When ASUS and Microsoft launched the ROG Xbox Ally X in October 2025, it became the default answer to “which Windows handheld should I buy?” A year later there is an OLED successor, the X20, and new rivals like the ONEXPLAYER 3. Here is how the Ally X holds up, what it still does best and how to buy it on Amazon US, where the situation is not as simple as it should be.
👉 See the ROG Xbox Ally X on AmazonRyzen AI Z2 Extreme, 24 GB / 1 TB, $1,139 on Amazon US, Japan version (October 16, 2026)
What it is
| Spec | ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X (RC73XA) |
|---|---|
| Chip | AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme: 8 cores / 16 threads, 3x Zen 5 + 5x Zen 5c, up to 5.0 GHz |
| Graphics | Radeon 890M, 16 RDNA 3.5 CUs, up to 2.9 GHz |
| NPU | 50 TOPS |
| Memory | 24 GB LPDDR5X-8000, soldered |
| Storage | 1 TB PCIe 4.0 M.2 2280, user-replaceable, UHS-II microSD |
| Screen | 7-inch IPS, 1920 x 1080, 120 Hz, FreeSync Premium, 500 nits rated |
| Battery | 80 Wh, 65 W USB-C charging |
| Power modes | Silent 13 W, Performance 17 W, Turbo 25 W on battery or 35 W plugged in |
| Ports | 1x USB4 (Thunderbolt 4 compatible), 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 3.5 mm jack |
| Controls | Hall-effect impulse triggers, HD haptics, gyro, two grip buttons, Xbox button |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4 |
| Size and weight | 290 x 121 x 27.5-50.9 mm, 715 g |
| OS | Windows 11 Home with the Xbox Full Screen Experience |
The design is the selling point. The grips are shaped like an Xbox controller rather than a flat slab, which makes it the most comfortable handheld in this group for long sessions. At boot it opens the Xbox Full Screen Experience, a console-style shell over Windows 11 that gets you to Game Pass, Steam and other launchers without touching the desktop. ASUS promises security updates through December 31, 2030.
Gaming performance
Notebookcheck tested the Ally X in Turbo mode at 35 W, plugged in, at 1080p:
| Game, 1080p | Low | Medium | High | Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 49.5 fps | 40.5 fps | 31.9 fps | 28 fps |
| Baldur’s Gate 3 | 50 fps | 39.8 fps | 33.2 fps | 32.5 fps |
| F1 24 | 100 fps | 88 fps | 67 fps | 17.7 fps |
| Assassin’s Creed Shadows | 29 fps | 27 fps | 23 fps | 15 fps |
IGN measured 44 fps in Cyberpunk 2077 on High with quality upscaling and 77 fps in Forza Horizon 5, against 37 and 65 fps for the Legion Go 2 with the same Z2 Extreme chip. Notebookcheck rates it 14% faster than the original Ally X and 6% faster than the MSI Claw 8 AI+.
On battery the power modes matter a lot. Cyberpunk at 1080p Ultra ran at 15.5 fps in Silent, 23 fps in Performance, 26.7 fps in Turbo on battery and 28 fps plugged in. For most games, Performance mode at 17 W is the sweet spot between frame rate and battery.
Battery life, heat and noise
- Gaming: Notebookcheck measured 2 h 13 min of Cyberpunk in Turbo and 3 h 12 min in Performance mode. IGN got 2 h 34 min at about 30 fps and 17 W, the same as a Steam Deck OLED.
- Light use: 16.5 hours of Wi-Fi browsing at 150 nits in Notebookcheck’s test.
- Noise: 29.7 dB(A) in Silent, 31.3 in Performance, 37.4 in Turbo on battery and 43.4 plugged in. PC Gamer’s verdict: “Sooo quiet”.
- Heat: the surface peaked at 40.8 °C in Notebookcheck’s test.
What we would flag
- The screen. A 7-inch 1080p IPS panel is the weakest part of a $999.99 device in 2026. PC Gamer calls it “dull”, and Notebookcheck measured 490 nits against the 500 rated. The ONEXPLAYER 3, the Legion Go 2 and ASUS’s own X20 all use OLED.
- Stick drift risk. The triggers are Hall-effect, but the sticks are standard potentiometers. GuliKit sells ASUS-designed TMR replacement sticks for $19.99, and the X20 ships with TMR sticks from the factory.
- Software seams. Settings are split between Armoury Crate and the Xbox shell. At launch, IGN found the Full Screen Experience needed repeated button presses, and there is no Quick Resume like on an Xbox console.
- Fan noise when plugged in. 43.4 dB(A) in Turbo is clearly audible, even if it is quiet next to most rivals.
- No Wi-Fi 7 and no detachable controllers. Rivals like the ONEXPLAYER 3 offer both.
- Owner reports, not lab findings: some owners on forums report a controller firmware update (MCU 325) that left the controls unresponsive, and 6 GHz Wi-Fi drops when docked. Keep firmware and drivers current and read the release notes before updating.
Buying it on Amazon US
ASUS’s US list price is $999.99. On Amazon US, as checked on October 16, 2026, neither Amazon nor ASUS is selling it directly. Your options are:
- Japan version, $1,139, sold by CellOne. Same RC73XA hardware with 24 GB and 1 TB. The listing says the language switches to English and a plug adapter is included. Ask the seller about warranty coverage before you buy.
- HIDevolution unit with a 2 TB SSD, $1,479, sold by HIDevolution US, a reseller that upgrades and resells laptops and handhelds. US unit, Windows 11 Home, double the storage.
🎮 See the 2 TB US unit on AmazonHIDevolution ROG Xbox Ally X, 24 GB / 2 TB, $1,479 on Amazon US
If you find it at its $999.99 list price elsewhere, that is the better deal. At $1,479, the X20 OLED at $1,299.99 is the smarter buy.
ROG Xbox Ally X vs X20 vs ONEXPLAYER 3
| ROG Xbox Ally X | ROG Xbox Ally X20 | ONEXPLAYER 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chip | Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme | Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme | Intel Arc G3 Extreme |
| Screen | 7” IPS, 1080p, 120 Hz | 7.4” OLED, 1080p, 120 Hz | 8.8” OLED, 1200p, 144 Hz |
| Sticks | Potentiometer | TMR | Hall-effect |
| Detachable controllers | No | No | Yes |
| List price | $999.99 | $1,299.99 | $1,549 to $1,849 |
- Buy the Ally X if you want the most comfortable, quietest Windows handheld for Game Pass and Steam and can get it near $999.99.
- Buy the X20 if the screen matters to you. It is the same chip with an OLED and better sticks, for $300 more. It began shipping on October 15, 2026, and was not yet listed on Amazon US when we checked.
- Buy the ONEXPLAYER 3 if you want the biggest OLED, more GPU performance and a tablet-and-keyboard mode, and you can live with the weight and the price.
- Buy a Steam Deck OLED if you only play your Steam library and want SteamOS. The Ally X is roughly twice as fast in modern games, but it costs more and runs Windows.
The Ally X is also a decent couch PC: its USB4 port drives a dock or an external GPU, covered in our eGPU adapter guide. If you would rather keep the PC under the TV, see our best gaming mini PCs under $1,000.
Verdict
The ROG Xbox Ally X is still the handheld most people should buy, as long as they can get it near its $999.99 list price. It has the best grips, the quietest fans and the most polished console-style interface of any Windows handheld, and its Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme is the same chip ASUS uses in the newer X20. Its weak spots are the 7-inch IPS screen and potentiometer sticks that the X20 fixes.
We recommend it at list price. On Amazon US today it costs $1,139 as a Japan import or $1,479 for a 2 TB reseller unit. At those prices, check the seller’s warranty first, and if you are paying more than $1,299.99, get the X20 instead.