Lenovo’s Legion Go was a polarizing handheld gaming PC, and that received’t change as the corporate formally pronounces its successor at the moment: the brand new Legion Go 2 is barely larger, heavier, and prices at the very least $400 greater than the unique.
However in lots of different methods, it appears like Lenovo listened — and so this handheld, with its Swap-like removable wi-fi controllers, built-in kickstand, and hidden optical mouse, may simply be the last word transportable PC when it arrives this October.
We already knew its newly sculpted controllers made it much more comfy to carry and mouse round; now, it additionally has 50 p.c extra battery and probably the very best handheld display cash should buy.
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Not solely did Lenovo discover an 8.8-inch OLED panel — with the inky blacks and lovely shade OLED can afford — it’s a real 30–144Hz variable refresh price display with a local panorama orientation, that means even video games that may solely keep 31 or 32fps on its handheld chip ought to nonetheless offer you each additional body of smoothness over 30. The unique Legion Go didn’t have VRR in any respect, and lots of VRR screens solely go all the way down to 48Hz, so 30Hz is a pleasant enchancment.
And since Lenovo picked a lower-resolution panel at 1920 x 1200 as an alternative of the overkill 2560 x 1600 of the unique, it needs to be that a lot simpler for its new Z2 or Z2 Excessive chip to ship sufficient frames, too.
| Spec | Legion Go 2 | Legion Go |
| Beginning value | $1,099 | $699 |
| Display screen | 8.8-inch 1920 x 1200 OLED with 30–144Hz VRR, 500-nit with 1000-nit peak | 8.8-inch 2560 x 1600 IPS at 144Hz or 60Hz, 500-nit |
| Chip | AMD Ryzen Z2 or Z2 Excessive | AMD Ryzen Z1 Excessive |
| Reminiscence | 16GB (Z2) or 32GB LPDDR5X-8000 (Z2E) | 16GB LPDDR5X-7500 |
| Battery | 74 watt-hour | 49.2 watt-hour |
| Dimension w/ pads | 11.64 x 5.38 x 1.66 inches (295.6 x 136.7 x 42.25mm) | 11.76 x 5.16 x 1.6 inches (298.8 x 131 x 40.7mm) |
| Pill dimension | 8.11 x 5.38 x 0.9 inches (206 x 136.7 x 22.95mm) | 8.27 x 5.16 x 0.79 inches (210 x 131 x 20.1mm) |
| Weight | 2.38 kilos (1079g) | 1.88 kilos (854g) |
| Ports | USB4 x2, MicroSD UHS-II, 3.5mm headset | USB4 x 2, MicroSD UHS-II, 3.5mm headset |
Talking of these chips, the AMD Ryzen Z2 and Z2 Excessive in all probability aren’t huge upgrades over the past wave of handhelds. Actually, AMD admitted to me at CES that the Z2 is a match for the Z1E, however with software program enhancements. The Z2E is a modest improve over the Z1E, in line with ETA Prime’s early tests with an MSI Claw A8. Each body counts in a handheld the place the newest video games battle to play easily, however I’d hope for extra. Maybe Lenovo bought extra out of it — I recall the unique Legion Go being a tad quicker than the unique ROG Ally regardless of utilizing the identical Z1E chip.
You can even now get 1TB of storage by default in North America, with 2TB within the highest-end config. All however the entry-level SKU have 32GB of RAM. There’s additionally a fingerprint reader within the energy button now, which is shortly changing into a typical characteristic on Home windows handhelds.
And people sculpted controllers, which you’ll additionally be capable of purchase and hook up with the unique Legion Go since they use the identical mounting system, now have a correct pivot-point D-pad as an alternative of the flat and shallow cross button of the unique. They nonetheless characteristic drift-resistant Corridor impact joysticks, too, and at CES I noticed that the precise pad’s mouse skate accent now locks into place so that you don’t fling it off when utilizing the FPS mouse.
I’m afraid that handheld gaming PC costs are headed the improper route. The Legion Go 2 begins at $1,099.99 with an AMD Z2, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. You’ll spend $1,199.99 for the mannequin with 32GB of RAM, $1,349.99 for a Z2 Excessive with 32GB / 1TB, and $1,479.99 for a similar with 2TB. I already thought the MSI Claw 8 AI Plus was expensive after MSI bumped it $999.99, and whereas that is pricier nonetheless, I wouldn’t be shocked if that Claw’s Intel Lunar Lake chip could also be aggressive with the Z2E in Lenovo’s new handheld.
However value and efficiency aren’t the whole lot, and Lenovo already has the $830 Legion Go S with SteamOS for individuals who must spend rather less for good efficiency. The Legion Go 2 could tempt those that’d pay additional for the very best Home windows handheld expertise — although I believe we could also be redefining the Home windows a part of “finest Home windows handheld expertise” after the Xbox Ally X arrives on October sixteenth.
Talking of Home windows and SteamOS, Lenovo isn’t saying a SteamOS model of the Legion Go 2 at the moment, spokesperson Jeff Witt tells The Verge. As of embargo time, Lenovo hasn’t confirmed when or if the Legion Go 2 will get the identical Xbox full-screen expertise as Asus’ Xbox Ally handheld, however Microsoft has stated some non-Asus handhelds will get it in 2026.
Images by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge
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