If you're looking at the ROG Xbox Ally (X), then you might want to consider the officially licensed storage for said devices. Announced at Tokyo Game Show, Sandisk is launching both MicroSD cards as well as internal NVMe SSDs as specific brand tie-ins for the new machines. The Sandisk MicroSD Card For ROG Xbox Ally (X) comes in capacities of 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB, while the WD_BLACK SN7100X is available in 2TB and 4TB sizes.
We'll start with the SSD, even though it's not available yet. From all apparent indications, the WD_BLACK SN7100X NVMe SSD appears to be an Xbox-branded version of the SN7100 SSD that we reviewed back in March. That's right: you don't need a tiny M.2-2230 or M.2-2242 SSD like you do for the Steam Deck; just like the original ROG Ally X, the new models support an 80mm drive.
Where the SN7100 comes in capacities ranging from 512GB to 4TB, the SN7100X starts at 2TB—probably because the ROG Xbox Ally X comes with 1TB of PCIe 4.0 x4 storage to begin with. So saying, this upgrade wouldn't be for speed, but for extra capacity.
If you want extra capacity and don't feel like opening your new game system, your other option is a MicroSD card. Despite launching months after the Nintendo Switch 2, the new ROG Xbox Ally devices do not support MicroSD Express. Instead, your best options for expansion are to either spend more for a rare and likely expensive UHS-II card that could reach a potential 312 MB/second, or to buy one of the ubiquitous UHS-I cards that top out at 104MB/second. However, if you buy a Sandisk card with the company's proprietary QuickFlow technology, you can reach speeds of up to 200 MB/second.
Naturally, that's exactly what the Sandisk MicroSD Card For ROG Xbox Ally (X) is. Sandisk is offering the new card in capacities of 512GB, 1TB, and a massive 2TB, and says that it guarantees sequential read speeds of 200 MB/second and sequential writes of 150 MB/second. The company also promises that the cards are drop-, shock-, and X-ray-proof, while offering a limited lifetime warranty for normal usage. Not too bad, but do be aware that the promised speeds are only available in devices that support Sandisk QuickFlow—like the ROG Xbox Ally machines. Just be aware that, like every other UHS-I card, these will be limited to 104 MB/second in standard readers.
It's a bit curious that Sandisk doesn't apply an Application Performance Class to the new cards. The Application Performance Class is that little "A1" or "A2" rating you may have seen on some cards, and it's a standardized speed class that tells you the card in question can handle at least 2,000 (A1) or 4,000 (A2) IOPS. Application launching and game loading are much more sensitive to random performance than sequential numbers, and we'd expect Sandisk's new cards to be capable of the requirements for at least A1, but if so, the vendor doesn't mention it.
If you're keen to pick up one of the officially-branded memory cards, they're available for pre-order on Sandisk's web shop; they'll actually start shipping day and date with the new Xbox handhelds. Meanwhile, the WD_BLACK SN7100X NVMe SSD for ROG Ally (X) and PC "will be available for purchase in the coming months," but you could probably just achieve the exact same thing by buying a regular SN7100.
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