Microsoft’s project Kennan handheld is finally materializing in the form of a variant of the ROG Ally 2 series, as revealed by reports by91mobilesandHuang514613at X. Asus is allegedly prepping two variants of itsROG Ally 2lineup: a black model featuring a dedicated Xbox Button and a white model with toned-down specifications intended for the mainstream.
Project Kennanhas been official for a while. While we lacked specifics about the handheld, this new leak should help fill the gaps. Once the model ID numbers were revealed, they were shortly linked to listings of the handhelds in the US FCC repository. The significant differences between both models mirror how the originalROG Allyvaried, offering AMD’s Z1 (with 4 CUs) and the more powerfulZ1 Extreme(12 CUs) models, at a $100 price gap. Either way, Asus is still sticking to x86 roots for this handheld to maintain compatibility with existing software and games.
The Xbox Button on the black variant practically shouts Project Kennan. Despite the fanfare, it’ll probably still runWindows 11, not a custom Operating System designed explicitly for handhelds. In addition, the added button probably serves to open the Game Bar, as you would on a PC. Let’s wait for the official announcement to see if Microsoft has included other features and software-level optimizations.
RC73YA Z2 A 4C 6~20W 16GRC73XA Z2 Extreme 8C 15~35W LPDDRX-8533 32G M.2 2280🥰 https://t.co/IKKp6dgpAg pic.twitter.com/VHvqqC7yQRMay 7, 2025
Either way, under the hood, project Kennan reportedly carries AMD’sRyzen Z2 Extremechip with eight cores (3x Zen 5 + 5x Zen 5c) / 16 threads, similar to the Ryzen AI 7 Pro 360, but offers a beefier 16 Compute Unit equipped iGPU (Radeon890M), with a 15W-35W TDP. It supports 64GB of LPDDR5x-8533 memory, a 2TB NVMe SSD, and 100W charging. The display is said to include a touch-capable 7-inch LCD (likely IPS) featuring a 120 Hz refresh rate.
The white model is listed with a never-before-seen APU from AMD, carrying the OPN code: “100-000001835”. This model gets 16GB of RAM, a 7-inch 120 Hz display, and supports 65W charging. Current data suggests the onboard APU, codenamed Aerith Plus, is a successor or potential refresh of AMD’sVon Goghfound on theSteam Deck.
The leaker claims this APU, purportedly from AMD’s Z2 series and dubbed “Ryzen Z2 A,” has a quad-core layout and a 6W-20W TDP. Specifics such as the architecture and integrated GPU are unknown, but we should hear more from AMD/Asus atComputex.
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Hassam Nasir is a die-hard hardware enthusiast with years of experience as a tech editor and writer, focusing on detailed CPU comparisons and general hardware news. When he’s not working, you’ll find him bending tubes for his ever-evolving custom water-loop gaming rig or benchmarking the latest CPUs and GPUs just for fun.
