Asus has announced a new model of its handheld gaming PC, the ROG Ally X. But how does it compare to the regular ROG Ally?
Rather than acting as a direct sequel to the original ROG Ally, the new X model is instead a more expensive option, with Asus planning to sell both versions simultaneously.
But what kind of upgrades are you getting by opting for the ROG Ally X? With Asus officially lifting the lid on the £799 ROG Ally X at Computex 2024, here are five key differences between the Ally X and the regular Ally.
Improved battery life
The key selling point of the Asus ROG Ally X is undoubtedly the extended battery life. Asus says that it was one of the most requested upgrades, and so has slapped in a larger battery pack so gamers can play on the go for longer.
In fact, the ROG Ally X boasts a whopping 80Wh battery, double that of the regular ROG Ally. Given that the current ROG Ally struggles to play AAA games with max settings for more than 90 minutes, we’re hoping that the Ally X will be able to hit the 3-hour mark – but we’ll have to wait until we’ve reviewed it to say for sure.
Of course, fitting in a larger battery pack will make the ROG Ally X a heavier portable than its predecessor, but it’s not as big an increase as some might expect at only 678g, 70g more than the regular Ally.
Boosted RAM and longer M.2 slot
Asus has confirmed that it won’t be upgrading the main chip for the Asus ROG Ally X, so it will still be powered by the AMD Z1 Extreme found inside the original ROG Ally. However, Asus said the portable should still get a performance boost, but in the form of more RAM and improved cooling.
More specifically, the ROG Ally X sports 24GB of LPDDRX5 7500 memory, up from 16GB on the regular Ally X. The cooling system’s fans are 50% thinner and boast a 10% boost to airflow, with two small wind tunnels to direct air around the system and a third exhaust vent to jet out that hot air.
Asus says this also has a notable effect on touchscreen temperatures, which are reduced by around 6 degrees Celcius.
Asus has also said it has also the M.2 SSD slot to M.2 2280, making it easier for you to find an SSD to upgrade the 1TB of base storage if you wish to do so. This is great to hear, as you’re currently restricted to very short drives, which restricts your options and inflates the price.
New placement for SD card reader
Many existing Asus ROG Ally owners have reported issues with the SD card reader, with the port seeing unusually slow read speeds or even sometimes failing to recognise any inserted card. It has been suggested the close proximity to the portable’s vents could potentially be the cause of this.
With the ROG Ally X, Asus has moved the placement of the SD Card reader away from the vents, which should hopefully rectify the issue.
New all-black design
The most striking difference to the design of the Asus ROG Ally X is the new black colour option, helping it to be visibly distinctive compared to the original. We welcome the new black colour, as it’s generally better at hiding scuff marks and the like.
It also has a number of smaller design changes in a bid to make the portable gaming machine more comfortable to use. This includes a slightly deeper curve to the handles, added slant on the triggers, stiffer springs in the analogue stick, redesigned D-pad and a reduced M-Key footprint on the rear to avoid accidental presses.
These are small changes, admittedly, but they should all add up to a device that feels nicer to hold.
Asus has also said its new portable will be more repairable this time around, with interchangeable joystick modules and retuned triggers, joystick and D-pad. We’re yet to see the entire design of the Asus ROG Ally X, so there may well be additional changes, but we expect it to mostly keep in line with the original.
