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Head-to-head · Best Handheld Gaming PCs

ASUS ROG Ally X vs Valve Steam Deck OLED

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

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The short answer

Valve Steam Deck OLED comes out ahead by a narrow margin (4.3 vs 4.4). The gap is mostly about SteamOS users prioritizing battery life — read the strengths below before deciding.

ASUS ROG Ally X
Ranked #3 in Best Handheld Gaming PCs
ASUS ROG Ally X
4 sources2 derived

The ROG Ally X is an incremental but meaningful update to ASUS's handheld PC, pairing a Ryzen Z2 A with reworked grips that reviewers repeatedly single out as the most comfortable in the x86 handheld class. Digitally Downloaded and Ultrabook Review both rate the refined build above the raw silicon, which is the trade this generation makes. The Xbox-branded front end pulls Steam, Epic and Xbox libraries into one list and boots straight into it, though Windows is still underneath with all the driver and update friction that implies. Battery endurance remains the limit on long sessions.

Strengths
  • — Slightly more powerful than predecessor with AMD Ryzen Z2 A processor
  • — Refined build with comfortable hand grips and improved button layout
  • — Better battery life compared to original model
Watch-outs
  • — Battery life still insufficient for extended use
  • — Xbox UI may not appeal to non-Microsoft ecosystem users
Check Price on AmazonFull review →
Valve Steam Deck OLED
Higher ratedRanked #2 in Best Handheld Gaming PCs
Valve Steam Deck OLED
5 sources2 derived$924.98as of Jul 6

The Valve Steam Deck OLED's big change over the original is the display: vibrant HDR images and 1,000 nits peak brightness. Reviewers said the screen on its own makes the handheld feel notably better, with excellent color reproduction and a 90Hz refresh rate. Battery life improves, the fans run quieter, and Wi-Fi 6E is supported. The AMD APU hardware is showing its age on some newer games, though titles like Diablo 4 and God of War Ragnarök still pull off immersive play. For anyone who wants a better screen and a performance bump, it's a solid upgrade.

Strengths
  • — OLED display delivers vibrant HDR image with 1,000 nits peak brightness and 110% P3 color gamut
  • — Improved battery life with 50Whr battery and 6nm AMD APU for better efficiency
  • — Quieter fans compared to original Steam Deck model
Watch-outs
  • — AMD APU hardware shows age with some recent big-budget games
  • — Still uses sub-1080p resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels which may seem like a downgrade
$924.98 · Check Price on AmazonFull review →

Derived means the reviewer published no score, so one was inferred from their written verdict. Everything else is a number the publisher printed. How we rank.

How they stack up

ASUS ROG Ally X

The ASUS ROG Ally X stands out with its Xbox-branded UI and Game Pass integration, which differentiates it from competitors like the Valve Steam Deck OLED that focuses on SteamOS. However, while it offers slightly better battery life than its predecessor, it still falls short compared to the MSI Claw 8's 80WHr capacity and lacks the raw performance of the Lenovo Legion Go S with its Z1 Extreme chipset.

Valve Steam Deck OLED

The Valve Steam Deck OLED improves upon the original Steam Deck OLED with better battery life and quieter fans, but lags behind the MSI Claw 8 in terms of hardware performance and battery capacity. It also doesn't match the Lenovo Legion Go S's Z1 Extreme chipset or the ASUS ROG Ally X's Xbox UI integration.

Specs side-by-side

SpecASUS ROG Ally XValve Steam Deck OLED
ProcessorAMD Ryzen Z2 AZen 2 4c/8t, 2.4-3.5GHz
Display7 inch, 1920 x 1080 px7.4" OLED, 1280 x 800
Memory16 GB LPDDR5-640016 GB LPDDR5
Storage512 GB NVMe PCIe gen 41TB NVMe SSD
Battery40 Wh50Whr battery
Graphics12 RDNA 3 CUs, up to 2.7 GHz8 RDNA 2 CUs, 1.6GHz
Refresh Rate120HzUp to 90Hz
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