ASUS ROG Ally X Review: Best Handheld Gaming PC in India

I need to start this review with a confession: I never thought I would enjoy gaming on a screen smaller than my phone. The idea of a handheld gaming PC sounded like a novelty product to me — something for tech YouTubers to make videos about and for nobody to actually use daily. I grew up with big screens. From that CRT television in the family drawing room where I first played GTA San Andreas on PS2, to the 55-inch OLED that now dominates my living room, gaming for me has always meant a large display, a proper controller, and a comfortable couch or chair.

Then I borrowed my friend's ASUS ROG Ally X for a week-long train journey from Delhi to Kochi (with stops), and everything changed. Somewhere between Bhopal and Nagpur, playing Hades II on a lower berth with my headphones on while the Indian countryside rolled past the window, I understood the appeal. This thing is not trying to replace your desktop or console. It is trying to give you gaming when your desktop or console is not there. And at that, it is exceptional.

I bought my own ROG Ally X the day I got back. Rs 89,999 from Flipkart. That was three months ago, and here is my detailed review.

Hardware Specifications: What ASUS Changed from the Original Ally

The ROG Ally X is the second generation of ASUS's handheld gaming PC, and it addresses nearly every major complaint about the original ROG Ally that launched in 2023. Let me break down the key specifications before we talk about real-world performance.

The headline upgrade is the battery: 80Wh, double the original's 40Wh. This was the single biggest problem with the first Ally. You could barely get 90 minutes of AAA gaming out of it, which made it questionable as a portable device. The Ally X roughly doubles that, and the real-world impact is significant — more on this in the battery section.

The RAM upgrade from 16GB to 24GB LPDDR5X at 7500MHz is the second major improvement. The higher memory bandwidth directly benefits the integrated GPU, which shares system RAM. In benchmarks and real-world testing, this translates to 10-15% better GPU performance in memory-bandwidth-limited scenarios, which is most gaming scenarios on an APU like this.

The 1TB SSD doubles the original's 512GB, which is necessary when modern games regularly exceed 50-100GB. The port situation is fixed — two USB-C ports instead of one USB-C plus ASUS's proprietary XG Mobile connector that nobody used. The ergonomics have been subtly refined, with slightly reshaped grips that are more comfortable during extended sessions.

What did not change: the display (same 7-inch 1080p 120Hz IPS panel), the processor (same Z1 Extreme), and the GPU (same RDNA 3 integrated graphics). The screen is fine but not best-in-class — the Lenovo Legion Go S and Steam Deck OLED have better displays. The processor and GPU remain competitive but are starting to show their age against newer APUs.

Build Quality and Ergonomics

The ROG Ally X feels like a premium device in your hands. The body is a mix of soft-touch plastic and a smooth, slightly textured finish on the back that resists fingerprints well. At 678 grams, it is lighter than a Nintendo Switch in its Hori Split Pad Pro configuration, and it feels well-balanced — the weight is distributed evenly, so it does not feel front-heavy or awkward during extended play.

The analog sticks use Hall effect sensors, which means they should not develop drift over time — a crucial consideration given India's dusty environments that accelerate stick degradation on traditional potentiometer-based sticks. The stick travel is precise, with a slight resistance that feels similar to an Xbox controller. The d-pad is responsive with a subtle click. Triggers are analog with decent range, though they lack the adaptive resistance of a DualSense.

The face buttons (ABXY in Xbox layout) have a satisfying click and short travel. The bumpers are large and easy to reach. There are two rear buttons — one on each grip — that are programmable through Armoury Crate SE (ASUS's software overlay, accessed by pressing the dedicated button on the left side). I mapped these to dodge and sprint in most action games, which worked well.

The 7-inch display is surrounded by reasonably thin bezels. It is an IPS panel with claimed 500 nits peak brightness, and my measurement showed about 470 nits, which is adequate for indoor use but struggles in direct sunlight. Playing on a train or in an auto-rickshaw during the day, I had to crank brightness to maximum in well-lit environments. In shade or indoors, it is perfectly fine. Colour accuracy is decent — not calibrated for professional work, but games look vibrant and punchy. The 120Hz refresh rate is a genuine advantage; games that can hit 90+ fps feel silky smooth on this screen.

The speakers are located on the front face, firing towards you, and they are surprisingly good for a handheld. Stereo separation is noticeable, and they get loud enough to be usable in a quiet room. On a noisy train, you will want headphones — the 3.5mm jack is on the top edge, and Bluetooth audio works well with minimal latency if you use a low-latency codec like aptX Adaptive.

Gaming Performance: The Numbers That Matter

Here is where the ROG Ally X tells its story — through frame rates, resolution, and the constant negotiation between visual quality and smooth gameplay that defines handheld gaming. I tested with the device set to 25W TDP (the sweet spot between performance and battery life) and 30W TDP (maximum performance, plugged in).

AAA Games at 720p and 1080p

Spider-Man Remastered (PC port): At 1080p medium settings, 25W TDP: 35-45fps. Playable but not smooth. At 720p medium settings, 25W: 50-60fps. Much better. At 720p medium with FSR 2.0 Quality: 55-65fps, and this is the sweet spot — the image looks sharp enough on a 7-inch screen, and the frame rate stays above 60 most of the time. Swinging through Manhattan feels good. Not PS5 Pro good, but good. At 30W plugged in: add roughly 5-8fps across the board.

God of War (PC port): At 1080p medium settings, 25W: 40-50fps. At 720p medium with FSR 2.0 Quality: 55-65fps. This game runs beautifully on the Ally X. The combat feels responsive, and the visual quality at 720p with FSR upscaling is excellent on the small screen. This was one of my most-played games on the device — replaying the 2018 game in handheld form was like revisiting an old friend.

Cyberpunk 2077: This is a demanding game, and the Ally X handles it respectably but not effortlessly. At 720p low-medium settings with FSR 2.0 Performance: 35-45fps at 25W. At 30W: 40-50fps. The Steam Deck preset (which Cyberpunk includes as a built-in option) works well on the Ally X too. Night City at 720p on a 7-inch screen still looks atmospheric. You will notice the reduced detail if you are used to the PS5 Pro or a desktop experience, but the game is entirely playable and enjoyable.

Forza Horizon 5: Microsoft's racer runs exceptionally well. At 1080p medium settings, 25W: 50-60fps. This game is well-optimized for AMD hardware, and the Ally X handles it with confidence. At 720p high settings: 60fps locked, with headroom to spare. The vibrant colours of the Mexican landscape pop on the IPS display, and the 120Hz panel means you can target higher frame rates in less demanding areas. This is arguably the best game to showcase the Ally X to friends.

Elden Ring: At 720p medium settings, 25W: 40-50fps. FromSoftware's optimization is inconsistent, and some areas (particularly Limgrave during weather effects) dip into the 35fps range. At 30W, it stabilizes closer to 45-55fps. The frame pacing can be slightly uneven, which is noticeable during exploration. During boss fights, where you need precision timing, I found 30W mode essential. Playable and enjoyable, but not the smoothest experience.

Baldur's Gate 3: At 720p medium settings, 25W: 35-50fps depending on the area. Act 3 (the city) is demanding and drops to 30-35fps at times. Acts 1 and 2 are more comfortable at 40-50fps. This game's turn-based nature means lower frame rates are more tolerable than in action games. I spent an embarrassing number of hours playing BG3 on the Ally X in bed before sleep — it is practically built for RPGs like this.

Competitive and Lighter Games

Valorant: At 1080p low settings: 100-120fps. This game runs beautifully. However, playing a competitive tactical shooter on a 7-inch screen with thumb sticks is not ideal. You can connect a mouse and keyboard via USB-C, but that defeats the portability purpose. Valorant on the Ally X is best for casual deathmatch sessions, not ranked grinding.

Hades II: At 1080p high settings: 90-120fps. Supergiant's art style looks gorgeous on this screen, and the high frame rate makes the fast-paced combat feel incredible. This was my favourite game on the Ally X during that initial train journey, and it remains the title I reach for most when I pick up the device.

Stardew Valley / Hollow Knight / Dead Cells: All run at 120fps with no issues. Indie games are the Ally X's comfort zone, and if your library leans indie, this device is overkill in the best way.

Battery Life: The Make-or-Break Factor

The original ROG Ally's biggest weakness was its 40Wh battery, which gave roughly 1-1.5 hours of AAA gaming. The Ally X doubles that to 80Wh, and the real-world improvement is significant.

My battery test methodology: screen brightness at 50%, Wi-Fi off, no background apps, TDP set to 25W, game running in a continuous loop.

• AAA gaming (720p medium): 2 hours 15 minutes to 2 hours 45 minutes depending on the game. Spider-Man Remastered lasted 2h 20m. God of War lasted 2h 40m. Cyberpunk 2077 lasted 2h 10m.
• Lighter gaming (indie titles, older games): 3 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours 30 minutes. Hades II lasted 3h 45m. Stardew Valley lasted 4h 25m.
• Video streaming (YouTube/Netflix): 5 hours 30 minutes to 6 hours.
• Idle / light desktop use: 7-8 hours.

Is 2-3 hours of AAA gaming enough? That depends on your use case. For a train journey (which is how I primarily use the device), it covers a typical 2-3 hour segment between major stations. Delhi to Agra on the Shatabdi Express? You are covered. Delhi to Jaipur? Mostly covered. Delhi to Kochi? You will need to charge multiple times — bring the included 65W USB-C charger. The good news is that the Ally X charges from 0 to 50% in about 30 minutes and 0 to 100% in about 80 minutes. Many Rajdhani and Shatabdi coaches have charging points, though availability and functionality vary. I always carry a 65W PD power bank (the Ambrane AeroPower 65W, Rs 3,499 on Amazon India) as backup.

For home use — playing in bed before sleep, or gaming while someone else is using the TV — the battery life is adequate. Most gaming sessions for me are 1-2 hours, and the Ally X handles that comfortably.

At 15W TDP (which I call "travel mode"), AAA games drop to 25-35fps, which is playable for turn-based RPGs and story-driven games where frame rate is less critical. Battery life at 15W extends to 3-3.5 hours for medium-intensity games. This is the setting I use on trains and flights when I know I cannot charge.

Thermals and Fan Noise

The ROG Ally X uses a dual-fan cooling system, and it is audible during gaming. At 25W TDP, fan noise is around 38-42 dB measured at arm's length — noticeable in a quiet room but easily masked by game audio through the speakers or headphones. At 30W, it climbs to 44-48 dB, which is loud enough that someone sitting next to you on a train will hear it. Not obnoxiously loud, but present.

Surface temperatures during extended gaming reach about 42-45 degrees Celsius on the back panel near the air intake. The grips stay cooler at around 35-38 degrees, which means your hands do not get uncomfortably warm. In Indian summer conditions — I tested during February in Bangalore (pleasant, around 30 degrees ambient) — the thermals were fine. I have concerns about how the device will handle Delhi's May-June heat when ambient temperatures hit 45+ degrees. I will update this if things change during summer, but so far, no thermal throttling issues.

ASUS offers a "Silent" performance mode that reduces TDP to 13W and keeps fans barely audible. Gaming performance takes a significant hit — AAA games drop to 20-30fps — but for visual novels, 2D games, and very light 3D titles, it is usable. I used Silent mode for Slay the Spire on a late-night flight and it was perfect.

Windows 11: The Elephant in the Room

Let me be direct: Windows 11 is the ROG Ally X's biggest weakness. This is a handheld gaming device running a desktop operating system, and it shows. Navigating Windows with a 7-inch touchscreen and thumb sticks is clunky. The virtual keyboard is slow to use. Windows Update has interrupted my gaming sessions twice in three months. Sleep and resume behaviour is inconsistent — sometimes the device wakes from sleep perfectly, sometimes it takes 15-20 seconds of black screen before the display activates.

ASUS's Armoury Crate SE software tries to paper over Windows with a console-like interface. It works reasonably well as a game launcher — your Steam, Epic, GOG, and Xbox Game Pass libraries are accessible through a unified interface. Quick settings for TDP, fan profiles, display refresh rate, and resolution are easily adjustable through a pop-up menu. But the moment you need to do anything outside Armoury Crate — install a game from a new storefront, configure a specific game's settings, update drivers — you are dumped back into Windows, and the experience degrades immediately.

The Steam Deck, by comparison, runs SteamOS (a Linux-based OS) with an interface purpose-built for handheld gaming. It is smoother, more consistent, and does not suffer from the Windows-related headaches. The trade-off is that the Steam Deck does not natively run all Windows games (compatibility through Proton is good but not perfect). The Ally X runs everything that runs on Windows, with no compatibility concerns. It is a trade-off, and neither approach is objectively better.

I have seen community members install alternative launchers like Playnite with full-screen themes to create a more console-like experience, and ASUS has hinted at potential SteamOS support in the future (Valve has made SteamOS available for third-party devices). For now, Windows 11 is what you get, and you need to be comfortable with its quirks.

Competition: How Does It Stack Up?

Steam Deck OLED (Rs 51,000-65,000 via grey market in India)

The Steam Deck OLED is not officially sold in India. You have to import it through Amazon Global, a forwarding service, or buy from grey market sellers on Instagram and Telegram groups. Prices range from Rs 51,000 for the 512GB model to Rs 65,000 for the 1TB version, including import duties. There is no official warranty in India.

The Steam Deck has a weaker APU (AMD Van Gogh, older RDNA 2 GPU) and gets lower frame rates than the Ally X in most games — roughly 20-30% lower. However, it has a gorgeous 7.4-inch HDR OLED display that makes the Ally X's IPS screen look washed out in comparison. SteamOS is a better handheld OS. Build quality is good but the device is heavier at 669g and feels slightly bulkier.

Without official India sales and warranty, the Steam Deck is a risky buy. If it breaks, you are on your own. The Ally X has official Indian pricing, warranty, and ASUS service centers across the country. For Indian buyers, this practical consideration outweighs the Steam Deck's software advantage.

Lenovo Legion Go S (Rs 74,999 in India)

Lenovo's handheld uses the newer AMD Ryzen Z2 Go processor and has an 8-inch 1920x1200 120Hz IPS display. Performance is comparable to the Ally X in most games, with the larger screen being a notable advantage for visual clarity. The detachable controllers are interesting but the connection mechanism feels less solid than integrated controls. Available officially in India at Rs 74,999, making it Rs 15,000 cheaper than the Ally X.

If the Rs 15,000 price difference matters to you, the Legion Go S is a viable alternative. But the Ally X's better build quality, superior ergonomics, and larger battery make it the better overall device in my assessment.

MSI Claw 8 AI+ (Rs 94,999 in India)

MSI's latest uses an Intel Core Ultra processor with an 8-inch 1080p 120Hz display. The Intel integrated GPU offers decent performance but trails the AMD RDNA 3 in the Ally X in most games by 10-20%. At Rs 94,999, it is overpriced for what it delivers. The MSI Claw also runs hotter and louder than the Ally X. Unless you have a strong reason to prefer Intel (Thunderbolt 4 support, perhaps), the Ally X is the better buy.

Game Pass and the Ally X: A Perfect Pairing

One of the best aspects of the ROG Ally X for Indian gamers is Xbox Game Pass integration. At Rs 549/month (or Rs 5,499/year for Ultimate), you get access to hundreds of games including day-one Microsoft exclusives. On a device where storage is limited (even 1TB fills up fast with modern games), the ability to install, play, and uninstall games from a subscription service without worrying about individual game purchases is liberating.

I have been cycling through Game Pass titles on the Ally X: Forza Horizon 5 one week, Starfield the next, then Pentiment, then a session of Halo Infinite's campaign. The variety keeps the device from feeling stale, and the financial model makes sense — Rs 549/month for essentially unlimited gaming is incredible value, especially on a portable device you might not use every day.

Steam is obviously the other major storefront, and Steam sales in India offer excellent pricing. During the Winter Sale, I picked up God of War, Spider-Man Remastered, and Hades II for a combined Rs 2,200. The Indian Steam store has some of the best regional pricing in the world, which is another advantage the Ally X has over consoles where game prices are higher.

Accessories Worth Buying in India

A few accessories that I have found essential or useful:

• Carrying case: ASUS includes a basic case in the box. It is fine, but if you want better protection, the Tomtoc carrying case for handheld PCs (Rs 1,499 on Amazon India) has a harder shell and better padding.
• 65W PD Power Bank: Essential for travel. The Ambrane AeroPower 65W (Rs 3,499) or the Mi HyperSonic 67W (Rs 3,999) both work well. Make sure it supports USB-C Power Delivery at 65W — lower wattage banks will charge the device but not fast enough to maintain battery during gaming.
• Screen protector: The 7-inch display is glass but not particularly scratch-resistant. A tempered glass protector (Rs 299-499 on Amazon India) is a smart investment.
• USB-C dock: For connecting the Ally X to a TV or monitor at home. A basic USB-C to HDMI dock with USB-A ports (Rs 1,500-2,500 from brands like Portronics or Anker) lets you use the Ally X as a mini desktop gaming PC when connected to an external display, keyboard, and mouse. Performance is obviously limited compared to a desktop, but for lighter games and Game Pass titles, it works well.
• MicroSD card: The Ally X has a microSD slot that supports UHS-II speeds. A 512GB Samsung Evo Select (Rs 3,499) effectively gives you 1.5TB of total storage. Game loading times from microSD are slower than the internal SSD — roughly 30-50% longer — but for games where loading is not frequent (open-world games, RPGs), it is perfectly usable.

Who Should Buy the ASUS ROG Ally X in India

After three months of daily use, here is my honest assessment:

Buy the ROG Ally X if:

• You travel frequently — trains, flights, work trips — and want to game during commutes and downtime
• You have a Steam or Game Pass library and want a portable way to access it
• Your living situation means you cannot always access a TV or monitor (shared apartments, hostel rooms, visiting family)
• You want a single device that handles both gaming and light productivity (web browsing, emails, video calls — it runs full Windows after all)
• You are okay with the Rs 89,999 price tag and understand this is a niche product, not a console replacement

Skip the ROG Ally X if:

• You game exclusively at home and have a dedicated setup — a console or gaming PC will give you better performance for less money
• You primarily play competitive multiplayer games — thumb sticks on a small screen cannot match a mouse and keyboard or even a controller on a monitor
• You are on a tight budget — Rs 89,999 is a lot of money, and a PS5 Slim (Rs 49,990) or Xbox Series X (Rs 49,990) paired with a decent monitor gives you a much better core gaming experience
• You expect console-like simplicity — Windows 11 requires patience and occasional tinkering

My Final Take

The ASUS ROG Ally X is the best handheld gaming PC you can officially buy in India. That qualifier — "officially" — matters, because the Steam Deck OLED exists and has its own advantages, but without Indian availability and warranty, it is a tougher recommendation. The Ally X gives you official warranty, ASUS service centers, Indian retail pricing, and a device that plays your entire PC gaming library in a portable form factor.

Is it perfect? No. Windows 11 remains a compromise on a handheld. Battery life, while doubled from the original, still feels limiting for extended travel. The 1080p IPS display is merely good when OLED competitors exist. And at Rs 89,999, it is a premium product in a country where that amount represents a significant purchase for most people.

But when I am on that train, headphones on, the world outside blurring past, and Kratos is fighting his way through Alfheim on a screen I can hold in my hands — a game I first played on a CRT in a cramped cafe, now running on a device thinner than a paperback book — I cannot help but marvel at how far we have come. The ROG Ally X is not the future of gaming. It is a present-day indulgence for gamers who want their hobby to travel with them. If that describes you, it is worth every rupee.

Rating: 8/10 — Excellent performance and battery life for a handheld PC, held back by Windows 11 quirks and premium pricing.

Where to buy: Available at Flipkart, Amazon India, Croma, Reliance Digital, and ASUS Exclusive Stores across India at Rs 89,999.