Asus Launch the ROG Xbox Ally X20 with an Upgraded OLED Display and HDR True Black 1400
We saw this new gaming handheld first of all back at Computex in June, and then showcased again at Gamescom in August, but it is finally available now to buy! This is Asus’ latest version of their ROG Ally gaming handheld, offering a massive update to the display on this new 20th anniversary edition. This is the first time that an OLED panel has been used for their ROG Ally handheld gaming device since it was first introduced in 2023, offering a huge range of updates and improvements over the older models, and it’s actually the first display in any segment that we’ve seen and tested which reaches the latest VESA DisplayHDR True Black 1400 certification tier that was announced in July this year.
Our full review and testing of the new OLED display
System updates
The Ally X20 comes in a very smart looking black and gold design with translucent plastics, gold accents on the fans and internal components and gold joystick lighting on the front, which is in keeping with the design of their other 20th anniversary products launched this year. It’s got the Xbox inspired design, grips and shape that was introduced last year as an update to the squarer shape of the earlier models, and was marked by the inclusion of “Xbox” in the product name, offering improved comfort and ergonomics.
The system specs have also been updated and improved as you’d expect with a new model, and it now features an AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor, 24 Gig of DDR 5 RAM and a 1 Terabyte SSD for instance. The battery has also been enhanced with an 80 Watt hour capacity, the same actually as the Ally X models in the past, but an improvement over other Ally models that have been released before, or you can power it with a 68W power adapter or higher over the USB-C connection.
An upgraded OLED display
Until now, each generation of the ROG Ally over the years has featured the exact same display. The system specs, processor, graphics card, battery and product design may have all changed and been updated, but the underlying display panel has remained consistent.
The previous versions of the device have always featured a 7 inch sized IPS LCD panel with a 1920 x 1080 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate, making it well suited to SDR gaming but leaving it without proper support for HDR gaming, and with somewhat limited specs compared with a modern LCD monitor. For instance the panel has only a 7ms response time spec and a standard 100% sRGB colour gamut only, so no support for wide gamut content unfortunately.
The ROG Ally X20 marks the first time Asus have updated the actual display panel in the Ally device, making a fundamental change and shifting from an IPS LCD panel to an OLED panel for the first time. The screen is slightly larger than before, now measuring in at 7.4” giving you a small but noticeable boost for a handheld in visual area, and supporting the same 1920 x 1080 Full HD resolution. The refresh rate of the screen remains at 120Hz, but the response time spec has been improved massively, down to 0.2ms now thanks to the near-instant response time capabilities of OLED. The VRR range has been extended a little as well, now supporting 30 – 120Hz and helping ensure smooth gaming support for the most demanding games even where frame rates might drop lower.
The panels have always offered 10-point touch screen support and have featured a Gorilla Glass Victus coating, designed to offer a super hard coating like you might find on some mobile devices, offering excellent scratch and drop resistance. That’s combined with Gorilla Glass DXC which helps reduce glare and reflections to ensure a great picture quality in all situations, improving reflections by 65% compared to an OLED panel without the DXC coating.
VESA DisplayHDR True Black 1400 certification
The most significant changes are with contrast, black depth and HDR capabilities. Obviously the move from IPS LCD to OLED offers all the familiar improvements, like the ability to offer true blacks, a basically infinite contrast ratio and a massive improvement over an IPS panel. The older Ally models didn’t have any real HDR hardware capabilities at all, but on the new Ally X20 both HDR10 and Dolby Vision formats are supported and there’s proper hardware level HDR capabilities thanks to the OLED panel with pixel level dimming and high peak brightness. It’s one of the first OLED panels in any segment to achieve the new DisplayHDR True Black 1400 certification as well.
There’s also improvements to maximum SDR brightness, increased from 500 nits on the previous LCD Ally devices to 600 nits now on the new OLED Ally X20. Also of key importance is an upgrade to the colour gamut of the panel, shifting from a standard sRGB only IPS LCD panel to an OLED panel which offers 100% DCI-P3 coverage now. Asus have also had the new Ally X20 certified under the Pantone Validated programme for colour accuracy.
Pricing and availability
The ROG Xbox Ally X20 is available from today at a price of $1,299 USD for the standalone device, or it’s available in a bundle with Asus’ R1 XREAL glasses, a protective case and a Pelican briefcase at $2,499 USD. You can check latest pricing and availability using our affiliate links below:
For loads more product information and specs, the product page is available here – standalone and bundle
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