Asus ROG Ally

Asus recently announced the ROG Ally It’s been criticized for not offering any performance upgrades, but based on my experiences testing a range of PC Windows handhelds, I think it’s a solid upgrade in many respects. Moving from 16GB to 24GB of memory solves problems plaguing a small but growing number of new games, while doubling the battery size goes a long way toward solving the biggest problem plaguing every Windows handheld has: the terrible battery life.

It is true, however, that the Asus ROG Ally X uses the same Z1 Extreme processor as the non-X model. The octo-core Zen 4 CPU setup paired with a 12 CU RDNA 3 GPU remains as is, running at the same clock speeds. There is a slight performance boost however, thanks to the fact that the Ally X not only increases the memory capacity, but also the bandwidth, swapping out the 16GB of 6400MT/s LPDDR5 for 24GB of 7500MT/s LPDDRX. These processors thrive on bandwidth, as we saw with the Steam Deck OLED, where I saw anywhere between a two- and nine percent performance boost in games thanks to that faster RAM – without getting into specifics at the preview stage, you’d expect much the same in the transition from Ally to Ally X.

There are also scenarios where more memory will give you a massive boost in gaming performance – I refer you to Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, which is a stuttering mess on the original Asus ROG Ally, but is virtually stutter-free on the Ally X. This is because the game requires a fair amount of system memory and video RAM, and while this can be configured in the Asus Armoury Crate software, neither option provides an acceptable gameplay experience. The Ally X runs perfectly fine as is on its out-of-the-box setting, which splits the 24GB of RAM between 16GB of system memory and 8GB of VRAM.

Another example is Remedy’s Alan Wake 2. It will run on the original Ally, but memory checks on launch suggest the game will need 12GB of system RAM and 6GB of VRAM – a total of 18GB that isn’t available on the older model. You can ignore the prompts and carry on, but it’s not ideal. This might seem a little odd in a world where the Ally has the same amount of memory as the Xbox Series X and PS5 (more, in fact, considering those consoles reserve RAM for system tasks), but the split memory pool setup on PC is a limiting factor – something the Ally X edges past thanks to excessive capacity.

In addition to memory, more improvements have been made. I’d say that with these changes, the Ally

Let’s discuss battery life first. To me, this is by far the weakest part of the original Ally with its 40Whr battery. The point is, to get the most out of the Z1 Extreme, 25W of power on the APU is the sweet spot. Add other system components to that and you are looking at a power consumption well above 40 watts. It’s very, very easy to see the original Ally’s battery life in under an hour (or less). While doubling the battery size won’t give you Steam Deck OLED-like life, about two hours of triple-A gaming (or slightly less) with the 25W APU power setting isn’t that bad. It worked for me.

The larger battery gives Asus the opportunity to redesign the internals of the handheld. The change from a white casing to a black one is obvious, but in the hand the weight is what is most noticeable. At 678 grams it’s sturdier than the very light 608 grams of the original Ally – but that’s a price I’d easily pay for such a huge battery. Otherwise, the basic form factor of the machine remains largely unchanged – which is actually a bit of a miracle. For example, the AyaNeo Kun has a slightly smaller battery than the Ally

Inside the case, the new battery means that Asus has significantly updated the internal components. The fans are smaller – which generally means louder – and yet the new Ally has a claimed 24 percent increase in airflow, while actually being quieter. All I can really say from a user perspective is that the 25W mode I like to use is definitely quieter than the original Ally. The internal redesign means that the smaller, Steam Deck-like 2230 size SSD makes way for a more standard 2280, opening the door to more drives, cheaper drives, and access to higher capacities – all the way up to 8GB. We also now get a 1TB SSD, larger than the 512GB in the original Ally which always felt very limiting to me.

Back to the outside: the analog sticks are heavier, the triggers are larger and the buttons have more travel. There are also grippier grips. These are minor refinements and I didn’t really have any issues with this sort of thing on the standard Ally, but it’s all welcome.

The port situation has changed, and for the better. The contentious SD card port, which caused a lot of problems for users of the original Ally, has been moved to a completely different location, as has the headphone jack. The single USB-C on last year’s model, fitted to an XG Mobile eGPU connector, has also been overhauled on the Ally X. There are now dual USB-C ports, one of which is USB-4 compatible, meaning you can access a wider range of eGPU options or, simply, more I/O – always a bit of a problem area on the original Ally.

For many, however, this won’t be the handheld they’ve been waiting for. No notable performance boost over last year’s model means the Asus ROG Ally X delivers broadly the same gameplay experience as the Lenovo Legion Go and the wide range of Chinese-branded handhelds out there based on the Z1 Extreme or the very similar Ryzen 7 7840 or 8840U. It also still has the same 7-inch 1080p LCD display, while OLED would be so much better. It remains the only handheld, however, with support for variable refresh rate – and this is a goldmine, as you can rely on more consistently smooth gameplay without having to lock into a refresh rate or clean dividers of that refresh rate (30 fps at 60Hz, 40 fps at 120Hz, etc.). VRR is worth its weight in gold.

It’s a bit of a shame to see the price hike to $799, mind you – and that’s a big chunk of change considering how many discounts the Asus ROG Ally has seen over the past year or so. That said, we’re still looking at a price that’s considerably cheaper than the more premium 32GB storage handhelds. I don’t think the Asus ROG Ally X is the ultimate portable Windows PC, but of all the equivalent handhelds I’ve tested, this is the one I’d throw in my travel bag based on my testing so far.