Lenovo. One word, 40 years of experience in the field of technology and gaming, since recently. That’s why, when I heard that they will release a handheld gaming console called Legion Go, I was sure that it will be the most powerful handheld console on the market compared to the existing ones. Having had it in my hands for about a month, I can confidently say that I was not wrong.
We live in the age of nostalgia and rush. Everything happens quickly and leaves us almost no time in our everyday life. I believe these are the reasons we went back to handheld consoles. Anyone close to my age who grew up with Game Boy and Game Gear, can understand how much we miss those days. Adding the limited free time of more “mature” gamers in this function, then the result is a handheld device like the Lenovo Legion Go.
For this reason, almost all major hardware companies, and not only them, have released a handheld console in the last year. Are they as powerful as the Lenovo Legion Go? And if so, what makes it stand out from any other handheld on the market? Keep reading, and you’ll see that you no longer need an entire computer to enjoy your favourite titles.
General Features
How can I write it in one word? The Lenovo Legion Go is a beast that fits in your backpack or even in your pocket. And, it is not just for gaming. It is a Windows 11 tablet that offers the perfect balance between gaming, work and entertainment.
Do you remember the days when you wanted to go to a LAN party with your friends, and you had to carry your laptop or even your entire desktop? Those years have passed. Now with the Lenovo Legion Go, you can do exactly what you would do with a gaming laptop just by carrying the small Lenovo carrying case.
It really is incredible how much technology has evolved in such a relatively short period of time. Until now, we have been saying that smartphones are pocket computers, but that is not true. Legion Go is a true pocket computer. And a powerful one too.
Unboxing Experience
The Lenovo Legion Go comes in a black glossy box with the word Legion also in black, just in a matte finish. In red and white, the word Lenovo stands out on the corner of the package. If you read my articles, you know that the colour black is my whole life. So, I loved even the Lenovo Legion Go box.
You don’t need anything more than these three things.
Unboxing this black box, we find the following:
- Another box! No, no, I am just kidding. It’s just the case of the device
- The Lenovo Legion Go
- A 65W socket charger that ends to a Type-C
- and our beloved manuals (that no-one ever reads)
Design
The Screen
The first thing I noticed when I got the Lenovo Legion Go in my hands was its huge, glossy screen. Before that, I used to play on my Steam Deck with the LCD screen, which is only 7 inches. The Legion Go’s screen is almost 2 inches larger. More specifically, the Legion Go screen is 8.8 inches. It goes without saying that the screen is protected by Gorilla Glass, because it is a handheld device after all, it might fall out of your hands or off the couch at any time. But, with the gorilla glass, it will take more effort to break this screen.
I’ll talk about the screen features in the next paragraphs. I just wanted to mention the “bang” it made to my eye compared to my previous portable console.
The Handheld
Lenovo has always created quality products. However, since 2017 when it released its new product line called Legion, it has brought this quality to the gaming market as well. As expected, since the Go belongs to the Legion family, its build quality is top tier. As soon as I handheld the device (see what I did there?) I immediately understood its quality. It is robust and leaves you with a premium feeling and not the classic plastic.
The whole device is black and swaps between matte and glossy surfaces. For example, the screen is glossy but the controllers on the left and right are matte. Not completely though. All keys and joypad are glossy. Beautiful contrast that makes you distinguish the keys even in total darkness.
Let’s see what’s on the top of the device (I’ll talk about the controllers a bit later). On the left side we have the volume keys, right above them one of the two speakers, right next to them a multi-purpose Type-C port as well as a microSD card slot for space expansion. On the right side is the ventilation grille (outflow), an audio jack port (for connecting headphones, headset or even speakers), the on/off button and the second speaker. The bottom of the device is simpler and all that is there is a Type-C multipurpose port on the left side and nothing else.
To tell the truth, I think the idea of two Type-C ports is very clever. And let me add that both ports have exactly the same capabilities. That is, you can use them to charge the console, to connect peripherals such as keyboard and mouse, for external drives and monitors and even as Thunderbolt. Having two ports, you can charge your device while at the same time you can transfer games from your external drive. Brilliant!
Finally, the back of the Lenovo Legion Go is divided into two parts. On the top half are the grills that suck air into the device to keep the little beast cool. At the bottom where the Legion logo is written is the console kickstand. By pulling it out, we can keep the console stable in an upright position up to 120 degrees, which is a great feature.
The Controllers
The controllers of the Lenovo Legion Go, unlike the rest of the (Windows) handhelds on the market, are detachable. Something we already love from the Nintendo Switch. With the stand on the back, you can simply leave it on the table in front of you and play “hands-free”.
Also, each controller, in addition to the classic buttons, is loaded with many more buttons. On the left controller there is the Legion Left button which, if you press it, opens the Legion Space application (which I will analyse below), the joystick, the D-Pad or otherwise the cross, and finally the menu and view. The menu button is our well-known start button that opens the game menu and the View displays more information about a game, for example.
On the right controller we also find a Legion button which opens the sidebar with many shortcuts around the device and its performance, the XYAB keys, a second joystick and the touchpad. I should note here that the Legion keys also serve as on / off buttons for the controls. If you want to disable one of the controls, just hold down the Legion button on each one of them.
As I mentioned earlier, there are even more buttons located on the back of the controls. The Y1, Y2, Y3 and M3 keys. At the bottom, there are also the keys that detach the controllers from the device. Let’s also not forget the LB and RB buttons on the top of the controllers, as well as the LT and RT triggers. What is strange though, is that on the right controller there are also some extra buttons (on the sides), M1 and M2 as well as a wheel. Why is this wheel there? Keep reading and you will find out.
The Ultimate Innovation
Let’s look at a feature of the Lenovo Legion Go that really is one of the smartest things I’ve seen. Lenovo, if you read this review, give a raise now to whoever thought of it and designed it.
What I didn’t mention above is that if we have a look at the bottom of the right controller we find a switch that says FPS mode and OFF as well as something that looks like a sensor. Why would a controller have a sensor and especially at the bottom?
The answer is simple. Because like a new Optimus Prime, the right controller, using the circular base inside the case of the Lenovo Legion Go, can be transformed into a mouse. Yes, you heard right, a mouse!
You activate the FPS mode, clip it to its base which is done thanks to strong magnets, put the Legion Go on its kickstand, and start surfing the Internet with a mouse that you hold and operate like a helicopter joystick. Is there anything cooler than that? Now the wheel on the controller also makes sense since it is used for scrolling. Of course, as its name suggests, it can also be used in FPS games. With the left controller you move, and with the right you aim as if you were holding a real weapon.
Features of Lenovo Legion Go
I know you’re getting excited, and we haven’t even talked about what’s inside this handheld. Let’s have a look at the hardware and software of the Lenovo Legion Go.
Hardware
The day the Legion Go was released, it had the most powerful features compared to any other handheld on the market. This led some companies to refresh the handhelds that they had released and re-release them with new hardware. Even then, the Lenovo Legion Go remains the top choice of gamers as the best handheld in general. The screen is one of the main criteria for this.
CPU and RAM
Let’s start with the heart of the device, which is none other than the processor and RAM. So, the Lenovo Legion Go is equipped with an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme with RDNA graphics.
AMD Ryzen Z1 series processors are specially designed for handheld Windows devices and can easily run even AAA titles, thanks to the advanced AMD Zen 4 technology combined with the graphics offered by AMD RDNA 3. That said, you can play almost any computer game, anywhere and with anyone.
RAM, as well as storage type, help optimize gaming performance and reduce Legion Go load times. With 16 GB of LPDDR5X RAM operating at 7500 MHz, multitasking becomes a breeze without the slightest freeze. To store the data, it uses PCIe Gen4 Storage technology, giving the possibility to expand the storage space up to 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 2242. Or, with the appropriate use of a microSD card. A card from the Extreme series will do the job just as well.
Image Quality
Let’s see now, what made Lenovo Legion Go, the king of handheld devices. And this is none other than the 8.8″ QHD (2560 x 1600) screen. The IPS panel is quite bright with around 500 nits and an aspect ratio of 16:10. The 144Hz refresh rate gives you the feeling that all movements are completely smooth, even when surfing the Internet. Its colours are extremely vivid and rich. With 97% DCI-P3, 10-point touchscreen and Gorilla® Glass, it’s hard to beat.
The touch screen response is perfect, and in the time I’ve been using it, I haven’t had an issue, not even once. I should point out that I’ve been using it with a screen protector since day one, which sometimes affects the screen’s response but not with the Legion Go. Even with the protective glass, the screen works perfectly.
Sound Quality
As with PlayStation Portal, so with the Lenovo Legion Go, I am not completely satisfied with the sound of the device. Not because its speakers are bad. The two speakers of 2W each are enough for a portable device. The problem is the place of the speakers. As we saw above, the speakers are placed at the top of the console. This means that a large part of the sound is simply lost in the room, since it is not heading to you. I don’t know how easy it would be or if it’s even possible, but I’d prefer them on the front of the device so the sound blasts right at you. Like the two microphones, which are located on the front just below the screen.
Apart from this issue, the sound is clear and lively with great clarity even in “distant” sounds.
The Battery
The Lenovo Legion Go battery is the classic 49.2Whr that most handhelds use. Is it big? Yes. Is it enough? If you like to run the device in performance mode and play the games in high resolution, then no. The battery will last you 1 to 2 hours at most. If you want to get the most out of the console, then you should have it plugged in instead of running on battery.
Ok, the battery can drain relatively quickly, but Lenovo has found a way to balance it out. The battery supports Super Rapid Charge technology. This means it can charge 70% of the battery in just 30 minutes, while other devices take hours. Of course, you can keep using the device while charging.
Software
The Lenovo Legion Go comes with pre-installed Windows 11 Home edition but also has its own software called Legion Space. It’s a bit reminiscent of Steam since it also has its own store where you can buy your favourite games, but at lower prices, and it also gathers all your games in a general Library. You can also configure almost everything about Legion Go and do live monitoring of your hardware. I will not analyse the software in particular, but the screenshots below show its UI and all its options in each tab.
Specifications Table
| CPU
| AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme with RDNA Graphics |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Home |
| RAM | 16GB 7500Mhz LPDDR5X |
| Hard disk drive | 512GB up to 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 2242 |
| Battery | 2-cell 49.2WHr with Super Rapid Charge |
| Sound | 2 x 2W speakers |
| Ports | Headphone / mic combo, 2Χ Headphone / mic combo, MicroSD card (2TB) |
| Wireless | WiFi 6E 802.11AX (2 x 2) |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth® 5.1 |
| Screen | 8.8″ QHD (2560 x 1600) IPS, 500 nits, 16:10 aspect ratio, 144Hz refresh rate, 97% DCI-P3, 10-point touchscreen, Gorilla® Glass |
| Dimensions | 40.7mm x 298.83mm x 131mm |
| Weight | 640g the tablet and 854g together with the controllers |
Legion Go Glasses
When I received the Lenovo Legion Go box from Lenovo’s marketing agency and happily opened it, I found another box inside, with a similar design, just much smaller. I read on the side of the box “Lenovo Legion Glasses”. I was like: don’t tell me! Is that what I think? And it was indeed what I thought.
Inside the box is a case, the Legion Glasses, extra lenses (prescription), 3 extra nose pads to fit any type of nose, a non-slip rubber, a cleaning cloth and the manual.
Before I get into the design and features, let’s say a few words about the Legion Glasses and what exactly they are. It’s Lenovo’s new AR glasses. In short, it is a plug and play monitor that you can wear. You can connect the device to your Lenovo Legion Go or any other device with a full-function USB-C port and just wear them like regular glasses. The device emulates the experience and functionality of a larger screen through an extended virtual display with micro-OLED technology that appears behind the lenses. This makes the content only visible to the user. Legion Glasses is a portable way to enjoy your favourite games on the go and beyond.
Design
At a quick glance, the Lenovo Legion Glasses look like everyday sunglasses. Especially from the front, it’s hard to imagine what’s behind the lenses. The only thing that shows that they are not classic glasses, is the cable hanging from them.
Their frame is matte black and the lenses are of course glossy black. In general, high quality materials have been used here. The frame is made of hard plastic, silicone and metal, and the lenses appear to be acrylic. The external lenses are see through, so when the device is not turned on, you can see (not so clearly) through the screens.
The temples are foldable, just like any other pair of glasses. On the left temple, there is the Legion series logo next to a metal decorative plate. At the end of the temple, we have the cable, which is not detachable and sits inside a removable silicone mount which helps the cable stay in place. On the right temple, on the decorative metal plate, is the Lenovo name and that’s it.
At the bottom of both temples there are two buttons and a speaker. Yes! They managed to hide a speaker inside each temple. Unbelievable! The buttons on the right are for adjusting the volume. And on the left you adjust the brightness of the image. Incredibly convenient to be able to do this directly from the glasses without having to search through the menu. If you press and hold the first left button for 2 seconds, you can turn the blue light reduction function on and off. Best for a bedtime movie, without the bright blue light that will keep you awake.
In the middle of the frame, between the two lenses, there is a hole for placing the nose pads and a little above, a sensor. Thanks to it, the glasses turn off when the user takes them off and automatically resumes operation when wearing them.
Functionality
Image Quality
The Legion Glasses are equipped with two Micro-OLED displays, nearly 0.5″ each, at 60Hz, which run at a resolution of 1920×1080. Also, the OLED displays help the Legion Go’s battery life since it is the same (or sometimes more) efficient with less energy than the rest of the technologies. Let me emphasize here that if you want the ultimate cinematic experience, the room where you will use the Legion Glasses should be completely dark.
The feeling when wearing the Legion Glasses is like being 2-3 meters away from an 85″ screen. Therefore, using the glasses, you will have a larger screen than the one on the handheld and perhaps even larger than the monitor or TV you have in your home. The size and image are not affected by the position of your head. So you can play or watch movies whether you are sitting or lying down.
The picture in general is quite good, with vibrant colours and balanced. My only complaint is that you can’t adjust the screens and their distance from your eyes. Neither horizontal nor vertical. Since not all heads are the same, and not everyone has the same distance between their eyes, for some users (myself included), the image is crystal clear in the centre, but as you look around, it becomes blurry.
Sound Quality
The sound here is provided by two small speakers, symmetrically placed on the two temples as we mentioned above. Despite their small size, their sound is not bad at all. You can comfortably play or even watch a movie using them. Of course, they are not that loud. If you want loud sound, then you’ll need headphones. I would say that a set of wireless earplugs is the best solution in combination with the Legion Glasses since with a normal pair of headphones they will put pressure on your ears.
Verdict
Lenovo Legion Go
Actually, I think the target group of the latest handhelds are people my age. We who grew up with games but are at an age that makes it difficult to play every day since there is no time. I’ve thought countless times that I want to play for a while before I go to bed, and I end up not even sitting on the computer and going straight to bed. But now, I can go to bed with the Lenovo Legion Go. Combined with the Lenovo Legion Glasses, I enjoy my favourite games at bed in a 85 inch sensation.
Look at that beautiful device.
Everything is carefully considered to the smallest detail in its design. Even if you don’t feel like playing, you see it and just pick it up and press the power button. You will play whether you want to or not!
If we add the incredible hardware of the Lenovo Legion Go to the above advantage, it is the ultimate gaming machine especially for travellers or for your summer holidays. It is not only the portability that counts, but also the level of quality that will make you really enjoy a game. After all, who wants to play their games on low graphics all the time? I’m sure, no one. With the Lenovo Legion Go, I was able to play several of the latest AAA titles at fairly high resolution levels. Of course, this has an impact on battery life, which is perfectly reasonable.
The price of the Lenovo Legion Go is around €700 and you can find it in the official Lenovo online store and for me personally, it’s worth every last cent.
Lenovo Legion Glasses
The Lenovo Legion Glasses are a good effort, and I honestly think they are the future of gaming. I’m sure in a few years we’ll have monitorless laptops and use glasses like Legion Glasses instead. Firstly, because they give you the possibility to have a huge screen in front of you, something you cannot achieve with any handheld or laptop or smartphone. And the most important thing is that they offer you privacy. You can work, or surf without having someone next to you looking at your screen.
Of course, this is a new technology and there is still a long way to go to perfect it. Adjusting screens to fit all eyes would be a good first step. Then the weight. Since it is almost 100 grams and they mainly rest on the nose, after a while they become tiring. Finally, since I have a relatively large head, the glasses were too small for my face. The design could be a little different to fit all heads and maybe if it looked like snowboard goggles, it could hide more light coming through the edges of the glasses.
The Lenovo Legion Glasses can be found in the official Lenovo online store for €399 (at the time of writing).
At this point I would like to thank Lenovo BeNeLux and their marketing agency in Belgium for providing the review units used to write this article.