Battery Life Comparison: Asus ROG Ally vs. Steam Deck

The Asus ROG Ally and Steam Deck offer unique features and capabilities, but differ significantly in battery life. This article delves into the battery life of both devices, providing a comprehensive comparison to help users make informed decisions.

Overview of Battery Life

Both the Asus ROG Ally and the Steam Deck have similar battery capacities, but their performance in various gaming scenarios can vary widely. The key to understanding their battery life lies in their hardware specifications and power management strategies.

Asus ROG Ally Battery Life

The Asus ROG Ally features a 40Wh battery, offering a versatile range of gameplay depending on the title and settings used. Here’s a breakdown of its typical battery life:

Lighter games can extend battery life to around 5 hours. More demanding titles can drain the battery in as few as 2 hours.

In general, the ROG Ally can provide approximately 2-3 hours of gaming on a single charge, with 1080p resolution. Lowering the resolution can extend battery life to 5 hours, but this comes at the cost of visual quality.

Steam Deck Battery Life

The Steam Deck also sports a 40Wh battery, equipped with a slightly larger capacity to cater to its form factor. Its typical battery life includes:

Lighter games may allow for up to 3 hours of gaming. More graphically intensive games can reduce the battery life to around 2 hours.

With a resolution of 800p, the Steam Deck generally provides around 1.5 to 2 hours of gaming on a single charge. Lowering the resolution to 640p can extend battery life to up to 3 hours, albeit at the expense of image quality.

Summary and Considerations

Both devices have similar battery capacities, but their actual performance can vary based on usage settings and the specific game being played. The Steam Deck tends to offer a slightly broader range in battery life, with some users reporting longer use with less demanding titles.

Additional factors that influence battery life include the display resolution and the hardware specifications:

The ROG Ally has a 120Hz display, which consumes more power than the 800p display in the Steam Deck. The ROG Ally is powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 6800U processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti GPU, while the Steam Deck is equipped with an AMD Zen 2 4nm processor and an AMD RDNA 2 GPU. The more powerful hardware in the ROG Ally contributes to its shorter battery life.

Conclusion

The best device for an individual depends on their specific needs and preferences. If you prioritize the longest possible battery life, the Steam Deck may be the better choice. For those seeking the most powerful hardware for gaming, the Asus ROG Ally might be more suitable.