On May 2024, John Kulinksi and Whitson Gordon of ROG Pulse officially announced the "next ROG Ally," officially called the ROG Ally X. While this isn't the next-gen ROG Ally 2 device that many people were hoping for, the Ally X offers several improvements over the original gaming handheld.
So what exactly is this ROG Ally X? I've been able to use this gaming handheld for several hours during the course of my review and can tell you all about the playing experience. Let's dive in and discuss specs, battery life, and other improvements.
What is ROG Ally X?
What exactly is the ROG Ally X?
According to Asus ROG Senior Manager of Content Marketing Whitson Gordon, the ROG Ally X is not the next-gen ROG Ally 2. Rather, it's "the ROG Ally built for the enthusiasts that wanted a bit of X-tra goodies." This gaming handheld has several improvements over the original device including better battery, SSD, RAM, user interface (UI), and even some physical changes, which makes it "more than just a basic refresh."
ROG Ally X updates
July 23, 2024: ROG Ally launched — The ROG Ally X is now officially on the market. You can purchase it at Best Buy or the ASUS website.
June 2, 2024: ROG Ally X specs revealed — We finally learned that the ROG Ally X has 24GB RAM, up to 1TB SSD, and a few changes to the design.
May 9, 2024: ROG Ally X announced — During a stream, the ROG Pulse duo officially announced the ROG Ally X and stated that it will have several improvements over the original ROG Ally.
ROG Ally X release date
When did the ROG Ally X release?
The improved ROG Ally X released on July 22, 2024. You can currently buy it at Best Buy or the ASUS website.
ROG Ally X design and color
The new ROG Ally X comes in a black casing and has several improvements over the original ROG Ally (2023). These improvements have required the ROG Ally X casing to be slightly thicker to accommodate larger internal components. Additionally, the placement of the volume buttons, microSD card slot, and headphone jack have been moved around.
There is also a second USB-C port rather than the XG Mobile eGPU slot that the original device has. This second USB-C port is also Thunderbolt compatible and will make it possible to charge the device back up while also having an accessory connected. Another significant change is that the M1 and M2 back buttons are smaller and tucked further toward the center of the device, which makes the device easier to grip. For more detail on these differences, check out my ROG Ally X vs ROG Ally (2023): Side-by-side comparison.
In the week leading up to the official ROG Ally X teaser announcement, the ROG Global X account posted a picture with several ROG Ally devices in it and encouraged people to "find'em all." The thing is, a black gaming handheld — a.k.a the ROG Ally X — was actually hidden in plain sight as a Phil-Spencer-shelf type of Easter egg.
Can you find'em all?The #ROGAlly birthday keeps on giving!🎂RT & comment with the exact number of ROG Ally hidden in this picture to have a chance to win an ROG Ally!Ends May 9. 1 winner.#HappyBirthdayROGAlly pic.twitter.com/gRbwlkgBQcMay 7, 2024
Outside of color variants, what other design changes are there? There is an alleged microSD card overheating issue with the original ROG Ally, but the changes to the Ally X's design could get rid of this supposed problem. To be clear, Asus has said that the microSD card slot has been moved in order to make ROG Ally X's internals fit.
Outside of that, the joysticks have been upgraded to longer-lasting ones than what is in the original Ally. Unfortunately, they still aren't Hall Effect joysticks, though. Additionally, the D-Pad has been replaced with a larger and more responsive one that should make it easier to control games.
ROG Ally X specs
MSRP: $799
OS: Windows 11 Home
CPU: AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme
GPU: AMD Radeon Graphics
Display: 7-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) 16:9 touchscreen, 500 nits, 120Hz, 7ms response time, AMD FreeSync Premium
Memory: 24GB LPDDR5-7500
Storage: Up to 1TB M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe 64x4 Value SSD
Battery: 80Whr
Power supply: USB-C 65W AC Adapter
Ports: 1x USB-C Thunderbolt 4, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, 1x microSD card reader, 1x audio combo jack
Audio: 2-speaker system with Dolby Atmos, AI noise canceling, Hi-Res Audio certification, built-in array mic
Dimensions: 11.02" x 4.37" x 0.97” (279.9 x 111.0 x 24.6mm)
Weight: 1.49 lbs (678g )
The ROG Ally X has the same 7-inch touchscreen and AMD Z1 Extreme processor as the original ROG Ally (2023). This means that the black Ally X display offers the same great color gamut, crisp detail, an impressive 120Hz refresh rate, and VRR (variable refresh rate) support as the original device. In other words, game visuals look really good, and motion clarity is pretty smooth on this gaming handheld.
However, the newer device does offer some nice improvements over what's inside the base handheld. For one thing, it comes with 24GB RAM rather than the 16GB RAM of the original. Additionally, while the initial device only came with 512GB SSD, the Ally X comes with up to 1TB SSD to better handle large gaming libraries locally on the device.
I was very impressed by the speakers on the original ROG Ally when I first reviewed it, so it's not at all surprising to see that the new ROG Ally X has Hi-Res Audio certification with AI noise-canceling and Dolby Atmos. As I discovered in my ROG Ally X review, the speakers sound just as fantastic as I expected they would. Of course, if you're playing video games, then you'll be served better by wearing one of the best gaming headsets to pinpoint in-game sounds. But if you occasionally want to prop the Ally X up against the wall and have it play your favorite music, it will sound good as long as you're within a decent range of the handheld.
What are ROG Ally X specs?
The ROG Ally X has the same AMD Z1 Extreme processor as well as the same 7-inch LCD, 120Hz, VRR touchscreen that the original ROG Ally utilizes. Asus ROG has improved upon the original by also including a larger 24GB RAM and up to 1TB SSD. Additionally, the battery capacity is doubled to an 80Whr one rather than the original device's 40Whr battery.
ROG Ally X price
How much does ROG Ally X cost?
The ROG Ally X has an MSRP of $799.99 making it $100 more than the base ROG Ally (2023) with a Z1 Extreme processor.
If you're trying to decide which gaming handheld to buy, check out my guide — ROG Ally X vs ROG Ally (2023): Which is better to buy? Of course, if you really want the ROG Ally X and already have another gaming handheld you could always sell the old device and trade-in for the improved Ally X. If you want help with that, check out my guide on how to factory reset and sell your ROG Ally so you can buy an ROG Ally X.
ROG Ally X UI and software
Just like the original device, ROG Ally X runs Windows 11 and can be used much like a small laptop that has controllers attached. The ROG Ally X also has an updated user interface called Armoury Crate SE 1.5, which was also brought to the original ROG Ally. This software provides more customization options including:
- Grid vs list view for gaming library
- Horizontal or vertical scroll direction
- Cover art alignment
- Cover art size
- A favorites list
- A game store services tab that is separate from your game library tab
- Create and share button mapping profiles
While Armoury Crate SE 1.5 is an improvement over the original interface, it still could use quite a bit of refinement. I personally hope that Armoury Crate SE 1.5 gets updated to incorporate more AMD Software features so we don't have to constantly hop back and forth between the two programs in order to get the device working the way we want it to. As I learned when writing our ROG Ally AFMF guide, some tools are currently only available in one software or the other, and sometimes you have to adjust settings in both to get things working properly.
ROG Ally X battery life
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As previously mentioned, the ROG Ally X's 80Whr battery capacity is double that of the original ROG Ally's 40Whr battery capacity. In my own testing, I found that the ROG Ally X battery lasts more than 50% longer than the original Ally's battery.
For example, while testing for my ROG Ally review, I found that the device can only last about 51 minutes when playing more demanding games at max TDP and with the display at about 200 nits of brightness. Meanwhile, in my ROG Ally X review, I found the newer device could last about two hours and 10 minutes at these same settings. It's a huge percentage increase.
Now, gaming handhelds and gaming laptops have historically not had great battery life, and the same is true here. It would be much better if the ROG Ally X could last longer than two-ish hours while playing graphically intensive games, but it's still the best battery life of any mainline Windows 11 PC gaming handheld on the market right now.
ROG Ally X FAQ
We know you might be bursting with other ROG Ally X questions, so here is a list of FAQs to provide answers.
Is ROG Ally X better than Steam Deck OLED?
Better is a very relative term here. Both the ROG Ally X and the Steam Deck OLED offer perks that the other doesn't have. The ROG Ally X is a Windows 11 device that has a more powerful processor and allows people to easily access various game services right out of the box. However, people also need to navigate through Windows and potentially do some troubleshooting from time to time. Additionally, the ROG Ally X just has a 7-inch, 120Hz LCD screen, but it is very colorful and has great contrast, with a respectable 1080 resolution.
Meanwhile, the Steam Deck OLED has a far superior display and a simpler interface to navigate while also being less expensive than the original ROG Ally. However, the Steam Deck OLED isn't as powerful as the ROG Ally X and only reaches a resolution of 800p.
So, really, if you value powerful performance and more freedom out of the box, you'll want to go with ROG Ally X. If you care more about having an OLED display, simpler interface, and lower price point, then you'll want the Steam Deck OLED.
Does the ROG Ally X have a microSD card overheating issue?
Asus has specifically stated that the ROG Ally X microSD card slot is in a different position from the original ROG Ally, which might prevent whatever alleged issues might have been happening with the original device. However, while speaking on the subject of the Ally X microSD card, Senior Product Manager Gabriel Meng said, "We don’t want people to think that’s what we had to do. We had to move things around the board to make them fit.”
Source: The Verge
Does ROG Ally X have better battery life than ROG Ally?
Yes. In my own testing, I found that the ROG Ally X's battery can easily last more than 50% longer than the original ROG Ally's battery.
Does ROG Ally X have a better screen?
No. While it would be nice to see an ROG Ally X with an OLED display, the ROG Ally X just has the same 7-inch LCD touchscreen as the original ROG Ally. However, this screen is very good, offering VRR and a max refresh rate of up to 120Hz, so it's not like it's a bad display.
What color is the ROG Ally X?
The ROG Ally X has a black design whereas the original ROG Ally is white.
Does the ROG Ally X have a better processor than the original ROG Ally?
No. The ROG Ally X has the same AMD Z1 Extreme SoC that the original ROG Ally has.
Will the cost of the original ROG Ally go down when the ROG Ally X launches?
It's hard to say. Asus has made it very clear that it will continue to support the original ROG Ally after the ROG Ally X releases, so it's not like they'll put the OG Ally on clearance. Still, the ROG Ally has frequently gone on sale, so it won't be surprising at all if that happens again.
