For reasons I can’t quite explain, I was surprisingly excited about the release of the ASUS ROG Ally X. It’s not like I don’t have enough handhelds to play around with, as I own the Steam Deck OLED, Lenovo Legion Go, and MSI Claw. And that’s not counting the Android or other retro handhelds that I own.
However, I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with the original ROG Ally. I loved the performance and the screen, but it was an absolute abomination to use for long periods of time. So when I saw that ASUS tweaked the design for this mid-cycle refresh, I was definitely intrigued.
ASUS ROG Ally X Specs
By now, there’s a good chance that you already know what the ROG Ally X has running under the hood. But in the event that you don’t know, or don’t remember, here’s the full list of ROG Ally X specs:
- Display:Â 7-inch 120Hz IPS w/ Gorilla Glass Victus / 100% SRGB FreeSync Premium
- Resolution:Â 1920 x 1080 (FHD)
- Peak Brightness:Â 500 nits
- Processor:Â AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme (Up to 5.10GHz)
- GPU:Â AMD Radeon, RDNA 3
- RAM:Â 24GB (2x 12GB) LPDDR5
- Storage:Â 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 2280 SSD
- Connectivity:Â Bluetooth 5.3 / Wi-Fi 6E
- I/O:Â 1x Thunderbolt 4 w/ DisplayPort and Power Delivery; 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C; microSD card slot;
- Audio:Â 3.5mm Audio Combo Jack; Dual speakers; Built-in microphone
- Battery:Â 80WHrs
ASUS ROG Ally X Review: Design and Display
First things first, the ROG Ally X isn’t the ROG Ally 2. It serves as ASUS’ chance to “right the wrongs” from the original release, such as fixing the microSD card slot, boosting performance, and tweaking the design. With that, we don’t have an OLED panel, as ASUS is likely reserving that for the next iteration.
While I would’ve loved to see an upgraded OLED panel, the LCD screen on the ROG Ally X is still phenomenal. You also don’t have to worry about any weird issues as this is still a landscape-native panel. Since it’s the same screen as its predecessor, we also have VRR and a 120Hz refresh rate.
More importantly, to me at least, is that ASUS fixed the ergonomics. It still doesn’t quite match up with the Steam Deck OLED for me, but it’s a heck of a lot closer than I expected. I can actually sit back and enjoy playing games for more than 20-30 minutes.
With the original Ally, my hands would start cramping within minutes. It’s the same reason why I can’t really play my Nintendo Switch without using my trusty Satisfye grip. As a result, I gravitated more towards playing games on my PC or Steam Deck.
I really can’t emphasize how happy I am that ASUS made this change, even though it doesn’t quite match the comfort of the Steam Deck.
Speaking of changes that I’m ecstatic about, ASUS no longer relies on the M.2 2230 NVMe. With the ROG Ally X, not only does it ship with 1TB of storage, double that of the ROG Ally, but we can now use traditional M.2 2280 NVMe SSDs.
This alone is a massive change, as 2280 SSDs are so much more affordable than 2230 options. We also don’t have to deal with limited storage configurations, as you can spring for an 8TB M.2 2280 SSD. On the flip side, the 2230 form factor maxes out at 2TB.
Ultimately, this means you could pack the ROG Ally X with a whopping 10TB of storage. That’s 8TB from the SSD, and then another 2TB via the microSD card slot. It’ll definitely set you back an arm and a leg, but it’s incredible that this is even possible. If you were wondering, it costs at least $1,865 for the entire ensemble (Ally X: $799 + 8TB NVMe: $825 + 2TB microSD: $240).
ASUS ROG Ally X Review: Software
One of the biggest problems with Windows handhelds is…Windows. Microsoft has been trying to make its OS more touch-friendly for years. While Windows 11 isn’t an awful experience, the inadequacies are pretty apparent whenever using a device without a keyboard and trackpad.
Obviously, this isn’t as much of a problem on the Steam Deck as SteamOS is optimized for the controls. Plus, the Steam Deck has the benefit of the touchpads for navigation, something that ASUS has not implemented. Instead, Armoury Crate has been greatly improved in an effort to operate like Steam Big Picture mode.
I still prefer the interface offered by Steam Big Picture Mode, but ASUS’ alternative isn’t an absolute abomination. You can finally add your favorite apps to the launcher, while any games downloaded are still automatically populated. Not to mention that ASUS also makes it easy to switch between a list view and a grid view.
More importantly than all of that, I’m just happy to see that ASUS is willing to implement major changes at all. It’s so serviceable, and solid, to the point that Zu published a walkthrough video sharing how you can launch emulated games from Armoury Crate.
In my time with the original Ally, another constant frustration was the delay whenever pressing the Command Center button. Although there’s still a bit of a delay, depending on what game I’m playing, it’s still much more reactive than before.
I don’t know whether to attribute that to the Ally X having more RAM or that the software is just better. No matter what the reason actually is, I’m a big fan.
ASUS ROG Ally X Review: Performance and Battery Life
So here’s the thing, I thought about trying to take the extremely analytical approach to this review. That would have meant packing this section with a bunch of benchmarks all in an effort to prove a point. However, I decided to take a different approach, for reasons that will become apparent in an upcoming article.
That being said, it’s not like I didn’t try and push the Ally X to its limits. But, it’s not like we’re dealing with a next-gen AMD Ryzen chipset here. It’s still the Ryzen Z1 Extreme, paired with 24GB of RAM, as opposed to the 16GB from the original Ally.
Over the past month, I’ve played everything from Call of Duty: MW3 to Tears of the Kingdom, and a lot of things in between. I’ve also tinkered with different power modes, such as dropping down to Silent Mode when playing MVP 06: NCAA Baseball for the PS2. Mind you, I’m also playing it at 5x scaling, so things are looking crisp and there is nary a hiccup to be found.
Something else that continues to blow me away is the standby time of the Ally X. The other day, I was playing Madden ’25, streamed from my PS5 through PSPlay to the Ally X. Of course, this isn’t the most demanding scenario, as it’s not like I was playing Madden directly on the handheld.
However, I left the screen for at least 7 or 8 hours and didn’t need to plug in the Ally X until the evening. That’s not 7 or 8 hours of continuous gameplay, as I would stop to do something else or take the dog out. I just really can’t get over the idea that a Windows handheld is capable of lasting for that long on a single charge. The only time that I’ve been reaching for a charger is to install an update, or after I’ve played games for a couple of days and want to have plenty of juice for the next day.
Naturally, your mileage may vary depending on the types of games that you play with the Ally X. If you spend a lot of time playing AAA titles, then you’ll be reaching for the charger more often than not. But, if you stick to lower-demanding games, including retro games and streaming, then the Ally X is practically perfect.
ASUS ROG Ally X Review: Final Thoughts
Ever since the Ally X landed on my desk, pretty much every other handheld that I have has been collecting dust. This includes both my beloved Legion Go and Steam Deck OLED, along with the RG35XX SP and Miyoo Mini Plus.
There have only been a couple of exceptions to this, as I recently picked up the Kinhank K36, and wanted to test the waters. Besides that, I still prefer to play Call of Duty on my desktop PC. There’s just something about playing Call of Duty on handhelds that makes me feel like I’m a step slower than if I play on my computer.
Sure, I could plug the Ally X into my 49-inch Ultrawide and pair the Xbox controller to it. But, it’s just not something that I really feel the need to do, especially when my PC has an RTX 4080, Core i9-14900K, and 64GB of RAM. Overkill? Sure. Is it worth it? You’re damn right.
ASUS ROG Ally X Review: Should You Buy It?
Okay, so here’s the thing. If you already own any of the other best x86 Windows handhelds, you don’t need the ROG Ally X. For one, it costs more than the retail price of the original Ally. For that, the only major differences are battery life, more RAM, and a functional microSD card slot.
Two of those three differences can be solved, by relying on a portable charger, and by filing an RMA through ASUS, respectively. Unfortunately, you can’t just download more RAM to your Ally, so you got me there.
Plus, $800 is also a lot of money to spend on a mid-cycle refresh, even with the aforementioned benefits. That being said, if you can make some money back by selling your current handheld, then the price becomes a bit more palatable.
Although it’s basically become a meme at this point, I still think that the Steam Deck is the best x86 handheld for most people. Both the LCD and OLED models are less expensive than the Ally X, SteamOS is goated, and the ergonomics are divine. Oh, and Steam recently updated its drivers so if you decide that SteamOS isn’t it, you can install Windows 11 with relative ease.
At the end of the day, I’m still reaching for the ROG Ally X more than anything else, and there’s something to be said about that.
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