Analogue make the best clone consoles ever produced, Abernic and other cheap Chinese emulation systems don't come close. Analogue's consoles use FPGAs to essentially 'simulate' the hardware of the consoles they're based on for extreme accuracy that the vast majority of emulators can't match. Throw in the the 615dpi screen that's a 10x integer scale of the original Game Boy's resolution, the fact it plays original carts, is compatible with original Game Boy peripherals and that it can be docked like a Switch, and it's clear that while Abernic's stuff is cheaper, it's not even in the same class as the Pocket.

Don't know why you'd be surprised if Pocket releases either, Analogue have released a whole bunch of consoles. Pocket has been delayed more than once but considering the state of manufacturing tech and shipping in the last year and a half that's not a big deal, nor an indication it won't release at all.