Is it worth buying an Asus ROG Ally in 2024?

The handheld gaming market has exploded since Valve launched its Steam Deck, inspiring a wave of new handhelds from various brands. Even Asus jumped into the mix with the ROG Ally, which hit shelves last year with an impressive spec sheet and a gorgeous display.

Just a year later, however, Asus unveiled the new and improved ROG Ally X, addressing many of its predecessor’s issues. It features the same chipset, but Asus has added practical upgrades like an M.2 2280 slot, more RAM, a bigger battery, and some handy quality-of-life features. So, with the ROG Ally X now available, is the original ROG Ally still worth buying in 2024? Here’s what you need to know.

Is it worth buying an Asus ROG Ally in 2024?

The ROG Ally has aged well and remains one of the most powerful and stylish handheld devices around. Whether it’s the right choice in 2024 depends on what you want out of a handheld. Here we’ll break down how it stacks up against the new and improved ROG Ally X and the fresh features that Asus has brought to the table with this latest release.

ROG Ally vs. ROG Ally X: Design and display

The original ROG Ally set the bar high with its durable build and 1080p display, which offers a sharp, colourful experience for games. The ROG Ally X takes this up a notch by making the device slightly slimmer and reducing the bezels, giving it a more immersive, edge-to-edge feel. Not only does this change look good, but it also helps to keep you more focused on gameplay without the distraction of thick borders.

ALSO READ: Asus ROG Ally X finally brings better battery life to handheld gamers in India

 Another upgrade in the ROG Ally X is its screen brightness, which reaches 500 nits, compared to the 400 nits on the original Ally. This, combined with a new 144Hz refresh rate (up from the original’s 120Hz), makes for smoother, more fluid visuals, especially noticeable in fast-paced games.

ROG Ally vs. ROG Ally X: Performance

Performance-wise, the key differences between the ROG Ally and ROG Ally X come down to RAM, storage speed, and efficiency, even though both models share the same AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor. The ROG Ally X gets 24GB of RAM, a nice jump from the original Ally’s 16GB, which allows for smoother gameplay and better multitasking, particularly in memory-heavy games.

In terms of storage, the Ally X also sees an upgrade with a 1TB SSD that not only doubles the space but offers faster read and write speeds, meaning quicker load times and game installations. Both models perform similarly under heavy loads, but the ROG Ally X is able to sustain higher performance for longer, thanks to its improved efficiency.

ROG Ally vs. ROG Ally X: Battery life and efficiency

Battery life is a big deal for handhelds, and the ROG Ally X makes small but important strides in this area. While the original Ally can handle about 4-5 hours of moderate gaming, the Ally X manages closer to 6 hours, thanks to its better power management and efficient chipset.

While the difference might not sound huge, it could mean avoiding a mid-game charge. The Ally X also stays cooler during extended sessions due to its improved cooling system, which not only saves battery life but also keeps performance stable without overheating.

ROG Ally vs. ROG Ally X: Cooling system

The cooling system in the ROG Ally X is one of its impressive upgrades. While the original Ally does a good job managing heat, the Ally X builds on this with dual fans and optimised airflow channels, helping it to stay cool even during long, intense gaming sessions.

ALSO READ: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 PC finally set for early 2025 launch

This setup allows the handheld to maintain high performance without the risk of slowing down due to overheating and also reduces fan noise.

ROG Ally vs. ROG Ally X: Storage and expandability

When it comes to storage, the ROG Ally X starts with a base storage of 512GB, compared to the original Ally’s 256GB, providing more room for games and files right out of the box. The Ally X’s SSD is also faster, which reduces loading times and speeds up installations. Both models support microSD expansion, so you can add extra storage if needed, though the Ally X’s increased base storage makes this less necessary.

Is the Asus ROG Ally still worth buying in 2024?

So, is the Asus ROG Ally still worth picking up in 2024? It really depends on what you’re after. If you’re looking for the best possible performance, faster load times, and smoother multitasking, the ROG Ally X is clearly the better choice.

But if you’re more about getting solid gaming performance at a friendlier price point, the original ROG Ally still holds up well and can handle most games at relatively stable frame rates. If you already own the ROG Ally and it’s serving you well, there’s no need to rush into the upgrade.

The ROG Ally X is more of an incremental upgrade rather than a true successor, so if your current ROG Ally is meeting your gaming needs, sticking with it would be a smart choice.