ASUS ROG Ally X is like meeting your crush’s handsome brother. Your crush is cute, but what about his brother? He is more refined, more mature, more charming.
Likewise, the ROG Ally X is a slightly upgraded version of the ROG Ally, but it’s not really that. also Unlike its brothers. No, these tweaks won’t make you scream, “Stop pressing!”, but they give the ROG Ally X an air of refinement.
First off, the ROG Ally X is no longer white. Alas!
I know ASUS may be trying to stand out with the ROG Ally X’s white chassis. However, many gamers will agree with me when I say this – stains on my white handheld console give away my snacking habits. We don’t want this!
While this isn’t the ROG Ally 2, this handheld gaming computer still has a niche in a market dominated by Steam Deck.
ASUS ROG Ally X price and specs
The ROG Ally X costs $799 and features the same CPU and GPU as its predecessor, but there are some minor differences.
Photo credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable
Before I dive into ASUS’s tiny tweaks, let me first lay out the specs:
As mentioned, the processor and graphics card on the ROG Ally X remain the same, but the RAM is upgraded from 16GB to 24GB, while the 512GB storage space is doubled to 1TB. this will give us one slight Performance improvements you will discover in the following sections.
ASUS ROG Ally X design
Alas! ROG Ally X now comes in black. I can now hide my tendency to overeat while playing games. I can have as many Doritos fingers as I want without my ROG Ally X betraying me.
Photo credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable
On the right side, you’ll find the A, B, X, and Y buttons located above the right analog stick. Next to the
On the left, you’ll find another group of buttons: the View and Command Center buttons. The directional buttons (also called the D-Pad) are located in the lower right corner of the left analog stick.
Photo credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable
My complaint is with the menu, armory, view, and command center buttons: the symbols are too subtle and hard to see. The illustration would be better with a brighter white. Also, I wish the analog sticks were more symmetrical. However, the buttons and joysticks are solid, stable, and clicky (compared to the OG ROG Ally, which is tighter and more durable).
The icing on the cake is that these rockers are equipped with LED light rings, which add a gorgeous design touch to the ROG Ally X.
As expected, you’ll find the left and right safety levers and triggers on top.
On the back, you’ll find programmable M1 and M2 buttons with satisfying tactile feedback. On the OG ROG Ally, these buttons used to be annoyingly located on top of the grip, but now they leave from your fingers. At the bottom, you’ll also find air vents and a diagonal gloss strip to add some eye-catching details.
Weight and feel
ROG Ally X is slightly About 1.5 pounds heavier than the 1.4-pound Steam Deck OLED. However, it is a lot of It’s lighter than the Lenovo Legion Go, which weighs about 1.9 pounds.
For what it’s worth, the OG ROG Ally weighs about the same as the Steam Deck OLED.
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Steam Deck OLED – 1.4 lbs.
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ASUS ROG Ally – 1.4 pounds
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ASUS ROG Ally X – 1.5 lbs
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Lenovo Legion Go – 1.9 pounds
However, of the three, I still find the Steam Deck OLED to be the most comfortable. The grip on the ROG Ally wraps your hands around while gaming, but it doesn’t stick out like the Steam Deck, which is a drawback. The Steam Deck’s raised grips give me a better grip during gaming, resulting in a more comfortable experience.
But compared to OG ROG Ally, ROG Ally X Do Having a fuller grip is a plus. There are also fewer bumps and a smoother feel.
Photo credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable
If you go from Steam Deck to ROG Ally X, you will really Please note the slight decrease in comfort. However, if you are coming from Legion Go, you will find that the ROG Ally X is more Comfortable and lighter.
If you’re completely new to handheld gaming PCs, you probably won’t notice any discomfort at all.
ASUS ROG Ally X monitor
The ROG Ally X still sports the same 7-inch 1080p display with a 120Hz refresh rate, but that’s okay because, in the words of Bruno Mars, “Girl, you’re awesome, that’s what.”
Photo credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable
Additionally, ROG Ally X is the only handheld gaming computer to support variable update rates. This means that, depending on what you’re doing, the refresh rate may drop to a lower value or surge to 120Hz. This way, it doesn’t constantly produce high frame rates and waste energy.
However, it would be nice to see an OLED panel on the ROG Ally X. (In my opinion, the Steam Deck OLED has a richer panel.)
I play Cyberpunk 2077 On the ROG Ally X, no, the visuals won’t blow you away or anything, but it does only Proper clarity and sharpness along with vividness help you enjoy your favorite games, especially on the go. The ROG Ally X has a brightness of 500 nits, which is not as bright as the Steam Deck OLED’s 600 nit display, but it can still hold its own when gaming outdoors.
The Steam Deck OLED display is also slightly larger at 7.4 inches. The Lenovo Legion Go has a larger 500-nit panel with an 8.8-inch display, but I found it a little too bulky. The 7-inch area is the sweet spot.
ASUS ROG Ally X port
ASUS ROG Ally X adds an additional USB-C port (i.e. Thunderbolt 4 port).
Photo credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable
This will take you into the world of eGPUs and docking stations. Personally, I find myself connecting one port to my charging cable and the other to my Viture Pro XR glasses (for a sweet virtual display experience).
Photo credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable
Here are all the ports you’ll find on ROG Ally X:
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USB Type-C (3.2 Gen 2)
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Thunderbolt 4
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microSD card reader
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3.5 mm combo audio jack
This is definitely a big improvement over the Steam Deck and Lenovo Legion Go, which only have one USB-C port.
ASUS ROG Ally X Audio
ROG Ally X comes with a dual speaker setup. You’ll find this upward-firing speaker on the front, with one below the D-pad and the other below the right analog stick.
Photo credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable
I downloaded the Apple Music app on my Asus ROG Ally X. I imagined it was much better. I turned on Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” at full volume, and the energetic tune sounded loud, bombastic, and impactful.
while playing Cyberpunk 2077the audio is able to overpower the loud fan that bothers my ears when performance mode is on.
Plus, the sound actually has some depth and quality across the board. The Steam Deck, on the other hand, sounds a bit small. The ROG Ally X is definitely louder, too.
For what it’s worth, unlike the OG ROG Ally, the ROG Ally X features a new smart AMP feature that enhances audio and delivers clearer sound.
ASUS ROG Ally X benchmarks and performance
The internal structure of ROG Ally X is the same as that of OG ROG Ally, but the performance is slightly improved. This is likely due to the extra RAM on the Ally X, which means you’ll have more space to play AAA games that require a lot of video memory.
I ran Geekbench 6 on the ROG Ally X to test processor performance, and its multi-core performance was 12,233 (Performance improved by 6% compared to OG Ally X). On the other hand, Legion Go’s Geekbench score is 10,414.
I also ran 3DMark’s Time Spy on the ROG Ally X, which tests graphics prowess. 3,477 Compared to Legion Go 2,982 number.
Unlike handheld computers like the ROG Ally X and Legion Go, which run Windows, the Steam Deck OLED has a Linux-based operating system, so benchmarking is a bit tricky. We do not have Geekbench profiles or Time Spy profiles for Steam Deck.
However, we ran Cyberpunk 2077 Benchmarking on the Steam Deck (non-OLED version), we got 30 frames per second (fps). ROG Ally X pushed out more frames, scoring 47 fps. The Legion Go, on the other hand, is also capped at 30 fps in the same benchmark.
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Steam Deck – Cyberpunk 2077 – 30 fps
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Lenovo Legion Go – Cyberpunk 2077 – 30 fps
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ASUS ROG Ally X – Cyberpunk 2077 – 47 fps
It is also worth noting that compared to the OG ROG Ally, the ROG Ally X is equipped with a full-size SSD, which brings better performance, faster read/write speeds, and faster load times.
ASUS ROG Ally X battery life
Asus says it has doubled the battery capacity of the ROG Ally X from 40Whr to 80Whr, promising battery life of three to eight hours.
We ran the PCMark 10 gaming battery life test on the ROG Ally X, and it lasted 2 hours and 48 minutes. In the same test, the Lenovo Legion Go only lasted 1 hour and 46 minutes.
If it weren’t for the larger battery, the ROG Ally X’s battery runtime would still be Legion Go-level.
We weren’t able to run PCMark 10 on the Steam Deck, but anecdotally, Mashable’s Alex Perry says he’s got some information on half past three a couple of hours.
ASUS ROG Ally X Software and Windows
Asus ROG Ally X running Windows is both a blessing and a curse. On the plus side, you can download games from anywhere, whether it’s Steam, Epic Games Store, Ubisoft Connect, Microsoft Store, etc.
The downside is that setting it up is a pain. It’s like setting up any Windows PC, where you can dodge subscription pushes left and right, from Microsoft 365 to Xbox Game Pass. That’s up there Set Wi-Fi, keyboard language, PIN, enter Microsoft account, and more. Next, you have to navigate Windows (mainly using your fingers through the touch screen) to download all the games, which can be a daunting task.
With the Steam Deck, on the other hand, setup is more seamless. Enter your Wi-Fi password before logging in with your Steam credentials, and voila, you’re logged in. .
Is Asus ROG Ally X worth buying?
Compared with the OG Ally, the ASUS ROG Ally X has slightly improved performance and longer battery life.
Pinned to the Steam Deck, the ROG Ally X beats it in three areas: Getting better frame rates on AAA games, e.g. Cyberpunk 2077a convenient extra USB-C port (i.e. Thunderbolt 4), and better audio.
However, I think the Steam Deck still has the best ergonomics and the better SteamOS operating system.
I love playing games on the ROG Ally X and yes, I totally recommend it to anyone looking for a Steam Deck alternative.
