The ASUS ROG Ally X Checks All The Boxes

The ASUS ROG Ally X has officially been unveiled, as it debuted in a livestream during Computex in Taipei. It’s been almost a month since the Ally X was first teased in an effort to get people excited. While ASUS accomplished that goal, it also opened the floodgates as we’ve seen a plethora of leaks. 

While the ROG Ally X isn’t exactly the successor that you might have been hoping for, there’s plenty to get excited about. Getting the big question out of the way, the ROG Ally X is powered by the same AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme and RDNA 3 GPU found in the original ROG Ally. It also shares the same 7-inch IPS touchscreen display, sporting a 1920 x 1080 resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and reaching up to 500 nits of peak brightness. 

ASUS ROG Ally X Hands-on from Stubbs! pic.twitter.com/9VLW2tPqaK

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Beyond that, the similarities mostly come to a halt. The only real exception is that the front looks pretty similar to the current iteration. Speaking of looks, it seems that ASUS and MSI are sharing case designs, as the ROG Ally X now comes in Black. It’s also worth noting that this is the only color option available for the latest ASUS handheld.

ASUS ROG Ally X Specs

• Display: 7-inch 120Hz IPS w/  Gorilla Glass Victus / 100% SRGB FreeSync Premium
  • Resolution: 1920 x 1080 (FHD)
  • Peak Brightness: 500 nits
• Processor: AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme (Up to 5.10GHz) 
• GPU: AMD Radeon, RDNA 3
• RAM: 24GB (2x 12GB) LPDDR5
• Storage: 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 2280 SSD
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3 / Wi-Fi 6E
• I/O: 1x Thunderbolt 4 w/ DisplayPort and Power Delivery; 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C; microSD card slot; 
• Audio: 3.5mm Audio Combo Jack; Dual speakers; Built-in microphone
• Battery: 80WHrs

What’s more exciting are the various under-the-hood changes that ASUS makes with the Ally X. First of which, while the Z1 Extreme is still here, it’s now being paired with 24GB of LPDDR5 RAM, up from 16GB.

Stubbs looks pretty happy

As for storage, tinkerers can rejoice as ROG Ally X owners can swap out the included 1TB NVMe SSD without paying an arm and a leg. This is because ASUS makes the move from M.2 2230 to M.2 2280. While the 2230 form factor has grown in popularity, you can still get a 2280 for much less. Let alone the fact that you go as high as 4TB, compared to the 2TB limitation of the 2230. 

Part of the reason why the ROG Ally X can accommodate the longer 2280 SSD is that ASUS completely redesigned the internal layout. ASUS has yet to explicitly confirm this was due to the microSD card problems plaguing owners of the ROG Ally. No matter the reason, we’re hoping these changes pay dividends by ensuring that your microSD card won’t stop working. 

Lastly for the specs, arguably the biggest change comes to the battery. ASUS has managed to double the physical battery being used. The original ROG Ally offered a 40Wh battery, capable of lasting a few hours. But with the ROG Ally X, we now have a massive 80Wh battery, which we can’t wait to put to the test.

ROG Ally X Design

For some, the ergonomics of the original ROG Ally weren’t exactly the greatest. ASUS has heard those complaints, introducing a slight redesign to the grips of the ROG Ally X. In doing so, holding the ROG Ally X should feel more natural and comfortable.

You’ll also notice a surprising omission, and that’s the XG Mobile port on the top. It’s been completely removed, as it’s been replaced with dual USB-C ports. One of these is Thunderbolt, offering fast transfer speeds and making it easy to use an external GPU. The other maxes out at USB 3.2 Gen 2 speeds, while still supporting Power Delivery and DisplayPort 1.4.

On the back, we have the programmable M-Keys, which shouldn’t get in the way of anything while still being easily accessible. Additionally, ASUS states the ROG Ally X has an improved “Precision D-Pad,” which will surely be a point of contention once it arrives on doorsteps.

ROG Ally X Price and Release Date

Unlike the original ROG Ally, the ROG Ally X is only available in one configuration. For that, you get the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme, 24GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage, all for $799.

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You can pre-order the ROG Ally X now, ahead of its July 22nd release date. It will be available from multiple retailers, including Best Buy.

Pre-order the ASUS ROG Ally X

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