Lenovo Legion Go S Review: Is It Worth the Hype?

In recent years, the handheld gaming PC scene has been bustling with activity, especially since the introduction of the Valve Steam Deck. Gamers have since seen a range of alternatives crop up, like the Asus ROG Ally and the Lenovo Legion Go. With the debut of AMD’s new Z2 Go processor, based on Zen 3+ architecture, Lenovo has unveiled the Legion Go S. This new model departs markedly from its predecessor in terms of design.

The first striking change you’ll notice is its all-in-one design, moving away from the Nintendo Switch-inspired detachable controllers. Now, it sports a unified structure similar to the ROG Ally and Valve Steam Deck but with a slightly smaller 8-inch display as opposed to the previous 8.8 inches.

Despite its more streamlined form, the Legion Go S remains hefty and somewhat bulky. This weighty build is somewhat surprising given that it no longer supports detachable controllers. Certain aspects seem to have regressed from its predecessor, which potential buyers should consider before choosing the Legion Go S for their handheld PC gaming needs.

### Design and Comfort of the Lenovo Legion Go S

In terms of design, the Legion Go S significantly diverges from its older sibling, the Legion Go. The latter boasted a robust mix of matte grey aluminum and plastic, while the Legion Go S opts for a simpler all-plastic construction. This change might impart a less premium vibe, but it’s still a solidly built machine with a white plastic chassis contrasted with black buttons and triggers.

The new design is curvier, enhancing comfort and reducing hand fatigue during long gaming sessions compared to the more angular original. Interestingly, the kickstand from the previous model is no longer present in the Legion Go S. The logic might be that, since the controllers are now built-in, the need for it has diminished.

Another noticeable change is in the display. The Legion Go S scales down from an 8.8-inch 2560 x 1600 screen to an 8-inch 1920 x 1200 display. Personally, I’m fine with this trade-off. Gaming at 2560 x 1600 stretched the capabilities of both the Z1 Extreme and the new Z2 Go.

In terms of dimensions, the Legion Go S measures 11.77 x 5.02 x 0.89 inches and tips the scales at 1.61 pounds. For context, the Legion Go was 11.76 x 5.16 x 1.60 inches, weighing 1.88 pounds. Competitors like the Asus ROG Ally and the original Steam Deck come in at 11.04 x 4.38 x 0.84 inches (1.34 pounds) and 11.73 x 4.6 x 1.93 inches (1.47 pounds) respectively.

The Legion Go S features controls that are modeled after an Xbox controller, with the typical ABXY buttons, offset joysticks, and even a D-pad and mini touchpad on either side. For quick access and functionality, you’ll find four programmable buttons at the top of the display, along with the usual LB/LT and RB/RT triggers and additional programmable buttons on the back of the device.

### Lenovo Legion Go S Specifications

Among its specs, the Legion Go S packs quite a punch. Here’s a quick look: it runs on an AMD Ryzen Z2 Go processor (Zen 3, 4 cores/8 threads, up to 4.3 GHz, 6 nm) with integrated AMD Radeon 680M graphics. The device boasts 32GB of LPDDR5X-6400MHz memory, a 1TB SSD M.2 2242 PCIe Gen 4 SSD, and an 8-inch IPS touchscreen display. For connectivity, it supports Mediatek MT7922 Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.

### Gaming and Graphics on the Lenovo Legion Go S

At the heart of the Legion Go S is the AMD Z2 Go processor. However, compared to the Z1 Extreme found in the earlier Legion Go, this is a step down in performance. The Z2 Go is based on Zen 3+ architecture and houses four cores and eight threads, unlike the Zen 4 architecture of the Z1 Extreme, which boasted eight cores and 16 threads. Graphics-wise, the Z2 Go integrates a 12-core Radeon 680M GPU, rather than the more robust 12-core Radeon 780M in the Z1 Extreme.

When testing gaming performance, the device offers four performance modes: Performance, Efficiency, and two customizable profiles. On battery power, the Legion Go S actually outpaces the original slightly, but when plugged in, it lags 10-20% behind.

### Display on the Legion Go S

The Legion Go S taps into an IPS display that’s not quite at the OLED standard of the Steam Deck, yet it stands strong. It offers a 120 Hz refresh rate, a step down from the 144 Hz on the previous Legion Go. While the smaller, lower-resolution display might seem like a disadvantage, it isn’t a deal-breaker in practice. The screen delivers solid visuals at 800p resolution during gameplay.

### Battery Life on the Lenovo Legion Go S

Battery life, as always, depends considerably on numerous factors, such as screen resolution and power profiles. In intensive gaming tests with the PCMark 10 suite, the Legion Go S lasted for an hour and 42 minutes, which was slightly less than its predecessor.

In practical terms, when playing at 1280 x 800 resolution, the battery dropped to 40% after an hour and eventually died after an hour and 45 minutes. Opting for the Power-saving profile extended playtime to just over two hours.

### Audio on the Lenovo Legion Go S

Sound quality on the Legion Go S is decent, sufficient for the gaming experience. Whether it’s the roar of car engines in racing games or the crash of metal on metal, it delivers an impressive auditory punch. While not intended for serious music playback, it dutifully handled songs like “Center of Attention” by Guster.

Most of my gaming experience, however, was deeply immersive when using headphones, which sealed me off from the external world.

### Bottom Line

At the end of the day, the Legion Go S, in its current iteration, is a mixed bag. While it offers a slightly better performance on battery relative to the Legion Go, it falls short when plugged in and tested with maximum performance profiles. It undeniably benefits from a more comfortable design, but sacrifices versatility with the omission of detachable controllers and a kickstand.

Price-wise, it doesn’t offer compelling value against its sibling, with only a $20 price gap. At $729 with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD versus the $749 Legion Go with similar storage but needing less RAM, it’s hard to recommend. Perhaps, once a more budget-friendly SteamOS variant hits the market at $499 in the spring, it might then find its niche.