ASUS ROG Ally X Survives Durability Testing and Teardown; Has Component Concerns
Zach Nelson, a tech blogger, has performed a durability test and teardown of the ASUS ROG Ally X gaming console. It stood up well in terms of structural integrity, but there were doubts after an internal investigation about what value the hardware components may hold at a price point of $999.
Build Quality and Screen Hardness
The console's plastic chassis stood proud and strong with no signs of breaking even when subjected to bending and twisting. Its screen is composed of an IPS layer covered by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus, which scratches at a level 6 of the Mohs hardness scale. A factory-applied film is also present, but it is much softer and scratches at a level 2.
Internally and Teardown Analysis
Disassembling the ROG Ally X seems incredibly simple, restricting the activity to removing screws attached to the back panel. Inside the console is an 80Wh battery and a system board.
- Cooling system: The AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor is cooled by a cooling structure of two heat pipes, a radiator, and two turbine-style fans.
- Analog sticks: One of the major complaints was the choice of basic analog sticks that are known to suffer from drifting over time. One would have imagined that such a product could have offered the more durable Hall-effect designs, which makes the choice even more surprising considering its price range.
After the teardown, the blogger successfully reassembled this console to a functional condition.
In concluding its assessment, ASUS ROG Ally X is considered to be well-built and pretty durable. However, the reviewer was left perplexed by an inflated price description for a console hosting hardware with consideration such as standard analog sticks which could be thought of as a cost reduction measure.
