In recent years, the handheld gaming PC arena has witnessed significant evolution, particularly after the launch of the Valve Steam Deck. Following suit, intriguing alternatives like the Asus ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go have expanded the market. Thanks to AMD’s latest Z2 Go processor featuring Zen 3+ architecture, Lenovo has unveiled the Legion Go S, marking a distinct departure in design from its earlier version.
At first glance, you’ll notice a major change—the Legion Go S no longer mimics the Nintendo Switch with detachable controllers. Instead, it offers a unified design akin to the ROG Ally and Steam Deck, with a slightly smaller display of 8 inches compared to the 8.8 inches of its predecessor.
Despite shedding the detachable controllers, the Legion Go S still feels quite hefty. This bulkiness is something potential buyers should ponder over before deciding that it’s their preferred handheld gaming device.
Design and Comfort of the Lenovo Legion Go S
The Legion Go S and its predecessor share the same goal, yet their design paths diverge significantly. While the original Legion Go combined matte grey aluminum with plastic, the Legion Go S is crafted entirely from plastic. Its white molded chassis and black-finished buttons and triggers offer a less premium vibe, though it remains robust and well-made.
Thanks to its curvier design, the Legion Go S offers a more comfortable grip than the angular design of the previous model. After extended gaming sessions, my hands felt notably less fatigued when using the Legion Go S compared to its predecessor.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Another noticeable change is the absence of a built-in kickstand, which used to support the original Legion Go when the controllers were detached. With the controllers now fully integrated, Lenovo likely deemed a kickstand unnecessary.
An additional aspect worth addressing is the display. The new Legion Go S replaces the previous model’s 8.8-inch, 2560 x 1600 display with a slightly smaller and lower-resolution 8-inch, 1920 x 1200 screen. While some might see this as a step back, I found the change acceptable since gaming at the higher resolution on the Z1 Extreme, and particularly on the Z2 Go, can push usability limits.
Dimensions-wise, the Legion Go S measures 11.77 x 5.02 x 0.89 inches and weighs 1.61 pounds, compared to the original Legion Go at 11.76 x 5.16 x 1.60 inches and 1.88 pounds. For context, the Asus ROG Ally is slightly more compact and lighter, while the original Steam Deck slots somewhere in between.
Primary controls on the Legion Go S resemble an Xbox controller, featuring ABXY buttons on the right and offset joysticks. A D-pad rests below the left joystick, and a small touchpad lies beneath the right joystick. Four programmable buttons are located on the top: two for quick settings and menu navigation on the right, while Legion Space and view buttons sit on the left.
The Legion Go S also incorporates LB/LT and RB/RT buttons along the top, plus two additional programmable buttons (Y1 and Y2) on the back. Adjustable trigger travel offers added customization. The device is equipped with two USB 4 ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and volume and power buttons on the top, alongside a microSD reader on the bottom.
Lenovo Legion Go S Specifications
- CPU: AMD Ryzen Z2 Go (Zen 3+, 4 cores / 8 threads, up to 4.3 GHz, 6 nm)
- Graphics: AMD Radeon 680M, RDNA 2, 12 compute units
- Memory: 32GB LPDDR5X-6400MHz
- Storage: 1TB SSD M.2 2242 PCIe Gen 4
- Display: 8-inch 1920 x 1200 IPS, touchscreen, 120 Hz
- Networking: Mediatek MT7922 Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
- Ports: 2x USB Type-C 4.0, microSD slot, 3.5mm jack
- Battery: 55.5 WHr
- OS: Windows 11 Home
- Dimensions: 11.7 x 5.02 x 0.89 inches (299 x 127.55 x 22.6 mm)
- Weight: 1.61 pounds (730 grams)
- Price: $729.99
Gaming and Graphics on the Lenovo Legion Go S
At the heart of the Legion Go S is the new AMD Z2 Go processor, though it represents a step down in performance when compared to the Z1 Extreme of the original Legion Go. Featuring Zen 3+ architecture, the Z2 Go offers four cores and eight threads with speeds ranging from a 3 GHz base to a 4.3 GHz turbo frequency. Its integrated 12-core Radeon 680M GPU, while competent, falls short of the performance of the 12-core Radeon 780M found in the Z1 Extreme.
The Legion Go S comes with four performance profiles: Performance, Efficiency, Custom 1, and Custom 2. While I favored the Performance profile when untethered, using the Custom 1 profile allowed me to push the TDP up to 40 watts for optimal performance when plugged in.
Overall, the Legion Go S shows about a 10% speed boost over its predecessor on battery power, but becomes 10% to 20% slower when operating at peak performance on a 40-watt TDP power profile.
Windows 11 on the Lenovo Legion Go S
Out-of-the-box, the Legion Go S runs Windows 11 with display scaling set to 200% at its native resolution. The oversized taskbar, while facilitating touch screen use, can become cumbersome with multiple running apps, leading to an awkward pop-up menu.
Challenges with the user interface included erratic behavior with the on-screen keyboard, which frequently disappeared when trying to type in text fields within apps like Steam and the Epic Games Store.
Lenovo provides a small touchpad as an alternative mouse input beneath the right joystick. While it’s usable in a pinch, it pales compared to the ease of the touch screen—especially in gaming, where clicking via touchpad veered the cursor out of alignment.
An added quirk: the touchpad’s haptic feedback (enabled by default) vibrates the device during use. After finding its intensity set to Medium in Lenovo Space, I promptly switched off the vibration for a smoother experience.
Unlike its predecessor, the Legion Go S lacks a kickstand, removing one way to comfortably utilize it as a traditional Windows 11 device with peripherals.
Legion Space on the Lenovo Legion Go S
Legion Space acts as a centralized hub for accessing settings, launching games, and customizing integrated controllers. Accessible through the dedicated Legion Space button, the app comprises various sections:
- My Tab: Accesses Lenovo account details.
- Store Tab: Allows game purchases from platforms like Steam and GOG.
- Library Tab: Displays installed games, allowing direct launching.
- Settings Tab: Houses fan speed and temperature monitoring, performance adjustments, and controller customization.
The Options button offers Quick Settings overlay access for frequently used settings like power modes and display resolution changes, displayed on top of running games for convenient adjustments.
Display on the Legion Go S
The Legion Go S introduces a smaller and lower-resolution 8-inch display compared to the previous model. Despite the reduction, the size difference was negligible, and the resolution downgrade didn’t impact gaming, as newer titles were often played at 1280 x 800. The IPS panel, while not matching the vibrant OLED on the Steam Deck, provides good color and brightness, peaking at 120 Hz.
Brightness adjustments were minimal, as 50% sufficed for battery-conscious gaming sessions. The vivid colors were impressive, especially in racing games like Burnout Paradise Remastered and Forza Horizon 5.
Display performance metrics fell short of competitors, with color coverage slightly behind the Legion Go and Steam Deck OLED, but better than the ROG Ally.
Battery Life on the Lenovo Legion Go S
Battery longevity varies based on settings like resolution and power profiles to maximize performance or extend battery life. Our PCMark 10 Gaming benchmark showed a decent balance, lasting an hour and 42 minutes, only marginally behind the older Legion Go. During hands-on testing with Burnout Paradise Remastered, the battery lasted roughly an hour and 45 minutes, reaching over two hours in power-saving mode.
Audio on the Lenovo Legion Go S
The Legion Go S offers satisfactory audio quality for gaming, particularly shining in intense soundscapes like those in Forza Horizon 5 and Burnout: Paradise. Nevertheless, for a more immersive experience, headphones are recommended.
Upgradeability of the Legion Go S
Accessing the Legion Go S internals for upgrades is doable, albeit delicate. After removing several screws and covers, you can access the M.2 slot compatible with 2242 or 2280 SSDs, the latter offering more options for storage upgrades. Our unit had a 1TB Micron 2280 PCIe 4.0 SSD pre-installed, and potential battery replacements are feasible as needed.
Heat on the Lenovo Legion Go S
The redesign supports efficient cooling. The device remains comfortable to hold during sessions, with fans audible but manageable during intense gaming. During Forza Horizon 5 gameplay, temperatures reported at 55 degrees Celsius (131 degrees Fahrenheit) for both CPU and GPU.
Lenovo Legion Go S Configurations
The lone Legion Go S configuration retails for $729.99, featuring an 8-inch 120Hz display, 32GB RAM, and 1TB SSD. A budget-friendly variant priced at $499 is expected, including SteamOS, 16GB RAM, and a 512GB SSD.
Lenovo provides a one-year warranty for the device.
Bottom Line
In its current form, recommending the Lenovo Legion Go S isn’t straightforward. While it offers comparable or modestly better performance on battery power compared to the original Legion Go, it falters when pushed to maximum performance settings, falling 20% behind.
The switch to an all-in-one design yields lighter, more comfortable handling, but at the expense of detachable controller versatility and a kickstand. The reduced display resolution and performance, while not a deal-breaker, factor into the overall evaluation.
Pricing remains a sticking point. For $729, it offers strong specs, but considering the original Legion Go is only $20 more, choosing the Legion Go S seems challenging. A price nearer to $600 could make it more appealing, but it might be worth waiting for the spring release of the $499 SteamOS model.
