After months of anticipation, Asus's Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X are finally here for Xbox fans to take their favorite Xbox titles on the go via Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud Gaming.
However, you're going to want to upgrade its storage capacity as soon as possible, as the regular Xbox Ally's internal SSD only has 512GB while the Xbox Ally X has 1TB.
With AAA games requiring dozens of more gigabyte space than ever, it will chew through these internal SSDs in no time at all.
Fortunately, both models of the Xbox Ally are compatible with UHS-I and the much faster UHS-II microSD cards to give your handhelds the storage space they need.
So, we have rounded up the best microSD cards around to improve your Xbox Ally today.
Best overall
If you're someone who plays large-scale Xbox and PC titles that require tons of storage space, then having a 1TB microSD is the best way to go, and we don't recommend one higher than the SanDisk Extreme UHS-I.
It features fast reading speeds up to 160MB/s and is often sold at more affordable prices than its competition, making the SanDisk Extreme the best overall microSD to upgrade your Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X with.
Best capacity for storage space
We recommend this UHS-I microSD for those looking to store many games with large file sizes, as it features 1.5TB of storage space.
While it does not have the fastest reading speeds on the market (clocking up to 150MB/s), it will certainly get your Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X the space it needs to fit the biggest, data-demanding Xbox titles possible.
Largest storage space possible
SanDisk's 2TB variant of the Extreme microSD is for those who want the most storage space humanly possible, while offering fast reading speeds up to 240MB/s.
The price can be pretty costly for its advanced specs, but the price to upgrade your Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X with 2TB of storage is worth it if you can afford it.
Best budget UHS-I for doubling storage size
The standard Xbox Ally comes with 512GB worth of internal storage space, which can be doubled with the aid of the SanDisk Extreme 512GB microSD card.
This UHS-I microSD has fast reading speeds that can reach up to 160MB/s and can be purchased at a much lower MSRP than other similarly specced devices, making it a great choice for gamers on a budget looking to install less, spacious-demanding Xbox titles.
Best transfer speeds
While it doesn't feature much storage space (256GB), the the Lexar Professional Gold Micro makes up for it with a superfast transfer speed that can reach up to 280MB/s.
This will allow your Xbox Ally/Xbox Ally X to load up your games in a flash. So, if you're looking for a UHS-II microSD to get the best performance out of your games while being more affordable than the competition, this microSD is for you.
Best budget UHS-II card
If you like the fast reading speeds of Lexar's Professional Gold microSD but don't have the budget to afford the 258GB version, then there's a 128GB version available for a much cheaper price.
With a reading of 280MB/s and a modest storage space of 128GB, this is simply the best budget UHS-II microSD you can buy for your Xbox Ally/Xbox Ally X.
Upgrade your Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X with more space
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MicroSD's are the best, cheapest, and easiest way to upgrade an Xbox Ally/Xbox Ally X's storage space without going through the hassle of upgrading a ROG Ally/ROG Ally X's internal SSD.
However, you will need to consider other factors of microSD cards besides their storage size. For example, a microSD's transfer speed is a major component, as it can help speed up a game's load times and affect its performance.
One of the most popular microSDs and our personal pick for the best overall is the SanDisk Extreme microSD cards (both 1TB and 512GB). These cards feature fast transfer speeds and lots of space to fit in a mountain of games.
If you're looking for a UHS-II microSD with the best transfer speeds, then we highly recommend the Lexar Professional Gold microSD Card (256GB variant).
This handy microSD has 280MB/s transfer speeds, guaranteeing that your Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X titles will breeze through loading times in a blink of an eye and run at buttery smooth performances.
However, if you don't care about transfer speeds and just want the largest amount of storage space possible, then we recommend the 1.5GB SanDisk Ultra microSD card or its beefier cousin, the 2TB SanDisk Extreme microSD.
With all these options at your disposal (as well as SanDisk's Xbox Ally-branded microSDs), you now have plenty of options to enjoy your Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X titles without worrying about install size.
Xbox Ally microSD FAQ
What microSD cards are compatible with the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X?
Asus' ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X gaming handhelds include a microSD card slot, which is compatible with UHS-I and UHS-II cards that reach up to 2TB of storage space.
Do I need to get a UHS-II microSD card for ROG Ally?
You don't need to, as the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X can use USH-I cards just fine. However, we highly recommend using UHS-II microSD cards as they feature triple the maximum transfer and reading speeds of their UHS-I predecessors.
With UHS-II microSDs, they can quicken the load times of games played on your Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X, making them smoother and more fun to play.
Granted UHS-II microSDs are rare to find online, so it's perfectly okay to fall back on UHS-I microSDs, as they will still get the job of adding more storage space to your handhelds done.
What are the main features I should look in a microSD for the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X?
When choosing the right microSD for your Xbox Ally or Xbox Ally X gaming handheld, you will need to research their size capacity, standard type, and transfer speed.
The capacity size determines how much data, like games and media files, can be stored on the device. The higher the capacity of a microSD, the games you can install and play on it.
A microSD's standard type means if it's a UHS-I or UHS-II card. UHS-II microSDs feature faster transfer speeds than UHS-I microSDs, but are rarer to find as of yet as they are relatively new.
Transfer speeds are a microSD's capability to process data written into them. The faster a microSD card's transfer speed is, the quicker it will be able to read and write games so they will have higher performances, less in-game lag, and faster loading screen times.
Can a Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X have their internal storage expanded?
Yes. It is possible to switch out the internal SSD of an Xbox Ally and an Xbox Ally X with a different one with a larger data capacity and faster reading speeds if you wish.
Should I install a microSD card or a larger SSD into the Xbox Ally?
It depends on your personal preference. If you wish to have an internal storage unit with faster transfer speeds, then upgrading your Xbox Ally or Xbox Ally X's internal SSD is the best option for you.
It's a somewhat difficult procedure, however, so we have written a guide on how to upgrade on how to upgrade a ROG Ally's internal SSD to assist you its internal workings are similar to an Xbox Ally's.
On the other hand, if you don't want to deal with the complicated process of switching out internal SSDs and want an easy and quick way of adding extra space, then consider getting a microSD.
Is it safe to use a microSD card with ROG Ally or ROG Ally X?
Yes. The Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X are equipped with special measures addressed to mitigate and avoid the microSD safety issues the regular ROG Ally had.
These issues in question are that the ROG Ally's microSD card slots were placed near the ROG Ally's vents, which caused the cards to overheat and malfunction (especially its being used while charging or played in turbo-mode).
The Rog Ally X had an updated design, which fixed this by placing the microSD card slots away from the vent. The Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X feature this improved design while sporting improved cooling components to prevent the microSD from overheating and having its circuits fried.
Is it possible to run non-Xbox games from the microSD card?
Yes. The Xbox Ally handhelds are compatible with Windows 11, which will allow you to install and play games from many PC launchers like Steam, Epic Games Store, and Blizzard Entertainment's Battle.net directly from the microSD card.
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