When the Asus ROG Ally debuted last year, it came with certain caveats. Yes, gaming performance was solid, but the same didn't apply to battery life. And while the design and build quality held up to the competition, thermal management did not. Asus' laptop was certainly a positive entry into the segment, but it had crucial limitations that prevented it from really challenging the heavyweights. The ROG Ally might be an alternative to the Steam Deck, but never a replacement.
Fast forward a year and Asus is back with another gaming laptop. The Asus ROG Ally X debuted on June 2, right before Computex Taipei. The gaming laptop attempts to address the apparent flaws of the ROG Ally with tweaks and improvements across the board. The upgrades are small but significant: the handheld's battery capacity (80 Wh) is a significant improvement over the original (40 Wh), it includes more memory and storage, and is said to have better cooling than the ROG Ally. There are also other changes that make for a better handheld.
Two days after its release, the Asus ROG Ally X was present at the company's booth on the Computex floor, where Gadgets 360 had the opportunity to test it for an extended period of time. It's hard to tell how the spec bump translates into real-world performance improvements from short, early hands-on experience, but first impressions can go a long way. The first thing that catches your eye is the new color scheme that makes the ROG Ally X, well, ironically, less flashy. Now in jet black, the gaming laptop blends in with the competition (the Steam Deck, MSI Claw A1M, Lenovo Legion Go all come in black). The white color of the original Ally, while more prone to dirt and grime from hands, conveyed a different aesthetic.
The black color scheme makes the ROG Ally X less flashy
The ROG Ally X retains the design of its predecessor and little has changed on the front. It offers the same 7-inch IPS Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) touchscreen that refreshes at a rate of 120 Hz and reaches up to 500 nits of brightness. The D-pad has a more pronounced design and a new matte finish; Asus says it also has a more tactile feel. The face buttons are also the same, but the company claims they are “springier”. The Taiwanese company has equipped the handheld with new joystick modules that are said to provide more control while aiming, a smoother feel and improved durability.
The changes are most apparent when you view the console from the sides and back. Due to the larger battery, the Asus ROG Ally X is slightly thicker than the ROG Ally, up to 1.45 inches compared to its predecessor's 1.28 inches. With grip handles that are rounder and fuller, the new laptop is also more ergonomic. I got to hold and play with both the Ally X and the original Ally in my hands at Computex; the new laptop feels a little sturdier and sturdier in the hands. It's also a heavier shade. But it's impressive how Asus has kept the new handheld at 678 grams (the standard Ally weighs 608 grams) despite the larger battery and bigger handles. The shoulder buttons have also been updated, with wider, more ergonomic triggers. The back buttons, on the other hand, are now smaller to prevent accidental presses. These changes certainly improve the feel of the laptop in your hand.
The Asus ROG Ally X fits more ergonomically in your hands
However, there are bigger changes under the hood. The ROG Ally with its 40 Wh battery couldn't last two hours while playing demanding PC titles. Its underpowered battery was perhaps the biggest flaw and prevented it from becoming a truly portable handheld. The ROG Ally X makes up for this shortcoming with an 80Wh battery that should lead to longer gaming sessions. Playback time numbers aren't clear yet, and Asus hasn't provided details on battery performance, but those should become clear once the device goes through a detailed review.
The handheld's memory is also upgraded, the ROG Ally X gets more RAM: 24GB at faster speeds of 7500MHz, of which 16GB will be allocated to the system and 8GB to the GPU. This should probably result in better gaming performance overall, but don't expect a huge improvement as the Ally X still runs on AMD's Ryzen Z1 Extreme Zen 4 platform with RDNA 3 graphics, just like the 2023 ROG Ally. The new laptop also comes with more storage out of the box: 1TB SSD with support for the more common M.2 2280 size drives, instead of the standard 2230 used in the ROG Ally.
The ports have also been repositioned, with Asus ditching its proprietary XG Mobile port for two USB Type-C ports, one of which is compatible with Thunderbolt 4. Asus also claims to have redesigned the laptop's cooling system. The ROG Ally X uses smaller fans, which make room for the larger battery, but result in better airflow, about 24 percent more than the previous model, according to Asus. It is also claimed to lower the touchscreen temperature by up to 6 degrees Celsius. The 2023 model struggled with heat management, so this is a welcome change. But real-world thermal performance would only become clearer with extended use.
The ports have been repositioned and the ROG Ally X now features two USB Type-C connectors
The one thing that held the Asus ROG Ally back and also works against the new model is the operating system. The ROG Ally X comes with Windows 11, which while offering flexibility and versatility, is still an unwieldy and unintuitive touch interface for touchscreens. Sure, it allows the handheld to function like a pocket PC with attached controllers, but it pales in comparison to the Steam Deck's SteamOS, which offers a smoother, more console-like user interface. However, Asus has packed a new version of the Armory Crate SE software this time around, which promises a more customizable interface and game library with easier navigation.
At Computex, Gadgets 360 tested 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 our short time with the handheld. This contrasted with hands-on experience with the Zotac Zone, another new handheld seen at Computex. Zotac's Windows-based laptop crashed while running Horizon Forbidden West and showed signs of overheating. A detailed review will shed more light on the thermal and gaming performance of the new Ally X, but considering the improvements brought to an already decent handheld, the ROG Ally X might become the easiest to recommend among its Windows-based companions.
The Windows operating system slows down the ROG Ally X
Upgrades, however, also come at a cost. The Asus ROG Ally X costs $799 (roughly Rs. 66,700), $100 more than the Z1 Extreme version of the 2023 model. Indian pricing should be available closer to the launch here, which Asus has said which should happen at the end of the year. And while all the updates bring significant improvements, an OLED screen would have been a nice addition as well. But considering the price, Asus seems to have made all the right choices in updating its mid-generation handheld. The verdict can wait until a detailed review, but the ROG Ally X impressed us in our hands-on time with the handheld. It may not be a true successor to the 2023 model, but it looks like a success.
Disclosure: Asus sponsored the correspondent's flights and hotel for the event in Taipei.
