Introduction
For Asus ROG's 20th birthday, the company released a slew of computer parts. But it's not overlooking its more recent entry into gaming handhelds, with the new Asus ROG Xbox Ally X20, a revamped version of the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X, which is already one of the best handheld gaming PCs.
The $1,299.99 gaming handheld doesn't change performance at all. Instead, it makes some common-sense tweaks to its existing $999.99 handheld, adding TMR joysticks, rubberized grips, a see-through design, a transforming D-pad, and, most importantly, an OLED display.
If you already have an Ally X, this isn't a reason to upgrade. But if you're looking to get into handheld PC gaming and are willing to splurge, the changes here sure are nice.
Design and Display
If you put the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X20 and the original next to each other, it's impossible not to notice the differences. But still, these are largely the same system, inside and out. They have the same button layout, the same grips, the same screen size, speaker placement, and vents.
The most visible difference is that the X20 has a new, transparent plastic case with a black tint, along with gold menu buttons, a gold stripe across the back, and a large "20th Anniversary" ROG badge on the rear.
There is one minor change in the menu buttons: where the Ally X had a library button, the Ally X20 has a screenshot button.
Once I picked up the Ally X20, the original couldn't compare. The chassis feels more substantial, especially with rubberized grips on the back of the prongs. There's a new directional pad, which feels more substantial; it also twists between a 4-way and 8-way pad.
The new TMR joysticks, which should show less wear with age, feel tighter. All of this adds up, even though there is no performance difference between the two devices. They share the same AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme chip.
The other big change is the screen. Both use 1920 x 1080 touchscreens, but the Xbox Ally X20 has a 7.4-inch OLED panel, slightly larger than the original's 7-inch IPS display.
The OLED screen looks great. It is definitely brighter and represents a clear improvement over previous iterations.
Forza Horizon 6 looked beautiful, with lush greenery on the sides of tracks and realistic, colorful paint jobs. In God of War: Ragnarok, dark areas with deep blacks made dim light stand out.
Battery Life
The Ally X20 has the same 80 Whr battery as its predecessor. Testing with God of War: Ragnarok set to 50% brightness and 17W performance mode yielded about 2.5 hours of total battery life.
That's down slightly from about 3 hours on the original Ally, though it's expected that an OLED display would draw a bit more power.
Software
The ROG Xbox Ally X20 uses the same Full Screen Experience that the original Xbox Ally X introduced. Portions of Windows don't even load unless you switch to desktop mode, which saves RAM and helps boost performance.
For some features, Asus includes Armoury Crate SE. That's where you can make changes to lighting around the joysticks, adjust power management, and calibrate controls.
Asus sells the ROG Xbox Ally X20 with a 1-year warranty.
Conclusion
The Asus ROG Xbox Ally X20 is the definitive form of Asus' handheld. It feels better in the hands, has joysticks that should last longer, and the OLED display is a noticeable improvement.
All of that being said, games play the same across the two devices. If you already have an original ROG Ally X, this isn't worth the upgrade.
If you're buying a new machine, it's a tougher choice. The X20 is $1,299.99 — a $300 increase over the original, which is staying on the market. If this is your sole gaming machine, that may be worthwhile for the improved screen and TMR joysticks.
The X20 is worth getting if it's going to be your only gaming PC for a few years and you want the best experience available.
