The Lenovo Legion Go S: A Handheld Gaming PC Review

Handheld gaming PCs have surged in popularity, largely thanks to the Steam Deck. Lenovo's Legion Go S aims to compete, offering a more streamlined design than its predecessor. Unlike the original Legion Go's detachable controllers and numerous buttons, the Go S boasts a unibody design, closer in style to the Asus ROG Ally. A SteamOS version is slated for later this year, a first for a non-Valve handheld, but this review focuses on the Windows 11 model. However, at $729, the Lenovo Legion Go S faces stiff competition.

Lenovo Legion Go S – Image Gallery

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Lenovo Legion Go S – Design and Features

The Legion Go S's unibody design is comfortable, despite its 1.61-pound weight (heavier than the Asus ROG Ally X). Its 8-inch, 1200p IPS display is stunning, rivaling even the Steam Deck's OLED. Available in Glacier White and Nebula Nocturne (the latter exclusive to the SteamOS version), it features RGB lighting around the joysticks.

The button layout is improved over the original Legion Go, though the placement of Lenovo's menu buttons above the standard 'Start' and 'Select' buttons requires adjustment. These menu buttons, however, offer convenient access to system controls and shortcuts. The touchpad, while smaller than the original, remains functional.

The rear features programmable paddle buttons with increased click resistance. Adjustable triggers offer only two settings: full and minimal travel. Two USB 4 ports are located on top, while the microSD card slot is awkwardly placed on the bottom.

Purchasing Guide

The reviewed configuration ($729.99) includes an AMD Z2 Go APU, 32GB LPDDR5 RAM, and a 1TB SSD. A more affordable 16GB RAM/512GB SSD version will launch in May for $599.99.

Lenovo Legion Go S – Performance

Powered by the AMD Z2 Go APU (a Zen 3 processor with 4 cores/8 threads and an RDNA 2 GPU with 12 cores), the Legion Go S's performance lags behind competitors like the original Legion Go and the Asus ROG Ally X. Battery life, at 4 hours and 29 minutes in PCMark10, is surprisingly shorter than the original Legion Go.

3DMark benchmarks reveal significant performance differences. The Go S scores lower than both the Legion Go and ROG Ally X in Time Spy and Fire Strike. Gaming performance is mixed; while it slightly outperforms the original Legion Go in some titles (Hitman), it falls short in others (Total War: Warhammer 3, Cyberpunk 2077). Horizon Forbidden West proved particularly challenging, even at low settings. Less demanding games like Persona 5 run smoothly.

The High Price of Extra RAM

The $729 price tag is perplexing, especially considering the weaker APU and lower resolution display compared to the original Legion Go. The 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD are impressive but overkill for the Z2 Go's capabilities. The slower 6400MHz memory further hampers performance. While allocating more memory to the frame buffer improves performance, this requires BIOS manipulation, a cumbersome process not detailed in the user manual.

The 32GB RAM configuration is excessive for most handheld gaming scenarios. The $599 16GB RAM version offers much better value.

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In conclusion, the Lenovo Legion Go S's higher-priced 32GB RAM configuration is underwhelming. The May release of the 16GB RAM version at $599 significantly improves its value proposition. While the display is excellent and the design is comfortable, the performance limitations of the Z2 Go APU need to be considered.