Deal | Asus ROG Ally with Z1 Extreme SoC and free ROG Ally travel case is on sale at 31% discount
When Asus first launched the ROG Ally with AMD’s then-latest Z1 Extreme SoC, the handheld proved to be one of the best, if not the best, portable Windows gaming consoles. We confirmed the quality of the Asus ROG Ally in our review where the device earned a “very good” rating of 88%.
More than six months after its initial release, the Asus ROG Ally still remains a compelling option, as the prices of gaming handhelds have come down quite a bit. For instance, we reported earlier this month that the Asus ROG Ally with the Z1 Extreme SoC, 16 GB of RAM, and 512 GB of storage could be yours for just $445 from Amazon. While that deal is still available, users who want a little more value can now buy the same Asus ROG Ally SKU at Best Buy, but with a free official ROG Ally carrying case thrown in for just $5 more.
So, for a total of $449.99, you get an Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme, which has a list price of $649.99, and a ROG Ally carrying case, which usually costs $39.99.
Asus ROG Ally with Z1 Extreme is a powerful handheld gamer
As mentioned above, the Asus ROG Ally, powered by the Ryzen Z1 Extreme, is a standout portable console. The console's key strengths include its comfortable yet sturdy build, good inputs, solid software experience, and stellar gaming display. Our testing revealed that the 7-inch FHD panel covers 92% sRGB, enjoys up to 500 nits of max brightness, and has a good 1,350:1 contrast. Additionally, the panel offers a smooth 120 Hz refresh rate and short response times.
Performance-wise, the Z1 Extreme with its 8x Zen 4 CPU cores and a 12 CU Radeon 780M iGPU has enough horsepower for FHD gaming using low-to-medium settings in AAA titles. For instance, the SoC plays Cyberpunk 2077 2.1 at nearly 40 FPS at FHD with low settings. Naturally, using FSR where possible should smooth out the experience even more.
Finally, Asus has done a good job with the thermal design, as the cooling solution keeps the ROG Ally comfortable to hold without becoming too noisy. Sadly, the battery life leaves a lot to be desired when gaming. A 1 to 1.45-hour gameplay runtime is not surprising, since the ROG Ally only has a 40 Wh cell, and the Z1 Extreme can draw a lot of juice at high power levels.
Putting it all together, if you don’t want to wait for next-gen handhelds to drop, the Asus ROG Ally on sale is a superb value.
Disclaimer: Notebookcheck is not responsible for price changes carried out by retailers. The discounted price or deal mentioned in this item was available at the time of writing and may be subject to time restrictions and/or limited unit availability.
Source(s)
slickdeals, Best Buy (linked above), Teaser image: Asus/Best Buy, Lucas K on Unsplash, edited
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