These days, gaming handhelds are widely available, in part because of Steam Deck’s widespread appeal. Many popular laptop manufacturers have entered the market, following Valve’s lead. Naturally, I’m referring to the recently released MSI Claw and the ASUS ROG Ally in India. Lenovo has also declared its intention to enter the market, furthering this trend. The portable device, known as the Legion Go, has many features, such as a sizable QHD with a 144Hz refresh rate and detachable controller grips. But does that make a purchase necessary? Let’s investigate.
Design
The Lenovo Legion Go’s design is full of interesting details, but let me start by stating this: it’s a very large handheld. It’s not hyperbole to say that the gadget is enormous and looms over my Steam Deck OLED and MSI Claw. To obtain a sense of its magnitude, please refer to the snap that is attached below.
Hold on to your seat if you’re dying for some numbers. The Legion Go weighs an astounding 854 grams and comes with an 8.8-inch display out of the box. In contrast, the Steam Deck OLED weighs 640 grams, the MSI Claw weighs 675 grams, and the ASUS ROG Ally weighs 608 grams. Let’s just say that the Lenovo Legion Go will not be comfortable for extended gaming sessions unless you have really strong wrists. It turns out that the gadget doesn’t initially provide a long battery backup, but more on that in a moment.
Regarding the remaining buttons, the Legion Go has a special toggle on the right grip that opens a personalized overlay. Customers can use it to navigate between various TDP settings, adjust the screen’s refresh rate and resolution, turn off RGB lighting effects, and even use quick-access toggles for taking screenshots or quitting tasks. Additionally, there is a special toggle on the left grip that activates the Legion Space. Consider it a tool for more detailed customization of the Legion Go and central access to all of your games.
Without RGB, the Lenovo Legion Go wouldn’t function as a portable Windows gaming system. Like the Ally and the Claw, RGB is also running around the joysticks of the Legion Go.
I should also point out that the portable has a headphone jack, a microSD card reader, and two USB Type-C 4.0 connections. There are two Type-C connectors: one on top and one at the bottom. Both adhere to the Power Delivery 3.0 standard, making handheld charging considerably simpler.
Display and Audio
The 8.8-inch display on the Lenovo Legion Go is unusual in and of itself. The screen has a resolution of QHD and refreshes at 144Hz to provide intrigue. Although I love sharp displays, I couldn’t help but think that the hardware in the Legion Go is a little out of sync.
To begin with, the handheld processor will not be able to run contemporary games at 1600P. For demanding games, you will typically need to cap the resolution at 1200P or perhaps 800P. Second, the display’s high resolution and refresh rate are detrimental to its battery backup. Additionally, the 8.8-inch screen will appear just as sharp at 1200P and 1600P at arm’s length.
The display is incredibly sharp, covers 97% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, and gets exceptionally bright at 500 nits, thus there is nothing fundamentally wrong with it. I had a great time using it to play games and watch movies. However, I can’t help but question whether the company could have offered a more competitive price for the handheld if they had chosen to go with a more useful 1200P screen.
The two 2W speakers that come with the Lenovo Legion Go are plenty loud. At roughly 60% level, the speakers can muffle the sound of the fans. Though it may not be as rich as what the MSI Claw offers, the audio output should be more than enough for playing games while on the go.
Software
The Lenovo Legion Go starts with Windows 11 installed. I’ve outlined my preferences for the operating system, particularly as they relate to gaming handhelds, such as the MSI Claw. The same observations hold here. Having said that, Windows 11 isn’t designed for portable devices with touchscreen displays in mind. Problems such as the overlay being unresponsive or the virtual keyboard not appearing automatically are far too often.
The user interface of the company’s Legion Space app also needs to be modified. It occasionally doesn’t open automatically either. Apart from that, though, it has a plethora of features that let you customize your Legion Go to your want. Rearranging the buttons and modifying the RGB effects
Both Battery Life and Performance
The AMD Z1 Extreme CPU powers the Lenovo Legion Go. Additionally, the chip drives the recently released ASUS ROG Ally. The Legion Go review device I have has a 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD and 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM with a clock speed of 7,500MHz.
How does it function, then? Actually, pretty good. Let’s begin with the very challenging game Cyberpunk 2077. I was averaging about 45 frames per second in the game at 1200P resolution with AMD’s FSR 2.1 upscale set to the Performance level. The frame rate would typically be in the range of 40 frames per second when traversing the city or fighting with guns. Inside a building or bar, the Legion Go would get more than 50FPS, which is fantastic.
Positively, Witcher 3 performed incredibly well on the portable. Without any hiccups or frame dips, I could charge through the game’s vast open area or take on enemies. The game achieves about 45 frames per second when the visuals are at their lowest preset and the resolution is set to 1200P. The frame rate would increase to at least 50 frames per second in smaller spaces, such as a town’s pub. Even 70 frames per second might be attained by utilizing AMD’s FSR technology (Ultra Performance preset). I also played the portable version of BioMutant again, which is another gorgeously rendered open-world game. I was able to run it at 800P resolution with medium-quality defaults on the Legion Go. At these settings, the game would run at about 50 frames per second on average.
On the portable, GhostRunner 2 may also be played at reasonable frame rates. Similarly, GTA 5 averages more than 80 frames per second. I had most of the visual presets on Normal or High with the game running at 800P resolution. Since I can’t stand jagged edges, I did boost the Anti-Aliasing to 16 times. The game hardly ever dropped below 70FPS, though. Comparably, with 1200P resolution and the medium graphics preset, EA FC 24 averages well over 40 frames per second. I was pleased with the handheld’s performance in Kick-Off and Volta modes after playing a few of those titles.
Under heavy use, the Legion Go may become overheated, particularly in the vicinity of the left controller grip and the back of the device. That being said, even after playing for extended periods, I didn’t detect any instances of heat throttling. The handheld’s battery backup is appalling, as it only lasts for around an hour when playing AAA games like Cyberpunk 2077 or Hogwarts Legacy. It takes some time for the included 65W adapter to fully charge the gadget as well; it took slightly more than 1.5 hours to fully charge the Legion Go from 14% to 100%.
Verdict
In India, the Lenovo Legion Go costs Rs 89,990 at retail. The portable looks good, has a great display, and is very adaptable, all at a hefty price. Furthermore, I was pleased with the handheld’s gaming capabilities. Even though I usually play independent games on portable devices, AAA titles may be played well on the Legion Go when the graphical settings are lowered or when upscaling methods like AMD’s FSR are used. Not to mention, the detachable grips on the handheld make it possible for players to play first-person shooter games and increase Legion Go’s repairability.
Of course, there are a few annoyances that must also be mentioned. The Legion Go is big and bulky, to start. To play comfortably, you can put it down and use the detachable controller grips. Finding a flat or sturdy surface, though, might not always be feasible. Furthermore, there is room for improvement with the software overlays as well. I can overlook the aforementioned annoyances, but I can’t overlook the handheld’s subpar battery backup. A case can also be constructed for the ASUS ROG Ally, which provides comparable performance at a more affordable price.
Nevertheless, there’s no disputing that the Legion Go’s enormous display makes for a more engaging mobile gaming experience. The fact that it performs well also helps. Therefore, if you want the most luxurious Windows handheld and don’t have a strict budget, acquire the Legion Go. The Steam Deck OLED or the ROG Ally will likely be a better option for everyone else.
