When I first got my hands on the Lenovo Legion Go, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Was it just another Steam Deck competitor? A glorified tablet with joysticks? Or a true portable gaming PC that could give my desktop a run for its money?
After spending weeks with it, testing everything from indie platformers to demanding AAA titles like Cyberpunk 2077, I can confidently say: the Lenovo Legion Go is a beast. But like any ambitious machine, it comes with its share of quirks.
⚙️ Design and Build: Bold, Chunky, and Premium
Let’s get this out of the way: the Legion Go is big. With its 8.8-inch QHD+ display and detachable controllers, it’s noticeably larger than the Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally. But weirdly, I liked that. It feels solid, luxurious, and built for long sessions. The kickstand is a small but game-changing touch—I used it more than I thought I would, especially for strategy games.
The controllers (Lenovo calls them “Legion TrueStrike Controllers”) detach magnetically and feel much better than I expected. There’s even a trackpad and FPS mode, where one controller docks into a base and works like a vertical mouse. I tested this in Call of Duty Warzone, and while the learning curve was steep, the precision was unmatched once I got the hang of it.
Click here to get the Lenovo Legion Go at a fair discount
🖥️ Display: A Visual Treat for Gamers
Here’s where the Legion Go flexes hard. The 8.8" 2560 x 1600 IPS screen with a 144Hz refresh rate is hands-down the best I’ve seen on any handheld. Colors pop, motion is buttery smooth, and even casual web browsing feels premium.
It’s bright enough for outdoor use, although I mostly gamed indoors. While some might say this is overkill for a handheld—especially with many games not optimized for such high resolutions—I loved having the option to crank up the visuals when docked or on the go.
🚀 Performance: Desktop-Level in Your Hands
The Legion Go runs on the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip, the same one found in the ROG Ally. Paired with 16GB LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB SSD, this thing rips through most games at 1080p.
In my experience:
-
Cyberpunk 2077 (Medium, FSR On): ~50–60 FPS
-
Baldur’s Gate 3 (High): Solid 60 FPS
-
Hades: 144 FPS smoothness bliss
Thermals are decent thanks to its intelligent fan system, though it does get warm under heavy load. Battery life is the only real bottleneck—you’ll get around 1.5 to 2.5 hours while gaming. That’s the tradeoff for raw power.
🔋 Battery Life & Charging: A Necessary Evil
Battery life is the Legion Go’s Achilles’ heel. In intense gaming sessions, I found myself reaching for the 65W charger faster than expected. But there’s a silver lining—it charges fast and supports Power Bypass mode, meaning you can game while plugged in without frying your battery over time.
🎮 Software & User Experience: Almost There
Running Windows 11, the Legion Go gives you full flexibility—but that’s a double-edged sword. Unlike the Steam Deck’s Linux-based SteamOS, Windows still doesn’t feel perfectly tuned for handhelds. You can install Xbox Game Pass, Steam, Battle.net—you name it—but you’ll also be tapping through menus and pop-ups that feel designed for a desktop.
Lenovo’s custom launcher helps, but it’s not as refined as Valve’s. Still, I appreciated having full desktop access for emulators, mods, and productivity.
📦 Who Is It For?
If you want a true handheld gaming PC with:
-
An unbeatable display
-
Powerful internals
-
Versatile controller modes
-
And desktop-level freedom
Then Lenovo Legion Go is your dream machine.
But if you value longer battery life, a more streamlined interface, or lightweight portability, you may want to consider something like the Steam Deck or ROG Ally.
🧑💻 Final Verdict: My Personal Take
As someone who’s always been torn between the comfort of console gaming and the power of a PC, the Legion Go felt like a bridge between worlds. I found myself gaming more often, in more places, and experimenting with genres I’d typically ignore.
It’s not perfect. The battery could be better. Windows handheld navigation still needs polishing. But the sheer ambition behind this device is undeniable.
Lenovo didn’t just enter the handheld market—they charged in with a statement.
Rating: 8.8/10
Comments
Post a Comment