Rumor has it that AMD’s new Ryzen Z2 Extreme APU will pack 16 RDNA 3.5 GPU cores and 8 Zen 5 CPU cores – ultimately leading to better performance and battery life for portable gaming devices. It will be the new flagship APU for AMD within the Strix Point APU range, with the potential of new portables from the likes of Asus, MSI and perhaps even a next-generation Valve Steam Deck.
This will be a big improvement over AMD’s Z1 and Z1 Extreme chips, which are present in the Asus ROG Ally X and MSI Claw 8 AI+ handheld devices. There will be three variants on this occasion, unlike the aforementioned first-generation Z chips, with the new arrival being AMD’s Ryzen Z2G – which is said to come with 12 RDNA 2 cores.
Considering that the Asus ROG Ally Z1 model is certainly much less powerful than the Z1 Extreme and more comparable to the Steam Deck that you can read about here in our review, the presence of the Ryzen Z2G chip according to the rumored specifications could be good news are for consumers on a budget who are looking for better performance.
What does this mean for new gaming handhelds?
While there’s no confirmation of an Asus ROG Ally 2 at this time (or a handheld with these new Z2 chips), all signs point to a successor to the latest and greatest handheld PC, the Ally X. Now AMD is supposedly ready to release the Z2 APUs in 2025, there is a good chance of brand new handhelds.
The Ryzen Z2G APU is a surprise addition here, meaning we may see three new Asus ROG Ally models. Not only could the price be much better here with three options, but the performance gain over the Z1 Ally will be clear to see, which only uses 4 RDNA 3 GPU cores.
If Valve’s Steam Deck successor is still a long way off, a new handheld from Asus or another company using the Ryzen Z2G APU will likely make a significant leap over the popular Linux-based handheld, using 12 RDNA 2 -cores compared to the Steam Deck’s 8. .
Considering the ROG Ally’s history of poor battery life before the release of the Ally After all, the Ally