Exciting news is on the horizon for tech enthusiasts as AMD gears up to unveil the Ryzen Z2 series at the upcoming CES event in early 2025. This highly anticipated lineup will introduce Zen 5 cores along with RDNA 3.5 iGPUs, promising to elevate gaming handhelds to a new level.
But if you’re itching to upgrade your gaming gear now, there’s a fantastic opportunity to snag the current-generation models at a steal. The ROG Ally X, hailed as the top-tier gaming handheld currently available, is now priced at $699.99 at Best Buy—a generous $100 cut from its usual cost—thanks to their Black Friday sale. Don’t wait too long, though; this offer is available for a limited period.
The ROG Ally X boasts several notable enhancements compared to its non-X predecessor. While it retains the formidable Z1 Extreme chip, Asus has made a significant upgrade by equipping it with 24 GB of LPDDR5x-7500 memory. This enhancement provides an approximate 8% boost in performance, as evidenced by our gaming benchmarks.
Battery life gets a major boost, with the ROG Ally X featuring an 80 Wh battery, greatly surpassing the previous 40 Wh capacity. This results in extended usage times, particularly in lower TDP modes. Our tests showed the device could last about three hours in Performance mode and up to four hours in Quiet mode.
In addition to these upgrades, the handheld has seen improvements in ergonomics, an accommodating 2280 M.2 SSD slot, enhanced speakers, and a richer port selection with dual USB4 ports. However, one minor drawback is the fan noise in Turbo mode, and the display, while decent, doesn’t quite achieve the advertised 500 nits of brightness.
In summary, the ROG Ally X emerges as a compelling option for gaming aficionados, especially with its current discounted price. Its combination of performance enhancements and thoughtful improvements make it a worthy contender in the gaming handheld market. Don’t miss the chance to grab this device while the deal lasts!
