“The best gaming handheld!”: Our editors are thrilled with the ASUS ROG Ally X

How does ASUS’ high-end gaming handheld perform in our hands-on? Simon and Lorenz try it out and tell you everything about gaming performance and the hardware in the ASUS ROG Ally X.

For our authors Simon and Lorenz, gaming handhelds are among the most exciting hardware developments in recent years. Right in the middle of the innovation battle, ASUS is diligently fighting for the crown and the title “Best gaming handheld” – Now Simon and Lorenz finally have the chance to put the current flagship through its paces. Here you can find out whether the ASUS ROG Ally X was really convincing across the board.

Discover the ASUS ROG Ally X for yourself now on Amazon

Table of contents

Table of Contents

Toggle

1. Gaming with the flagship handheld

Even as a little kid, Simon dreamed of blockbuster games like World of Warcraft, Halo or Diablo with beautiful graphics in Gameboy format. Almost 20 years later, this almost forgotten childhood dream is finally within reach with the ASUS ROG Ally X.

2. Hardware & equipment at a glance

Lorenz is now more enthusiastic about gaming hardware than the games themselves. As the absolute display guru on our team, there is no one better to take a closer look at ASUS’ handheld flagship from a technical perspective.

Note on transparency: ASUS kindly provided us with the device. The manufacturer had no influence on the statements and opinions in this article.

Gaming with the flagship handheld

Thanks to the large 1 terabyte memory of the ASUS ROG Ally

With the practical Armory Crate software You can easily manage your entire collection of games, including the launcher, in one place on the ASUS ROG Ally X. This flexible overview not only groups together games from different platforms such as Steam, Epic Games and GOG, but also allows you to quickly access your game library without having to switch back and forth between different launchers.

In addition, Armory Crate grants you the easy access to the hardware features of the ASUS ROG Ally X, which also includes the stylish lighting on the sticks, which you can freely configure there.

All my PC games collected in one gaming handheld

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Halo 3

Whether in the urban canyons of Night City or the dense jungles of Kenya: thanks to the 7-inch touch panel with 1080p and 120Hz, your games will look stunningly good!

On the ASUS ROG Ally Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty at a stable 60 frames per second enjoy when the device is operated in turbo mode. Considering this is a handheld console, this level of performance is simply breathtaking and shows the raw power of the built-in AMD Z1 Extreme-graphics unit.

For me, Bungie’s Halo series consists of timeless shooter masterpieces and I still enjoy it just as much as I did back then. Less demanding classics like Halo 3 are running with up to 120 frames per second as smooth as butter on the display of the ASUS ROG Ally X. Be it a classic or a brand new AAA game – playing with the Ally X has captivated me for weeks.

The unbeatable battery life in the ASUS ROG Ally X

With the Armory Crate you can choose between different operating modes. For example, you can reduce the power of the ASUS ROG Ally X to increase the battery life or vice versa!

Compared to the normal ASUS ROG Ally, the further developed Ally X variant offers a significantly increased battery life, which is especially true in the 80Wh large battery is justified. For comparison: the normal ASUS ROG Ally only offers a 40Wh battery! While other gaming handhelds quickly scream for the charging cable when playing power-hungry games, the ASUS ROG Ally X is a tireless bundle of energy!

So I was able to get in with a full battery Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty in Turbo Mode for two full hours Enjoy the amazing graphics before the ASUS ROG Ally X had to be connected to the power supply again.

Lorenz will tell you in detail about the strengths and weaknesses of the hardware in the Ally X – but my gaming conclusion is extremely positive!

Experience gaming with the ASUS ROG Ally X now

Our colleague Linh is even deeper into the handheld game and compares all competitors on the market with this comprehensive article:

Hardware & equipment at a glance

So, after Simon gave you an insight into everyday life with the Ally X, we now turn our attention to the specs of the high-end console from ASUS. With my strong flair for displays, let’s start right away 120 Hz screen in Ally X – admittedly one of the most important features in a handheld console.

Brilliant even without OLED: The 120Hz display in the Ally X

When so much graphics performance meets a great display, it’s hard to believe that it’s “just” a gaming handheld.

In my opinion, the 7-inch IPS display is the optimal size for this device category. In my opinion, ASUS is by no means shabby, because the display covers 100% of the sRGB color space and, with a measured 491 cd/m² (= “nits”), also achieves the factory specification of 500 nits. This maximum brightness is also possible without HDR certification a captivating picture that is simply fun!

Complaining at a high level: If the display shows a black area, smaller halos, i.e. irregularities in the illumination, can be seen. So far I haven’t noticed the defect at any time while playing, only when booting up the console and can therefore be ignored.

AAA gaming in a handheld with the AMD Z1 Extreme

In my opinion, no other APU would be more suitable for the Ally X than the current mobile flagship from AMD. The Z1 Extrem in the Ally X is supported by a whopping 24 gigabytes of LPDDR5 memory in dual channel. This means it trumps its non-X sibling by a full 8 gigabytes and the memory also clocks noticeably faster.

Whether smooth 50-60 fps in extremely demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077, respectable 70-80 fps in the beautiful Forza Horizon 5 or a full 120 fps in Rocket League – The AMD Z1 Extreme surprised me absolutely positively in the test. Due to the gigantic battery in the Ally X, the TDP is now 30 watts higher than its predecessor and that is noticeable.

Overall, in my opinion, the gaming performance of the Ally

I would also like to praise ASUS for the accessibility and simple construction of the board. The device can be unscrewed in a matter of seconds, giving you full access to pretty much everything. The possibility, replace the battery, analog sticks or SSD in just a few steps, is anything but self-evident these days.

The ASUS ROG Ally the best gaming handheld currently on the market and we can make a clear recommendation for it.

The best hardware in the ASUS ROG Ally X – now at Amazon