ASUS intros ROG Ally with the same Ryzen Z1 APU and screen
ASUS has announced an updated ROG Ally handheld.
ASUS has provided details on the ROG Ally X, the successor to ROG Ally. The new model is not called ROG Ally 2 because it is not an entirely new device, but rather an updated product featuring the same Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor and the same 48-120 Hz VRR screen, explains The Verge .
The major improvement is the battery. The company confirms a more than 40% larger battery. However, the company is not providing any details on the exact capacity. Gamers expecting around 3 hours of gameplay, compared to the typical 1.5 hours of battery life on the original version, should not be “disappointed” says ASUS.
ASUS confirms that the device will support M.2 2280 SSD, which should make upgrades simpler. These two details combined suggest that the handheld will be larger, although no specifics were mentioned here.
“We’re not looking at 30 to 40 percent more [battery] capacity. We’re looking at way more than that”
— Asus SVP Shawn Yen to The Verge
ASUS ROG Ally X new details
- Same AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU
- Same 7″ 48-120Hz screen
- Larger battery
- Larger M.2 2280 SSD form factor
- More than 16GB RAM
- Heavier than ROG Ally 2023
- SD Card slot moved away from the heatsink
- Black shell design
- MSRP higher than $699 at launch
ROG Ally X, Source: ASUS
The system is said to feature more than 16GB of memory. ASUS is not confirming the exact capacity or whether it is faster than 6400 MT/s. The device will also be more repairable with a newly redesigned joystick. It will also have revised grips and will be heavier.
The SD card slot has been moved further from the air vent, but ASUS is not admitting that the original console had issues with thermals. Rather, the change was dictated by the new mainboard and design of the ROG Ally X.
ASUS is not discussing the release date or pricing, but the device is said to cost more than the original, which should stick around for a while with new discounts. The new handheld will be officially announced on June 2nd .
ROG Ally X official announcement date, Source: ASUS
| Handheld Gaming Consoles Specs | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VideoCardz | ASUS ROG Ally X | ASUS ROG Ally 2023 | MSI Claw | Lenovo Legion Go | Valve Steam Deck OLED |
| Picture | |  |  |  |  |
| Architecture | AMD Zen4 & RDNA3 | AMD Zen4 & RDNA3 | Intel Redwood Cove, Crestmont & Xe-LPG | AMD Zen4 & RDNA3 | AMD Zen2 & RDNA2 |
| APU | Ryzen Z1 Extreme 8C/16T up to 5.1 GHz | Ryzen Z1 Extreme 8C/16T up to 5.1 GHz or Ryzen Z1 6C/12T up to 4.9 GHz | Core 7 Ultra 155H 16C/22T up to 4.8 GHz or Core 5 Ultra 135H 14C/18T up to 4.6 GHz | Ryzen Z1 Extreme 8C/16T up to 5.1 GHz or Ryzen Z1 6C/12T up to 4.9 GHz | AMD Sephiroth (6nm) 4C/8T up to 3.5 GHz |
| SoC GPU | AMD iGPU 12CU @ 21-30W.7 GHz | AMD iGPU 12CU @ 2.7 GHz [Z1E] 4CU @ 2.5 GHz [Z1] | Arc Graphics 8 Xe-C @ 2.25 GHz [155H] 7 Xe-C @ 2.20 GHz [135H] | AMD iGPU 12CU @ 2.7 GHz [Z1E] 4CU @ 2.5 GHz [Z1] | AMD iGPU 8CU @ 1.6 GHz |
| SoC TDP | TBC | 1-30W | 28W | 9-30W | 4-15W |
| External GPU | TBC | ROG XG Mobile (up to RTX 4090) | Thunderbolt 4 | USB4 | Not officially |
| Memory Capacity | 32GB LPDDR5? | 16GB LPDDR5-6400 | 16GB LPDDR5-6400 | 16GB LPDDR5X-7500 | 16GB LPDDR5-6400 |
| Storage Capacity | TBC | 512GB | 1TB/512GB | 1TB/512GB | 512GB/1TB SSD |
| Storage Type | M.2 NVMe 2280 SSD PCIe 4×4 | M.2 NVMe 2230 SSD PCIe 4×4 | M.2 NVMe 2230 SSD PCIe 4×4 | M.2 NVMe 2242 SSD PCIe 4×4 | M.2 NVMe 2230 SSD PCIe 3×4 |
| Display | 7″ 1920×1080, 120Hz, 500 nits, 7ms, VRR | 7″ 1920×1080, 120Hz, 500 nits, 7ms, VRR | 7″ 1920×1080, 120Hz, 500 nits, VRR | 8.8″ 2560×1600 IPS, 144Hz, 500 nits | 7.4″ 1200×800, 90 Hz |
| Connectivity | TBC | Wi-Fi 6E, BT 5.2 | Wi-Fi 7 + Bluetooth 5.4 | Wi-Fi 6E, BT 5.2 | Wi-Fi 6E, BT 5.3 |
| Battery | larger than 2023 model | 40 Wh, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion | 53 Wh, 6-Cell | 49.2 Wh, 900 mAh (controllers) | 50 Wh |
| Weight | TBC | 608g / 1.34 lbs | 675 g | 854g / 1.87 lbs | 640 g / 1.41 lbs |
| Dimensions (L×W×H) | TBC | 28.0 × 11.3 × 3.9 cm 11.0 × 4.5 × 1.5 in | 29.4 × 11.7 × 2.1 cm 11.6 × 4.6 × 0.8 in | 29.9 × 13.1 × 4.1 cm 11.8 × 5.2 × 1.6 in | 29.8 × 11.7 × 4.9 cm 11.7 × 4.6 × 1.9 in |
| Default OS | Windows 11 | Windows 11 | Windows 11 | Windows 11 | Steam OS/Win 11 |
| Retail Price | $699+/€799+ | $699/€799 [Z1E] $599/€699 [Z1] | $799/€949 [155HU+1TB] $749/€849 [155H+512GB] $699 [135H+512GB] | $749 [Z1E+1TB] $699/€799 [1E+512GB] | $649/€679 [1TB] $549/€569 [512GB] |
| Release Date | TBC | June 2023 [Z1E] September 2023 [Z1] | March 2024 | October 31, 2023 | November 2023 |
Source: ASUS, The Verge