Another competitor is approaching the PC handheld market as the Lenovo Legion Go has been announced and is set to launch sometime in gaming-packed October.
If there were any words to describe the Lenovo Legion Go, it would be a “beast,” as Lenovo has packed a lot of tech into this under-two-pound premium Windows 11 handheld device. Starting with the screen, Lenovo’s Windows handheld comes packed with an 8.8-inch QHD+ 16:10 display at a 2560×1600 resolution, which is also a 10-touch point screen so you can scroll, tap or swipe as much as you want. The screen also features up to 500nits brightness and sports a 97% DCI-P3 colour gamut.
The Lenovo Legion Go’s display is close to a 2K display on a handheld and easily surpasses what ASUS ROG Ally has to offer (1920×1080 LCD) on that front, too. One of the most shocking aspects of Lenovo’s display is its refresh rate, as it allows players to game at 144Hz, which is more than double Steam Deck’s 60Hz display and surpasses the ROG Ally’s 120Hz display. That refresh rate is powered by a 49.2Wh capacity battery, which powers up to a 70 percent charge in about half an hour, an almost 25 percent increase to the Steam Deck’s battery situation.
As for the insides, Lenovo Legion Go comes packed with an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme with AMD RDNA Graphics, which is a more powerful CPU/GPU setup than the devices that came before it in the market. As for the RAM, the Lenovo Legion Go is sitting pretty and comfortable with 16GB LPDDR5X RAM at a whopping 7500Mhz. The internal PCIe Gen4 SSD storage comes in 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB options with an expanded micro SD slot that supports up to 2 TB. The device also features two USB-C ports (to charge/dock and simultaneously use an accessory), whisper-quiet fans, icy excellent thermals, Wi-Fi 6E3 and Bluetooth 5.2 support.
The Lenovo Legion Go is more unique because Nintendo Switch inspires its detachable Legion TrueStrike controllers, which Lenovo says won’t have joystick drift thanks to its hall effect joysticks. Additionally, Lenovo’s PC handheld even has a Nintendo Switch OLED-like kickstand, making it feel like this is the ultimate PC handheld to come to the market. The reason is the device feels like a fusion of features in one handheld with Lenovo Legion Go’s Switch influences, a single trackpad like the Steam Deck, and the ability to run Windows 11 like the ASUS ROG Ally/other PC gaming handhelds.
The Lenovo Legion Go features dual USB Type-C ports for connectivity, allowing users to dock and charge the device while simultaneously connecting accessories, thanks to plug-and-play features supporting DisplayPort 1.4 and Power Delivery 3.0 support. Connectivity extends to Wi-Fi 6E as well as Bluetooth 5.2 support.
Lenovo Legion Glasses enables a portable, private, large-screen viewing experience for Legion Go gamers by offering a plug-and-pay, wearable, high-quality display designed for extended wear and use.
Lenovo Legion Go is set to launch in October for $699, and in collaboration with Xbox, anyone who picks up the Lenovo device also comes with three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
