ASUS ROG Ally gets a price cut ahead of Ally X launch
A sizable gap between both Ally consoles.
How much is the ROG Ally X worth? ASUS has priced the new handheld at $799, which is a considerable increase over the ROG Ally 2023’s MSRP of $699 from last year. However, the older Ally is now subject to price cuts, which is not the first time this has happened.
As a reminder, ASUS offers two versions of the 2023 handheld, either with the Ryzen Z1 Extreme or the Ryzen Z1 non-Extreme. There is a large gap in specs between both models, and it’s not just about the CPU core count, but also a significant downgrade in graphics (12 RDNA3 CUs vs. 4 CUs). The good news is that the non-Extreme version is also available at a lower price.
The ROG Ally has seen numerous price drops since its debut, averaging $50. This still gave the Ally an advantage over the Lenovo Legion GO, which came out later and has typically been priced higher. Currently, the Z1 Extreme version costs $549, while the non-Extreme variant is listed at $399. That’s a $150 and $200 price cut, respectively, for both models.
Gaming Handheld Deals
- ASUS ROG Ally Ryzen Z1 : $399 (-$200) BestBuy
- ASUS ROG Ally Ryzen Z1 Extreme : $549 (-$150) BestBuy
- MSI Claw A1M Core Ultra 5 135H : $599 (-$100) Newegg
- Lenovo Legion Go Ryzen Z1 Extreme : $628 (-$71) Amazon
- ASUS ROG Ally X Ryzen Z1 Extreme : $799 BestBuy
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ROG Ally Price, Source: BestBuy
The new version (ROG Ally X) does not have a different Ryzen Z1 processor, nor does it offer a different screen, both of which are typically the most important choices for handhelds. Instead, ASUS has focused on the battery (which is twice as large), better ergonomics and controllers, and replacing the proprietary XG Mobile eGPU connector with two USB4 ports.
Are these upgrades worth the extra $200? It’s hard to say, but most gamers should definitely consider the original model, unless they prefer longer battery life and do not plan to use SD cards (which is a known issue with the original model).
Both the Legion Go and MSI Claw have also received price cuts, though these are much smaller in comparison ($71-$100). Furthermore, MSI has confirmed that their Core Ultra 100-based system will be updated to the Core Ultra 200-series. Given the price and performance compared to the ROG Ally series, the current Claw model may be a very tough sell at this point.
| Handheld Gaming Consoles Specs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VideoCardz | ASUS ROG Ally X | ASUS ROG Ally 2023 (RC71L) | MSI Claw | Lenovo Legion Go |
| Picture |  |  |  |  |
| Architecture | AMD Zen4 & RDNA3 | AMD Zen4 & RDNA3 | Intel Redwood Cove, Crestmont & Xe-LPG | AMD Zen4 & RDNA3 |
| 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 |
| SoC GPU | AMD iGPU 12CU @ 2.7 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] |
| External GPU | USB4 (Thunderbolt 4) | ROG XG Mobile (up to RTX 4090) | Thunderbolt 4 | USB4 |
| Memory Capacity | 24GB LPDDR5X-7500 | 16GB LPDDR5-6400 | 16GB LPDDR5-6400 | 16GB LPDDR5X-7500 |
| Storage Capacity | 1TB | 512GB | 1TB/512GB | 1TB/512GB |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6E, BT 5.2 | Wi-Fi 6E, BT 5.2 | Wi-Fi 7 + Bluetooth 5.4 | Wi-Fi 6E, BT 5.2 |
| Battery | 80 Wh | 40 Wh | 53 Wh | 49.2 Wh, 900 mAh |
| Weight | 678g | 608g | 675 g | 854g |
| Dimensions (L×W×H) | 28.0 × 11.4 × 3.7 cm | 28.0 × 11.7 × 3.2 cm | 29.4 × 11.7 × 2.1 cm | 29.9 × 13.1 × 4.1 cm |
| Default OS | Windows 11 | Windows 11 | Windows 11 | Windows 11 |
| Retail Price | $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] |
| Release Date | June 2024 | June 2023 [Z1E] September 2023 [Z1] | March 2024 | October 31, 2023 |
Source: BestBuy