ASUS ROG Ally drops to $499 for the first time
Great deal on 2023 model.
The best part about the ROG Ally X (2024)? The price cuts for existing handhelds were inevitable. Over a month after the launch of this new ASUS gaming device, the original model is now cheaper than ever.
The ROG Ally, available with either the Ryzen Z1 or Ryzen Z1 Extreme, debuted last year at $699 and $599, respectively. The Z1 non-Extreme version was already seen at $299, but that no longer seems to be the case. The news is that the Extreme variant, which also features 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, is now listed at $499, so $200 cheaper than the original MSRP.
Gaming Handheld Deals (affiliate links)
- ASUS ROG Ally (2023) with Ryzen Z1 Extreme: $499 (-$200) BestBuy
- Legion GO with Ryzen Z1 Extreme: $544 (-$155) Amazon
This deal becomes even more interesting when we consider the Lenovo Legion Go. We recently mentioned that the handheld was approaching a $550 price point, and we’re glad to report that it’s now even cheaper, at $544—a record-low price for this console as well.
ASUS ROG Ally at $499, Source: Best Buy
Currently, ASUS is not expected to launch any new handheld in the near future, nor has Lenovo shown any indication that a new product is coming. Although there were rumors about a Lite edition featuring a 7-inch screen, the company has not confirmed such a product yet.
Meanwhile, there’s no sign of newer Zen5-based AMD Strix Point APUs coming to handhelds at the moment, though this could happen at any time. There is , in fact, a first “handheld” said to feature this processor, but it is not strictly a gaming device.
As for Intel, MSI is expected to launch its Lunar Lake-based handheld no sooner than September. Depending on the price and performance, this release may or may not provide an incentive to lower prices even further.
| 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