The ASUS ROG Ally X (2024) is a substantial refinement of the original ROG Ally rather than a new-generation performance platform. It keeps AMD’s Ryzen Z1 Extreme and 7-inch 1080p/120 Hz FreeSync Premium display, but adds a much larger 80 Wh battery, 24 GB of faster LPDDR5X memory, standard M.2 2280 storage, a second USB-C/USB4-class port, better grips, revised controls, and a redesigned cooling system.
Its strongest case is for players who want a Windows handheld that can run Steam, Xbox PC Game Pass, Epic, GOG, and other PC storefronts with fewer platform restrictions than SteamOS. The trade-offs are a heavy 678 g chassis, Windows friction, still-limited performance from the same Z1 Extreme APU, and battery life that remains highly dependent on the game and power mode. Rating: 4.2/5.
The Ally X’s defining upgrade is endurance. Its 80 Wh battery is twice the nominal capacity of the original Ally’s 40 Wh class battery, and independent testing found roughly 2.5–3.3 hours in lighter or mixed workloads and about 2.7–3.0 hours in demanding games under specific test conditions. That does not make it an all-day AAA machine, but it gives the Ally X more useful headroom at 20–25 W than many earlier Windows handhelds, while also allowing the Z1 Extreme to sustain higher performance away from a charger.
The hardware remains familiar: AMD’s Ryzen Z1 Extreme combines eight Zen 4 CPU cores with twelve RDNA 3 graphics compute units and a configurable 9–30 W TDP, feeding a 7-inch 1920×1080 IPS-level touchscreen with a 120 Hz refresh rate and FreeSync Premium variable refresh. At 1080p, modern demanding games still require sensible settings, resolution scaling, or AMD FSR; the Ally X’s larger memory pool improves allocation flexibility but does not turn the APU into a discrete-GPU replacement.
Description
The **ASUS ROG Ally X (2024)** is a substantial refinement of the original ROG Ally rather than a new-generation performance platform. It keeps AMD’s Ryzen Z1 Extreme and 7-inch 1080p/120 Hz FreeSync Premium display, but adds a much larger 80 Wh battery, 24 GB of faster LPDDR5X memory, standard M.2 2280 storage, a second USB-C/USB4-class port, better grips, revised controls, and a redesigned cooling system.Its strongest case is for players who want a Windows handheld that can run Steam, Xbox PC Game Pass, Epic, GOG, and other PC storefronts with fewer platform restrictions than SteamOS. The trade-offs are a heavy 678 g chassis, Windows friction, still-limited performance from the same Z1 Extreme APU, and battery life that remains highly dependent on the game and power mode. **Rating: 4.2/5.**
Positives
- The 80 Wh battery is a major endurance improvement for a Windows handheld, especially in demanding games.
- The Ryzen Z1 Extreme remains a capable integrated handheld platform when games are configured realistically.
- The 120 Hz FreeSync Premium display makes variable frame rates feel smoother than on a fixed-refresh panel.
- 24 GB of LPDDR5X gives the shared GPU and Windows more memory headroom than 16 GB designs.
- Standard M.2 2280 storage makes SSD replacement or expansion more practical.
- The redesigned grips, revised controls, Hall-effect triggers, rear buttons, and HD haptics make it a flexible controller-first PC.
- Dual USB-C connectivity, including USB4/Thunderbolt 4 compliance, improves docking and external-display options.
- Windows provides broad access to PC storefronts and Game Pass rather than locking the user into one ecosystem.
- The redesigned cooling system and independent review impressions support better sustained-use comfort than the original Ally.
Negatives
- Windows remains awkward on a small controller-first device, particularly for sleep/wake, updates, launchers, and desktop navigation.
- The 678 g chassis is heavy, and the larger battery increases mass rather than making the device lighter.
- The display is still 1080p IPS-level rather than OLED, so it lacks OLED’s contrast and response advantages.
- Battery life is better, not unlimited; demanding games still commonly last around two to three hours under independent test conditions.
- The Ryzen Z1 Extreme is carried over, so the Ally X is a refinement with more headroom rather than a major generational graphics leap.
- The official page lists a UHS-II microSD reader, but storage performance and game suitability depend on the particular card and title.
- ASUS’s charger-inclusion warning means package contents can vary by region or model.
- Retailer or aftermarket 2 TB upgrades can be mistaken for the official 2 TB SKU, complicating price and warranty comparisons.
- High-power modes still produce heat and fan noise, even though the redesigned cooling system improves the thermal design.
The redesigned body is more comfortable than the original Ally for many users because the handles are deeper and the button/stick layout is slightly revised. The device is nevertheless heavier at 678 g, and independent coverage still identified Windows as the biggest usability weakness: desktop menus, launchers, updates, sleep/wake behavior, and inconsistent controller support can make a supposedly console-like product feel like a small PC that happens to have integrated controls.
The result is a strong premium Windows handheld for users who value storefront freedom, VRR, broad game compatibility, and a large battery more than minimum weight or a console-like operating system. It is less compelling for buyers whose priority is the simplest suspend-and-resume experience, the lowest price, or a major generational jump in graphics performance.
Specifications
- Operating system: Windows 11 Home
- Processor: AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme, Zen 4, 4 nm, 8 cores/16 threads, 24 MB total cache, up to 5.10 GHz boost
- Graphics: Integrated AMD Radeon Graphics, RDNA 3, 12 compute units, up to 2.7 GHz, up to 8.6 theoretical TFLOPS
- Configurable processor power: 9–30 W TDP
- Memory: 24 GB onboard LPDDR5X in a 12 GB×2 dual-channel arrangement; ASUS lists 7500-class memory speed on the feature page
- Storage options: 1 TB or 2 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 2280 SSD, depending on the exact RC72LA SKU
- Display: 7-inch, 1920×1080, 16:9 IPS-level touchscreen with 10-point multi-touch, 120 Hz refresh rate, 7 ms stated response time, 500 nits stated brightness, 100% sRGB coverage, Gorilla Glass Victus, and AMD FreeSync Premium VRR
- Controls: Two full-size analog sticks, D-pad, ABXY buttons, bumpers, Hall-effect analog triggers, View and Menu buttons, Command Center and Armoury Crate buttons, two assignable rear grip buttons, HD haptics, and a six-axis IMU
- Ports: 3.5 mm combo audio jack; USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C with DisplayPort and power delivery; USB4 Type-C with Thunderbolt 4 compliance, DisplayPort 1.4 with FreeSync support, and Power Delivery 3.0; UHS-II microSD reader supporting SD, SDXC, and SDHC
- Wireless: Tri-band Wi-Fi 6E 2×2 and Bluetooth 5.4, with ASUS noting that Bluetooth version can vary by operating-system version
- Battery: 80 Wh, 4S1P, four-cell lithium-ion battery
- Power adapter: 65 W USB-C adapter, 20 V/3.25 A, 100–240 V input; ASUS says charger inclusion varies by country, region, and model
- Audio: Two-speaker system with Smart Amp, Dolby Atmos, AI noise cancellation, built-in array microphones, and Hi-Res headphone certification
- Security: Microsoft Pluton security processor and built-in fingerprint sensor
- Lighting: Aura Sync-compatible RGB lighting around the analog sticks
- Weight: 678 g / 1.49 lb
- Dimensions: 28.0 × 11.1 × 2.47–3.69 cm
- Included software offer: ASUS lists three months of Xbox Game Pass for PC in eligible markets, subject to terms, exclusions, activation market, and catalog changes
Detailed Product Analysis
Model identity and configuration boundaries
The name ROG Ally X can refer to several easily confused products. This review covers the 2024 RC72LA, whose core configuration is Ryzen Z1 Extreme, 24 GB LPDDR5X, Windows 11 Home, and either 1 TB or 2 TB M.2 2280 storage. It is not the 2025 ROG Xbox Ally X, which uses a newer Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme platform and a different Xbox-oriented software experience, and it is not the base 2025 ROG Xbox Ally or the 2023 RC71L ROG Ally.
The 1 TB and 2 TB RC72LA versions share the principal platform, display, battery, controls, ports, and dimensions; storage capacity is the material SKU difference listed on ASUS’s comparison page. Retailer-installed SSD upgrades should not be presented as an official factory configuration unless the seller identifies the exact RC72LA SKU.
Performance and memory
The Ryzen Z1 Extreme remains one of the faster integrated handheld platforms of its generation. Its eight Zen 4 cores, twelve RDNA 3 compute units, and 9–30 W configuration range provide enough headroom for demanding PC games, while 24 GB of LPDDR5X gives the shared-memory GPU more room than a 16 GB handheld when Windows, background processes, and graphics allocation compete for the same pool.
The memory upgrade is useful, but it is not equivalent to a discrete graphics upgrade. The GPU still shares system memory and remains constrained by power, cooling, game engine behavior, and the 1080p panel’s native resolution. Independent reviewers generally found smooth gameplay when settings and resolution were matched to the hardware, but the most demanding games still benefit from 720p/900p internal rendering, medium presets, or FSR rather than native 1080p ultra settings.
The Ally X’s variable-refresh display is a practical performance feature. FreeSync Premium lets the panel adapt to changing frame rates, so games that fluctuate below 120 fps can look more coherent than they would on a fixed-refresh screen. It does not increase the number of frames the APU can render, but it reduces the visual penalty of uneven frame delivery.
Battery life and charging
The 80 Wh battery is the Ally X’s clearest improvement. ASUS describes it as a major endurance upgrade, and the company’s feature page advertises more than 2.7 hours of heavy AAA gaming and up to 14.5 hours of video playback under its own conditions. Independent testing was more useful for expectations: The Verge recorded approximately 2.5 hours in Persona 3 Reload at maximum brightness, 3 hours 19 minutes in Dave the Diver, 2 hours 59 minutes in Armored Core 6, and 2 hours 41 minutes in Shadow of the Tomb Raider at its chosen settings.
Those results show why battery claims must be read as workload-specific. A lightweight 2D game, video playback, or a low-power mode can last much longer than a high-refresh, high-brightness AAA title. Conversely, the larger battery is not a license to run every game at maximum power indefinitely. The Ally X is best understood as a Windows handheld with unusually usable endurance, not as a device that eliminates the need for a charger on long AAA trips.
The official specification lists a 65 W USB-C power adapter, but ASUS warns that charger inclusion varies by country, region, and model. Buyers should confirm the local box contents and remember that a third-party USB-C charger must provide the appropriate USB Power Delivery output to sustain the handheld’s higher performance modes.
Display and controls
The 7-inch 1080p IPS-level display is not an OLED panel, but it is well matched to the device. ASUS specifies 500 nits, 100% sRGB coverage, a 120 Hz refresh rate, 7 ms response time, Gorilla Glass Victus, touch input, and FreeSync Premium. The combination of 1080p and VRR offers a good balance between clarity and attainable frame rates, especially when games are rendered at a lower internal resolution and upscaled.
The revised grips and slightly adjusted controls improve the physical experience compared with the original Ally for many hands. Tom’s Hardware noted deeper handles, a tweaked button/stick arrangement, smaller rear macro buttons to reduce accidental presses, stiffer joysticks, and a revised D-pad during its hands-on evaluation. The trade-off is mass: at 678 g, the Ally X is heavier than the original Ally and can become tiring in unsupported two-handed play.
Hall-effect triggers, full-size sticks, two rear grip buttons, HD haptics, and a six-axis IMU make the input hardware versatile for modern games, racing titles, gyro-enabled control schemes, and desktop shortcuts. The sticks themselves are not officially specified as Hall-effect analog sticks on ASUS’s technical page; the Hall-effect claim should therefore be limited to the triggers unless a particular replacement module or third-party accessory is being discussed.
Ports, storage, and expansion
The move to a standard M.2 2280 SSD is a meaningful serviceability improvement over smaller handheld storage formats. The official page lists factory 1 TB and 2 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe options and explicitly presents M.2 2280 support as an upgrade path. Storage expansion is therefore more practical, although opening the chassis still has the usual warranty and handling implications.
The Ally X replaces the original XG Mobile connector arrangement with a more flexible pair of USB-C ports: one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port and one USB4 port with Thunderbolt 4 compliance, DisplayPort 1.4, FreeSync support, and Power Delivery 3.0. This improves dock and external-display flexibility, but buyers should check the bandwidth and feature requirements of their particular dock, monitor, eGPU, or storage device rather than assuming every USB-C accessory will expose every advertised function.
The UHS-II microSD reader is useful for media and secondary game storage, but storage expansion should not be treated as a substitute for a fast internal SSD in every game. Load times, patching behavior, and game compatibility vary by title and card. ASUS’s page lists the reader’s supported card families but does not guarantee identical performance with every card brand or capacity.
Thermals, fan noise, and sustained use
ASUS redesigned the cooling system around the larger battery. The official feature page describes anti-gravity heat pipes, dual fluid-bearing fans, dust filters, two heatsinks, a third exhaust vent, and thinner fan blades intended to increase airflow while keeping the display and internal components cooler in different orientations.
Tom’s Hardware reported ASUS’s claim of 24% more airflow and a display up to 6 °C cooler, while also noting that these were manufacturer claims observed during a hands-on preview rather than independent long-term measurements. The Verge characterized the fan as quiet relative to other Windows handhelds in its review and listed quiet operation among the Ally X’s strengths.
In practical terms, the Ally X is a high-performance small PC, so fan noise and surface warmth rise with power mode, frame-rate target, ambient temperature, and charging state. The redesign improves the platform’s thermal envelope, but it cannot make sustained 25–30 W gaming silent. Users who prioritize quiet operation should use a sensible frame cap or lower power mode and accept a corresponding performance reduction.
Windows, Armoury Crate, and game compatibility
Windows 11 is both the Ally X’s advantage and its biggest usability cost. It gives the device direct access to multiple launchers and storefronts, including Steam, Xbox PC Game Pass, Epic, GOG, and other Windows-compatible libraries, subject to each service’s launcher, anti-cheat, and account requirements. ASUS’s Armoury Crate SE provides a game-library layer and Command Center shortcuts intended to make the device feel more console-like.
Independent review evidence nevertheless found Windows less polished for handheld use than SteamOS. Sleep/wake behavior, updates, desktop dialogs, launcher conflicts, and inconsistent controller support can require troubleshooting, while the touchscreen and rear buttons do not remove all of the friction of managing a desktop operating system on a 7-inch display. The Ally X is therefore most attractive to buyers who specifically want Windows compatibility, not to buyers who merely want a general-purpose handheld game console.
ASUS lists three months of Xbox Game Pass for PC in eligible markets, but the offer is subject to activation terms and catalog availability. That promotion should not be assigned a permanent product value because it can expire, vary by market, or be replaced by a different offer.
Price and long-term value
The Ally X launched at a premium relative to the original ROG Ally. Tom’s Hardware reported a $799 preorder price, and The Verge’s review snapshot listed $800 at Best Buy and ASUS. The important comparison is not only raw frame rate: the Ally X charged more for the 80 Wh battery, 24 GB memory, 1 TB storage, improved grips, USB4, and revised cooling.
Because the product has been superseded by newer ROG Xbox Ally models, its current price and availability can vary sharply by region and retailer. A discounted Ally X can remain attractive when the buyer values Windows storefront access and battery capacity, but a near-launch price is harder to justify against newer handheld APUs or OLED/SteamOS alternatives. Always confirm the exact RC72LA SKU, included charger, warranty, and return policy before treating a sale listing as a like-for-like comparison.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the ASUS ROG Ally X the same as the ROG Xbox Ally X?
No. The 2024 ROG Ally X is the RC72LA Windows handheld built around AMD’s Ryzen Z1 Extreme. The 2025 ROG Xbox Ally X is a separate product with a newer Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme platform and an Xbox-oriented software experience.
What storage versions does the 2024 ROG Ally X have?
ASUS lists a 1 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 2280 version and a separate 2 TB version under RC72LA identifiers. A retailer’s 2 TB listing may also be an aftermarket upgrade, so the exact SKU and warranty should be checked.
Does the ROG Ally X have an OLED display?
No. ASUS specifies a 7-inch 1920×1080 IPS-level touchscreen with 120 Hz refresh, 500 nits, Gorilla Glass Victus, and FreeSync Premium VRR.
Is the 80 Wh battery enough for a long trip?
It depends on the game and power mode. The Verge measured about 2.5 hours in Persona 3 Reload, 3 hours 19 minutes in Dave the Diver, 2 hours 59 minutes in Armored Core 6, and 2 hours 41 minutes in Shadow of the Tomb Raider under its test conditions. Lighter workloads can last longer, while high brightness, high wattage, and demanding games reduce runtime.
Can it run games outside Steam?
Yes. Windows 11 allows access to Steam, Xbox PC Game Pass, Epic, GOG, and other Windows-compatible launchers, although each game or service may have its own launcher, anti-cheat, account, and controller requirements.
Does it support an external monitor or dock?
Yes. ASUS lists DisplayPort support over both USB-C paths, with USB4/Thunderbolt 4 compliance on one port and Power Delivery support. Actual dock and monitor behavior depends on the accessory, cable, display mode, and power budget.
Does the box include a charger?
ASUS lists a 65 W USB-C adapter but explicitly warns that charger inclusion varies by country, region, and model. Confirm the local retailer’s package contents before purchase.
Is the ROG Ally X good for AAA games?
It is capable of running many AAA PC games, but the best results usually require sensible power, resolution, and quality settings. The 24 GB memory pool and 80 Wh battery help, but the integrated Z1 Extreme GPU still has finite performance and shared-memory limits.
Important Caveats
- Price is time-sensitive. The $799–$800 figures cited here come from launch/review-era coverage, not a guaranteed current price. ASUS’s own specifications page warns that resellers set their own prices and that products may not be available in every market.
- Do not merge generations. The 2024 RC72LA is not the 2025 ROG Xbox Ally X or base ROG Xbox Ally, and their processor, software, memory-speed, and feature claims should not be combined.
- Do not merge storage SKUs. ASUS lists separate 1 TB and 2 TB identifiers. A retailer-modified 2 TB unit may have different warranty or package conditions.
- Battery results are not a universal specification. Independent figures depend on game, brightness, resolution, power profile, frame cap, background software, Windows updates, and test methodology.
- Theoretical graphics figures are not measured frame rates. ASUS’s up-to-8.6-TFLOPS figure is theoretical; actual performance varies by game and system configuration.
- Charger and software offers vary. ASUS says the charger can vary by market, and the Game Pass offer is limited by eligibility, terms, activation market, and catalog changes.
- USB4/Thunderbolt claims require compatible accessories. The port specification does not guarantee every dock, monitor, eGPU, storage device, or cable will deliver every possible feature or maximum throughput.
- Windows remains part of the ownership decision. Broad compatibility comes with desktop-management friction and less seamless suspend/resume behavior than a console-focused operating system.
- Support and repair experience are separate from hardware quality. Independent coverage raised ASUS support/RMA concerns; those concerns should be evaluated using current regional warranty terms rather than treated as a universal hardware failure rate.
Verdict
The ASUS ROG Ally X (2024) is one of the better premium Windows gaming handhelds of its generation. It solves several of the original Ally’s practical problems—especially battery size, memory capacity, storage serviceability, grip comfort, and USB-C flexibility—without losing the 120 Hz VRR display or broad Windows storefront access.
Its 4.2/5 score reflects a product that is genuinely more usable than the original Ally, not a device without compromises. The unchanged Ryzen Z1 Extreme means owners should not expect a new performance tier, the IPS screen is less luxurious than OLED, the 678 g body is heavy, and Windows still requires patience.
Buy it when a discounted RC72LA offers the 80 Wh battery, 24 GB memory, 1 TB-or-larger SSD, VRR, and Windows compatibility you need. Choose another handheld when SteamOS simplicity, OLED contrast, minimum weight, or the newest-generation APU matters more than broad Windows storefront access.