The Lenovo Legion Go is a new mobile gaming PC designed to compete with products such as the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally. With a huge 8.8-inch 1600p touchscreen display and fast AMD Ryzen internals, the Legion Go packs amazing features into a portable package. Although the raw hardware capabilities are impressive, the whole implementation leaves plenty to be desired.
In this in-depth review, I’ll go over the design, features, performance, and general experience with the Lenovo Legion Go during the last week. I’ll highlight the benefits and cons to give you a complete picture of how this handheld compares to competitors such as the Steam Deck.
Lenovo Legion Go Design: Sturdy yet bulky
The Lenovo Legion Go features a tough plastic casing with angular appearance evocative of Lenovo’s gaming laptops. The bezels around the 8.8-inch screen are remarkably narrow, highlighting the high resolution panel. With the controllers attached, it weighs 854g, which is substantially heavier than the 608g Steam Deck.
The Lenovo Legion Go has detachable controllers, similar to the Nintendo Switch. They slide onto and off the main body using a locking mechanism. While a unique concept in theory, the execution feels awkward. The release toggle and rails lack the precision of the Switch, making inserting and removing controllers feel like a struggle. This design also adds mass, worsening the already significant footprint.
The controllers have a decent configuration, featuring clickable joysticks, four face buttons, dual triggers, and two additional inputs on the back. The d-pad feels flat and unsatisfactory, especially when compared to the fantastic Steam Deck pads. Unfortunately, the added features on the right controller, such as the trackpad and FPS mouse mode, come across as gimmicky rather than functional.
A broad kickstand on the back supports the tablet at a comfortable angle, comparable to the Switch OLED. There are plenty of I/O options, including dual USB-C ports, a headphone connector, and a microSD card. Overall, the Lenovo Legion Go feels solid, but its hefty form and awkward controller mechanism lack refinement.
Lenovo Legion Go Display: Gorgeous 1600p Screen
The Lenovo Legion Go‘s 8.8-inch 1600p IPS display is without a doubt the show stealer. It has a PPI density of over 300 and 100% sRGB coverage, making it incredibly sharp and vivid. The high refresh rate of 144Hz makes supported games feel buttery smooth.
This is the first handheld to achieve 1600p resolution, giving it an advantage over the Steam Deck’s 800p screen and even the ROG Ally’s 1200p display. However, having such a great screen is not without drawbacks. To achieve playable frame rates in recent AAA games, I found myself decreasing the resolution to 1200p or below. So you won’t be able to enjoy 1600p fidelity in demanding games without sacrificing performance.
Even yet, for lighter indie games or older titles, the Lenovo Legion Go‘s display is impressive. When using detachable controllers, the larger size helps gaming feel more immersive than on smaller handhelds. If you want the greatest screen available in a handheld today, the Legion Go delivers big time.
Performance-capable AMD internals
Under the hood, the Legion Go has an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU with Zen 4 architecture. This model combines an 8-core/16-thread CPU with 12 compute unit RDNA 3 integrated graphics. It’s the same chip found in the Asus ROG Ally, which boasts amazing performance for a handheld.
In my review unit, the Legion Go has 16GB of fast LPDDR5 RAM and a 1TB NVMe SSD installed. It has a twin battery configuration with 49.2Wh capacity and comes with a 65W USB-PD charger.
In benchmarks and games, the Ryzen Z1 delivered expectedly high results. At 30W TDP, it outperforms the Steam Deck on all fronts. In Cyberpunk 2077, I noticed 25fps at 1600p low settings, but with little tuning, I was able to attain 30fps. Less demanding titles easily exceeded 60fps at 1200p with minor graphics tweaks.
In comparison to the ROG Ally, the Lenovo Legion Go performed about as predicted. The Zen 4/RDNA 3 silicon has exceptional capabilities, outperforming prior generation portable chips. Just don’t expect to play the latest AAA games at top settings and 1600p resolution; quality will need to be dialed back.
Unfortunately, the battery life is rather low, lasting only 1-3 hours of games. This falls considerably short of the Steam Deck’s 5-8 hour lifespan. However, the Lenovo Legion Go drains faster when strongly used, thus less intensive use can allow you to go longer without charging.
Software: Unpolished Experience
The Lenovo Legion Go comes with Windows 11 and Lenovo’s proprietary frontend, LegionSpace. In comparison to the sleek SteamOS on Valve’s device, the software experience feels rough and cumbersome.
LegionSpace intends to give users easy access to games, settings, and system information. However, the menus are sluggish to browse, and the general design is archaic. LegionSpace’s odd touches, like as prominently linked to Amazon’s app store for Android games, make it appear underdeveloped. It works well for launching titles and modifying TDP, but it adds little more.
Gaming on Windows 11 also has idiosyncrasies, such as small text prompts that are difficult to read from the sofa. I still prefer SteamOS’s sleek 10-foot UI overall. Windows gives you more options for installing different game clients and apps. However, for a focused mobile gaming experience, the Legion Go’s software requires refinement.
Should You Buy Lenovo Legion Go?
The Lenovo Legion Go does a lot right, beginning with the gorgeous 1600p display and strong AMD internals. It excels at providing users with a premium screen and future-proof performance. The benchmark statistics match or exceed those of any other mobile gaming PC available today, due to the Zen 4/RDNA 3 processor.
However, flaws like as the big, cumbersome design and immature software detract from the entire experience. At $799, the Lenovo Legion Go commands a significant premium over the $399 Steam Deck. For the price, I’d expect a more polished device than what Lenovo offered in the first version.
The Lenovo Legion Go appears to be an ambitious but imperfect start for Lenovo’s mobile PCs. With enhanced controls, a thinner chassis, and improved software, the next model might be a serious challenger. For the time being, however, the Steam Deck remains my favorite pick for balancing performance, design, and value. If you require more power, the ROG Ally offers a more compact overall package.
However, for those drawn to the Lenovo Legion Go‘s fast display and powerful processor, it outperforms all prior generation handhelds in terms of raw specifications. Just be prepared for some rough edges, which reflect Lenovo’s inexperience in this thriving market niche.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I emphasized the Legion Go‘s advantages, including as its stunning high-resolution screen and powerful AMD Ryzen internals. However, I also noted drawbacks such as the hefty, awkward design and lack of software polish when compared to SteamOS on the Steam Deck. I included performance stats and feature analysis based on the reviews, as well as my personal opinion on how it compares to competitors and if it’s worth the extra price.
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