ASUS ROG Ally X Full Review: Next-Level Upgrades for the Ultimate Handheld Gaming PC

Last year, we saw the release of the first ROG Ally, which we found to be impressive overall, despite some shortcomings. One of the main issues was its underwhelming battery life for a handheld gaming PC. In response, ASUS has released an updated version called the ROG Ally X. Let’s take a look at the improvements they’ve made in this year’s model.

ASUS ROG Ally X Specifications

CPU/GPUAMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme
DisplayFHD 1920 x 1080 120Hz Touchscreen
RAM24GB LPDDR5X-7500
Storage1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe (2280)
I/O Ports1x 3.5mm audio combo jack
1x USB Type-C (10Gbps)
1x USB Type-C (USB4)
1x UHS-II microSD card reader
Battery80Wh
Max Charging Speed100W
Accessories included in the box:65w PD Charger
Ally X Stand
PricePhp 56,995

The Design

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At first glance, you’ll notice that the ROG Ally X now comes in black instead of white. However, a key upgrade on the outside is the addition of two USB Type-C ports on the top. One of these ports supports 10Gbps, while the other is USB 4. With this change, ASUS has dropped XG Mobile support from the previous generation.

Moving to the controls, they’ve improved the D-pad, which is now an 8-direction pad instead of the previous 4-direction one. The joystick has also been upgraded, now rated for 5 million cycles with tighter springs, compared to just 2 million cycles in the previous version. The face buttons, which were already solid in the last generation, have been further enhanced with better tactility.

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There’s also a slight improvement in the trigger buttons, making them slightly larger. Additionally, ASUS has added an extra vent grill on the top middle of the ROG Ally X for improved cooling.

On the back, we noticed that the grip has been redesigned to be more rounded, with the back buttons now smaller and positioned more towards the middle, freeing up the grip area.

The Internals

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They are still using the previous processor, the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme, which remains a solid option for its form factor. However, they’ve upgraded the RAM to 24GB of LPDDR5X, running at a faster speed of 7500 MHz, compared to the previous model’s 16GB of LPDDR5 at 6400 MHz.

In terms of storage, it now comes with 1TB, up from 512GB. They’ve also switched to the standard 2280 size, which is more widely available on the market, making it easier to upgrade compared to the 2230 size in the original Ally.

The cooling solution has also been improved, now featuring dual 77-blade fans and increased ventilation compared from 47-blade fans.

The Display and Speakers

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The display remains the same, featuring a 7-inch 1080p IPS panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and 500 nits of brightness. ASUS didn’t make any changes here, as it’s already a solid display with good color reproduction, viewing angles, and sharpness. It’s also usable outdoors in bright sunlight.

They claim the front-facing stereo speakers have been improved for increased loudness. However, from what I recall, they feel similar to the previous model, though I don’t have the first Ally on hand to make a direct comparison. Overall it has a decent speaker.

The Experience

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With the ROG Ally X, there’s a companion app called Armoury Crate SE. Compared to the last time we used it, there are some minor changes, such as a more straightforward and organized game library.

We also noticed that the operating modes have been adjusted: quiet mode now runs at 13W, up from 10W; performance mode has been increased to 17W, up from 15W; while the 25W and 30W settings for unplugged and plugged turbo modes remain the same. We ran tests using synthetic benchmarks and games to evaluate the ROG Ally’s performance.

Synthetic Benchmarks

PCMark
30w25w17w13w
Total7180632468476401
Essential1083992821049510218
Productivity99898874998610219
Digital Content Creation9277833483116816
Unigene Superposition (1080p Extreme)
30w25w17w13w
Score177016761542968
Min FPS10.669.838.65.97
Ave FPS13.2512.5311.547.24
Max FPS16.1215.3114.499.12
Cinebench R23
30w25w17w13w
Multi Score1352412603102818160
Single Core1757174717061706

On Cinebench R23, the ROG Ally X showed improved multi-core performance compared to the previous Ally, with a better performance curve at different wattage levels. Single-core performance is now more consistent across all wattage settings.

3DMark CPU Profile
30w25w17w13w
Max Threads6,922.676,132.675,637.674,867.67
16 Threads6,913.676,106.005,600.674,858.00
8 Threads5,962.335,324.004,954.673,975.33
4 Threads3,628.003,463.003,071.672,409.33
2 Threads1,911.001,888.001,668.671,471.00
1 Thread988.67952.00895.67846.33

For the 3DMark CPU Profile, the Max Threads score for the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme in the ROG Ally X is comparable to a desktop AMD Ryzen 5 7600X, according to UL Solutions Benchmarks for October 2024.

3DMark Steel Nomad Light
30w25w17w13w
Graphics Test222119.4516.88
Score2969284526252278

As for 3DMark Steel Nomad Light, which is designed for lightweight PCs using DirectX 12 on Windows, it provides a good indication of how the system will handle modern, demanding PC games. In 30W mode, the graphics test ran at 22 FPS.

Game Benchmarks

Horizon Zero Dawn
30w25w17w13w
Average FPS40403517
Max84746345
Min6431
Score7331732863353258
Final Fanrasy XIV: Dawntrail Benchmark (Graphics: High – 1920×1080)
30w25w17w13w
Score5438539251373723
Ave FPS39.0438.6337.0227.85
Min FPS21201814
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
30w25w17w13w
Frame6677646656103958
Ave FPS43423625

In our Horizon Zero Dawn test with the graphics preset set to “Favor Quality,” performance was similar to the previous Ally, with decent playability in turbo and performance modes, though slight stuttering occurred occasionally. Lowering the graphics preset can improve the gaming experience.

For the Final Fantasy XIV benchmark, we ran it with high desktop graphics settings, and it performed well across 30W and 17W modes. The same was true for the Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark on a high graphics preset.

We also encountered issues with some older or console-ported games not detecting the controller, forcing us to accept that these games were unplayable. However, this was a rare occurrence, and most games ran without issues. Windows sometimes had bugs, such as the touchscreen keyboard not appearing or strange touchscreen interactions, which is typical for this OS.

Storage Performance

The ROG Ally X now uses a 2280-size M.2 SSD, which makes finding replacements easier if needed. It still features a Micron-branded PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD. When we ran CrystalDiskMark, we saw slightly faster read and write speeds compared to previous results.

3DMark Storage Benchmark
30w25w17w13w
Score1756146414571432
BandwidthAverage Access TimeBandwidthAverage Access TimeBandwidthAverage Access TimeBandwidthAverage Access Time
Average303.17 MB/s103251.56 MB/s123251.11 MB/s125248.54 MB/s127
Load Battlefield V623.41 MB/s118567.60 MB/s129501.67 MB/s148552.12 MB/s133
Load Call of Duty: Black Ops 4460.73 MB/s137410.44 MB/s153339.88 MB/s186343.11 MB/s188
Load Overwatch286.86 MB/s82250.50 MB/s93220.71 MB/s113217.60 MB/s114
Record Game108.86 MB/s8677.61 MB/s11896.68 MB/s9790.72 MB/s103
Install Game160.00 MB/s86116.49 MB/s118134.55 MB/s103126.21 MB/s110
Save Game116.74 MB/s6693.43 MB/s83107.40 MB/s7297.40 MB/s80
Move Game1405.12 MB/s1931293.20 MB/s2121265.63 MB/s2151274.55 MB/s213

Temperature Performance

Image

The ROG Ally X has a dual-fan cooling system and continues to use a single heat pipe to transfer heat across both heat sinks, expelling air through the top. ASUS has also repositioned the microSD card slot, addressing the overheating issue in the original Ally where the slot was too close to a thermal vent.

When gaming in 30W mode, the temperature peaked at over 90°C, similar to the previous generation. However, despite the high temperatures, we did not experience any performance throttling. In lower wattage modes, the temperature stayed below 90°C.

The Battery

The biggest upgrade for the ROG Ally X, in my opinion, is its battery, which now has double the capacity compared to the original Ally. It features an 80Wh battery, up from 40Wh last year. Additionally, it now supports a maximum charging speed of 100W, compared to 65W previously. However, ASUS only includes a 65W charger, so if you want to take advantage of the full charging speed, you’ll need to purchase a 100W charger separately.

In terms of battery life, the ROG Ally X delivers an acceptable duration. We managed to get over 2 hours of gameplay at 25W mode, up from just over an hour with the original Ally. By setting the wattage to 17W, we could push it to around 3 hours.

This means you can now enjoy longer gaming sessions, especially when playing less demanding games, or even high-demand games if you switch to the 25W mode.

ROG Ally X Verdict

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The ASUS ROG Ally X offers noticeable upgrades that are definitely appreciated. However, it still uses the previous AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor, so if you already own the original Ally, you’ll experience almost the same performance. That said, if you’re in the market for your first handheld gaming device, I highly recommend the ROG Ally X. It’s capable and provides better compatibility with most AAA games as a Windows-based handheld PC with solid chipset performance, even if we did experience some hiccups with the Windows operating system.

Although it comes at a higher price of over Php 10,000 compared to the original, the design improvements, RAM upgrade, and storage boost are all worth the extra investment.

The ROG Ally X is priced at Php 56,995 and is available through Lazada, Shopee, and official store partners.

Stay tuned for our upcoming article where we’ll explore the ROG Ally X’s capabilities for both work and play setups. Be sure to follow us on Facebook to stay updated.

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