 Deluxe, which I also call Ronja. In the middle is the new HouYu doll, Elle, and on the right is the Model 9, which I call Emina. Ronja came to me on January 22, 2024, and Emina came on August 26, 2020.
The HouYu doll’s body is generally softer than Ronja’s body. However, Ronja has softer breasts and is a year old. It is very difficult to describe a material so that everyone understands, but my experience of both Ronja’s and HouYu’s materials is that they are more fleshy, and Emina’s material has a more silicone feel.
The skeletons of the dolls are different. Ronja’s joints have a slight resistance and are equally tight. She is very easy to handle and has a good range of motion. The HouYu doll’s skeleton has a more unpredictable stiffness, and some joints are more resistant than others.
The HouYu doll is advertised to weigh 23 kg, but after weighing the doll myself, the scale showed 26.6 kg. To be clear, this was only the body without the head attached.
Ronja has the deluxe skin tone, also known as number 3. Her breasts have a very realistic feeling, and they have the just right amount of fullness and softness. They also jiggle very nicely and realistically when you play with them.
HouYu’s breasts are filled, which means they hold their shape longer and are more durable. Her body makeup is very similar to Ronja’s, although not as deep and has some flaws.
Emina, Model 9, has similar soft breasts to Ronja but not as “heavy”. They remind me a bit of the newer breasts on Shedoll. Her body paint is very similar to the Tayu doll’s body makeup. Emina also has less skin texture than the other newer dolls, but the paint is still very detailed. Her breasts have held up well and have not been punctured since I bought her. She has worn a Calvin Klein bra to hold up and protect her breasts.
The range of motion on the dolls is slightly different. Ronja and the HouYu doll have a greater range of motion in the elbow than Emina. Otherwise, they are pretty much the same except for the tightness. See pictures below:
A known issue with the older Model 9 is that the wrist has an unnatural bend. See the image below on the right. The HouYu doll does not have the same wrist, but it can also bend unnaturally if turned incorrectly.
On the HouYu doll, the material follows when the wrist turns, which it doesn’t do on Emina. You can see on Emina how the silicone gets twisted when her hand is turned. Both the hands are also equally small and have metal finger joints.
Ronja’s wrist is slightly twisted like Emina’s but not at the same level. In the picture below, Ronja is sitting on the left.
Emina’s hand skeleton resembles the HouYu doll. However, her fingers have become looser over the past years.
HouYu’s hand has a large range of motion, and she can easily hold things. Her fingers are also difficult to puncture, and the nails are more firmly glued in, the same way as they are on the Exdoll. The hands are very soft, but it is easy to feel the steel joints through the silicone.
Ronja’s hand is very soft and fragile. She also does not have the same range of finger movements and may have difficulty holding things. This is because her fingers are looser, and her hand skeleton is also made of plastic with rivets instead of screws.
This is Emina’s foot. All her toes stick together, and she has no joints in her toes.
The HouYu doll has joints in all toes except the little toe, which is connected to the ring toe.
It is also the case on Ronja that all toes have joints except for the little toe, which is connected to the ring toe.
Ronja has her foot in the middle, HouYu on the left, and Emina on the right. Both Ronja’s and HouYu’s feet are made of hard silicone. However, I feel that the silicone on Ronja’s foot is stiffer than what it is on HouYu. Emina only has the standing bolts.
The seamline on the HouYu doll is more visible than on Ronja. This is probably due to the material on the HouYu doll being softer.
Emina’s knee has no clear texture and is only painted.
HouYu has a clear texture on the knee that is even clearer than what Ronja has.
Ronja has more detailed sculpting around her knee than the other two dolls.
This is the seamline on Ronja, HouYu, and Emina:
The makeup under the thighs and the buttocks has some areas that aren’t painted. However, this is something that will wear away over time if the doll is used regularly. She has the same soft material inside her vagina as Ronja, which is outstanding.
I also ordered a neck hole for the doll that can be used for hanging. The hole is covered with a silicone plug that is also painted on the outside to blend in with the rest of the body.
I bought the soft Elle head with the oral orifice and the movable jaw. The jaw is very easy to open, and her mouth is very detailed. She has the same mouth structure as the other Gynoid models. Her oral tunnel is quite deep with a nice texture. However, I think her makeup is too fragile and can be easily damaged during usage.
Video: HouYu vs Gynoid.mov - Google Drive
My conclusion
Whether a doll is worth the money or not is very difficult to say, as this can vary greatly from person to person. Different people have different amounts of money, values, ​​and expectations. For me, Gynoid is close to my heart, and they have my trust. However, I am aware of the mistakes and flaws that Gynoid has, but flaws exist in all brands. Unfortunately, Gynoid’s high prices for their exclusive dolls make them stand out even more.
As I said before, all dolls have flaws. Before I choose a doll for myself, I want to know: Is this a doll for me? Can I take care of it the way it needs to be? Are my expectations realistic? What is the range of motion? Weight? Texture?
I am very impressed and satisfied with HouYu, and for others who want to try a doll that is very similar to Gynoid, I would definitely recommend HouYu. The Gynoid head collection can be matched with the HouYu body if necessary. However, the Gynoid heads have a higher price tag.
