ROG Ally X Review — playing it safe

ASUS broke new ground with the first ROG Ally, firing the first salvo in an ensuing handheld gaming PC war. Since then, Lenovo, MSI and even ZOTAC has tried to get in on the fun, each with varying additions to the formula. Then ROG decided to refresh the ROG Ally X for 2024. But we think ASUS may have gotten a touch too confident with the success of the ROG Ally X. Let me explain.

ROG Ally X — What’s Good?

Much better battery life

While the original ROG Ally could barely do an hour of gameplay in most cases, the ROG Ally X bumps that figure up to somewhere closer to 2 hours or more. The battery has doubled since we last met, and is now a massive 80WHr unit. Incredibly enough, the weight has only gone up a tiny bit, from 608g to 678g, a testament to ASUS ingenious engineering. I can’t really compare against my older ROG Ally as it has undergone some battery degradation since, but I found myself much more likely to play Witcher 3 on the ROG Ally X unplugged, versus the ROG Ally which I regularly played with on the bed connected to my bedside 65W charger.

Thicker can be better

When it comes to laptops, usually thinner is better. But for something that’s meant to be held in your hands as you play it, a meatier grip can be beneficial. I am not sure which decision came first — to make the ROG Ally X thicker or to put a bigger battery in — but either way, it’s now nicer to hold. Overall, there has been a few tweaks to the ergonomics. I found the ROG Ally to be plenty comfortable to hold already, but now it’s even better. The curves are smoother, and the extra girth lends itself well to a better grip.

Enhanced controls

The joysticks have also been refined with a deeper concave dish at the top as well as being noticeably stiffer. Buttons are more tactile. The triggers are stiffer, allowing for finer control. Overall, everything feels markedly refined from its predecessor, the ROG Ally. These things are quite hard to show in photos or videos, and I would recommend you to go try them for yourself. If you have the chance to experience them side by side, that is.

Improved I/O

Another area where the ROG Ally X trumps the ROG Ally is the new duo of USB-C ports. ASUS has finally faced the truth. While it is true that the ROG XG Mobile interface is indeed more capable than what USB4 or Thunderbolt 4 can offer, its proprietary nature limits it. Not to mention the prohibitive cost of the ROG XG Mobile itself. So we now have support for the more commonly available Thunderbolt-based external docks and dongles. Sure, you’re limited to 40Gbps, and ROG XG Mobile owners are left in the dust… But hey, I doubt there are that many of them. ASUS also fixed the microSD slot here, which was a common complaint with the original ROG Ally.

ROG Ally X — What’s Not?

A missed opportunity for Strix Point

The Z1 Extreme that powered the original ROG Ally is back for a second stint, but this time without its more sedate brother, the Z1 non-Extreme. And this is probably the weakest link in the ROG Ally X. Don’t get me wrong — performance is still satisfactory — the 24GB RAM definitely pulling its weight to smooth out more demanding games. 24GB RAM with Strix Point would have made the ROG Ally X a truly formidable handheld. But hey, maybe AMD and ROG are not planning to show all their cards at once, considering that the competition like the MSI Claw is still dealing with driver issues with Meteor Lake.

Taking advantage of the situation

Speaking of which, a year since the ROG Ally arrived onto the scene, there really isn’t much competition for the ROG Ally X yet. In terms of software and hardware refinement, the ROG Ally X is still the best among them. Even today, we’re still seeing the competition trying to catch up to the original ROG Ally, launched last year. Most recently the Nitro Blaze 7, with its Ryzen 7 8840HS. Which, for the uninitiated, is the exact same chip as the Ryzen Z1 Extreme, except that you have an NPU in the Ryzen 7 package. This saps away precious power from the CPU and GPU that you actually need for gaming. ASUS is well aware of their position, and has taken the chance to jack up the price massively, going from RM3,299 for the ROG Ally to RM4,299 for the ROG Ally X. Are the refinements worth a whopping RM1,000? Well… That’s for you to decide.

ROG Ally X Specifications

ROG Ally X — should you buy this?

If you’re in the market for a handheld Windows gaming device, the ROG Ally X is currently the king of the hill. Massive price hike or not, they’re in a position of power, and they’re gonna milk the advantage while they can. There are still a few other missed opportunities like the lack of a trackpad for easier navigation in Windows, but as it stands, the overall experience is already one of the best. Armoury Crate SE alone blows any and all the competition out of the water, and it also boasts one of the biggest, if not the biggest, battery of any handheld gaming PC out there.

With all that said, personally, I would skip the ROG Ally X at its RM4,299 price point. Especially if you’re considering one right now. AMD has already hinted at the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme in 2025. So if I were you, I would grab a used ROG Ally for around RM2,000 from Facebook Marketplace to get my feet wet and see if gaming handhelds is really my thing. As you may have gleaned from the abundance of used ROG Ally units in the secondhand market, it isn’t really everyone’s cup of tea. And when you plan to retire your ROG Ally, you can always turn it into a HTPC. There’s support for AV1 encode/decode, so you’re pretty set.

For more info about the ROG Ally X: https://my.rog.gg/2024-ally-x_pr

Help support us!

If you are still interested in the ROG Ally X we would really appreciate if you purchase it via the links below. The affiliate links won’t cost you any extra, but it will be a great help to keep the lights on here at HelloExpress.

• ROG Ally X (Lazada): https://s.lazada.com.my/s.ln08J

ROG Ally X (RC72LA)

7.5

If you're in the market for a handheld Windows gaming device, the ROG Ally X is currently the king of the hill.

What's Good?

• Much better battery life
• Thicker can be better
• Enhanced controls
• Improved I/O

What's Not?

• A missed opportunity for Strix Point
• Taking advantage of the situation