ROG XBOX Ally X20 – 7.4” FHD 1080p 120Hz OLED Gaming Handheld, AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme Processor, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD

I’ve tried nearly every mainstream PC gaming handheld back to the original Steam Deck LCD in 2022. - Steam Deck LCD - Steam Deck OLED - ROG Ally - ROG Ally X - ROG Xbox Ally X - Lenovo Legion Go - Lenovo Legion Go S - Lenovo Legion Go 2 - MSI Claw 8 AI+ The ROG Xbox Ally X20 is the first of any of these that I don’t feel that major compromises are necessary to get a great experience with the device. This thing is premium in the fullest sense of the word. The difference in build quality between this and last years ROG Xbox Ally X is crazy. This thing feels amazing, the XAX felt super cheap by comparison. This is the single most refined PC handheld of the bunch I’ve tried. Putting Windows 11 aside, which is still a pain despite the addition of “Xbox Mode”. This display on this device is the standout feature and it is honestly a treat to behold. The small increase in size on paper is much more transformative in person that I can describe. It really is a huge difference over the display that they’ve been using since 2023. The Z2E silicon is the same as last years ROG Xbox Ally X, but it does perform slightly better at low TDP compared to to last years model due to some tweaks to CPU states, so while not a major upgrade on the performance front, there are gains to be had. I have zero complaints about the device. It is nearly perfect. The best critiques I can leverage are nitpicks. First is the price. I don’t want to normalize the pricing that these devices are constantly creeping up to, but the market is thrashed right now with AI garbage, so it can’t really be helped until the bubble pops. The only other nitpick is the D-pad. Not because it’s bad. It’s actually the opposite. This is probably the best D-pad any PC handheld has ever been equipped with. It’s just slightly noisy. It makes some rattle and click noises when in use and I’m assuming that’s due to the transforming mechanism they implemented. The trade off is that the face buttons (A/B/X/Y) are much quieter compared to the ROG Xbox Ally X. Those face buttons could wake the dead in a crowded room with how clacky they were. Beyond these things, I have no real complaints. This is the endgame tier device for me and I hope that they maintain basically everything about this for the next model that will come with a new chip. It’s that good.

I recently returned my Xbox Ally X and decided to pick up the ROG Ally X20 instead. I have mixed feelings about it, but I definitely lean toward liking it more than not. More often than not, when we buy a new iteration of a device, we instinctively expect meaningful hardware and performance upgrades under the hood. We didn't get that here—the core compute specs match last year's hardware, and games run against the exact same performance ceiling. But I consciously made the decision to get it anyway, knowing what I was buying into. The screen alone makes that decision worth it. The OLED panel is genuinely beautiful, and going from 7.0" to 7.4" makes a far bigger difference in person than that extra 0.4" sounds on paper. Paired with the much slimmer bezels, the display gives games a noticeably cleaner, edge-to-edge feel that pulls you right in. The buttons and inputs feel great and responsive, and because the layout stays identical, there's zero adjustment period. If you go in expecting a raw power leap, you might come away conflicted; but if you go into it consciously wanting a premium visual upgrade and a significantly better display experience, it definitely delivers.

I had the Rog Ally X before selling it for this new model. The X20 addresses all my complaints. The larger, far superior Oled screen is the obvious upgrade here but that’s not all! The ergonomics are improved further which I didn’t think was possible. The improvements to cooling have made this thing noticeably quieter under full load. The new joysticks and buttons are also a welcome improvement. The increased LED functionality is fun though not a selling point. The micro sd express port is helpful for storage expansion for those not technically inclined. The design itself is quite sexy. My only complaint is the lack of an official Asus carrying case. No, the other one will not work. This new unit is slightly bigger.

This thing is as beautiful as you can imagine in person. The OLED screen is gorgeous and the device feels super premium. The comfort is there and with the added rubberized grips, it might be the best quality handheld device in the market. Software from ASUS is proven. It’s the best put together handheld you can buy and comes with plenty of upgrades that make you want to keep it in your hands.

The x20 screen is worth the extra $$$$ its straight up amazing with the transforming dpads and TMR joysticks the buttons arent super clicky anymore also. This is worth it. I own the Ally, Ally x and now the X20 they finally got it right! Well done!!! this is perfect for running your steam/xbox library, I even stream my ps5 onto it! Must buy OLED is amazing!!