When the Asus ROG Ally debuted last year, there were some reservations. Yes, gaming performance was solid, but the same wasn’t true for battery life. And while the design and build quality was on par with the competition, the thermal management was not. The Asus notebook was certainly a positive entry into the segment, but it had significant limitations that held it back from being a real challenger to heavyweight gamers. ROG Ally may be an alternative to Steam Deck, but it will never replace it.
A year has passed and Asus is back with another portable gaming PC. Asus ROG Ally X debuted on June 2, just before Computex Taipei. The gaming portable PC attempts to address ROG Ally’s apparent flaws with fixes and improvements across the board. The improvements are diminutive but significant – the handheld’s battery capacity (80 Wh) is significantly improved over the original (40 Wh), holds more memory and storage, and is said to provide better cooling than the ROG Ally. There are also other changes that make the mobile experience better overall.
Two days after its launch, the Asus ROG Ally X was present at the company’s booth on the Computex floor, where Gadgets 360 had the opportunity to try it out for an extended period of time. From early and brief practical experience, it’s complex to say how a specification change translates into real performance improvements, but first impressions can make a huge difference. The first thing that catches your eye is the up-to-date color scheme, which makes the ROG Ally X – well, ironically – less conspicuous. Now in jet black, the portable gaming PC matches the competition (Steam Deck, MSI Claw A1M, Lenovo Legion Go – all available in black). The Ally’s original white color scheme, while more susceptible to dirt and grime from hands, actually provided a distinct aesthetic.
The black color scheme makes ROG Ally X less striking
ROG Ally X retains the design of its predecessor, and not much has changed on the front. It offers the same 7-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) IPS touchscreen that refreshes at 120 Hz and reaches a brightness of up to 500 nits. The D-pad has a sharper look and a up-to-date matte finish – Asus says it’s also more tactile. The face buttons are also the same, but the company says they are “more responsive.” The Taiwanese company has equipped the handheld with up-to-date joystick modules that are intended to provide greater control when aiming, smoother feel and increased durability.
The changes are more observable when looking at the console from the sides and back. Due to the larger battery, the Asus ROG Ally X is slightly thicker than the ROG Ally, measuring up to 1.45 inches compared to its predecessor’s 1.28 inches. With rounder and fuller handles, the up-to-date handheld is also more ergonomic. I bought and played both Ally X and the original Ally I held in my hands at Computex; the up-to-date handheld feels a bit stronger and more solid in your hands. It’s also just a little heavier. But what’s impressive is how Asus has kept the up-to-date handheld’s weight at 678 grams (the standard Ally weighs 608 grams) despite the larger battery and larger handles. The shoulder buttons have also been updated with wider and more ergonomic triggers. Meanwhile, the rear buttons are now smaller to prevent accidental pressing. These changes certainly improve the feeling of holding a portable computer in your hand.
Asus ROG Ally X fits more ergonomically in the hand
However, bigger changes are hidden under the hood. ROG Ally with a 40 Wh battery did not last two hours while playing demanding titles on PC. Perhaps its biggest drawback was its poorly powered battery, which prevented it from becoming a truly portable handheld device. ROG Ally X solves this problem by offering an 80 Wh battery that should result in longer gaming sessions. Playtime numbers aren’t clear yet, and Asus hasn’t provided details on battery performance, but they should become clear once the device goes in for a detailed review.
The memory of the mobile device will also be improved, ROG Ally X will receive more RAM – 24 GB at higher speeds of 7500 MHz, of which 16 GB will be allocated for the system and 8 GB for the graphics processor. This should likely result in better gaming performance overall, but don’t expect much of an improvement as the Ally X still runs on an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme Zen 4 platform with RDNA 3 graphics, just like the 2023 ROG Ally. The up-to-date notebook also comes with more storage out of the box – a 1TB SSD with support for the more popular M.2 2280-sized drives instead of the 2230 standard found on ROG Ally.
The port placement has also been changed, with Asus ditching its proprietary XG Mobile port in favor of two USB Type-C ports, one of which supports Thunderbolt 4. Asus also claims to have redesigned the cooling system in the handheld. ROG Ally It was also claimed that this lowers the touchscreen temperature by up to 6 degrees Celsius. The 2023 model had issues with heat management, so this is a welcome change. However, the actual thermal performance would only become more pronounced after prolonged exploit.
The ports have been moved, and ROG Ally X now comes with two USB Type-C connectors
The one gigantic thing that held the Asus ROG Ally back and also worked against the up-to-date model is the operating system. ROG Ally X comes with Windows 11, which while offering flexibility and versatility remains a clunky and unintuitive touch interface for touchscreens. Sure, it allows the handheld to function like a pocket computer with controllers attached, but it pales in comparison to SteamOS Steam Deck, which provides a smoother, console-like interface. This time, however, Asus has prepared a up-to-date version of the Armory Crate SE software, which provides a more customizable interface and a game library with easier navigation.
At Computex, Gadgets 360 tried games like Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, Palworld, and Tekken 8. The titles ran smoothly, and we didn’t notice any overheating issues in the brief term on the mobile device. This contrasts with hands-on experience with the Zotac Zone, another up-to-date mobile device on display at Computex. A Zotac Windows portable computer crashed while running Horizon Forbidden West and showed signs of overheating. The in-depth review will shed more featherlight on the gaming performance and thermal performance of the up-to-date Ally X, but given the improvements made to an already decent portable device, the ROG Ally X may become the easiest to recommend among its Windows competitors.
ROG Ally X is held back by the Windows operating system
However, improvements also cost money. The Asus ROG Ally India pricing should be available closer to launch here, which Asus says should happen later this year. And while all the improvements bring significant improvements, an OLED screen would also be a nice addition. However, considering the price, it seems that Asus has made the right choice when it comes to refreshing its mid-generation handheld. The verdict will have to wait until the in-depth review, but the ROG Ally X impressed us when it came to time spent with the notebook. It may not be a true successor to the 2023 model, but it promises to be a success.
Disclosure: Asus sponsored the correspondent’s flights and hotel for the Taipei event.
