Review of the Lenovo Legion Go S: Missing the Wow Factor?

In the past few years, the landscape of handheld gaming PCs has buzzed with activity, largely due to the Valve Steam Deck’s introduction. This sparked the creation of intriguing alternatives such as the Asus ROG Ally and the Lenovo Legion Go. Lenovo has now stepped up its game with the launch of the Legion Go S, following AMD’s release of the Z2 Go processor, built on the Zen 3+ architecture. This new device departs from its predecessor in design.

Upon first glance, you’ll notice that the Legion Go S no longer resembles the Nintendo Switch with detachable controllers. It’s now an all-in-one design, akin to the ROG Ally and Valve Steam Deck, featuring a slightly smaller 8-inch display compared to the original 8.8 inches.

Even though it’s ditched the detachable controllers, the Legion Go S still feels quite hefty and large. There are a few drawbacks compared to the earlier model worth considering if you’re eyeing the Legion Go S as your choice for handheld PC gaming.

Design and Comfort of the Lenovo Legion Go S

Though both devices aim to fulfill the same role, the Legion Go S and its predecessor, the Legion Go, differ significantly. The original version blends matte grey aluminum with plastic, while the Legion Go S goes with a full plastic build. Its white molded plastic chassis with black buttons and triggers might not feel as premium, but it remains sturdy and well-crafted.

The Legion Go S adopts a curvier design, offering a more comfortable grip compared to the angular design of the original. After hours of gameplay on both versions, my hands felt noticeably less fatigued with the new model.

The omission of a built-in kickstand is another notable change in the Legion Go S. While the previous version had this feature to support its detachable controllers, Lenovo seems to have decided against its necessity in a single-body design.

Another area of regression is the display. The Legion Go S opts for an 8-inch screen at a resolution of 1920 x 1200, down from the 8.8-inch 2560 x 1600 display of its predecessor. Personally, these changes seem reasonable since playing at higher resolutions with the Z1 Extreme and especially the Z2 Go pushes practical limits.

In terms of dimensions, the Legion Go S, at 11.77 x 5.02 x 0.89 inches and weighing 1.61 pounds, is slightly smaller and lighter than the Legion Go, which measures 11.76 x 5.16 x 1.60 inches and weighs 1.88 pounds. For comparison, the Asus ROG Ally measures 11.04 x 4.38 x 0.84 inches, and the original Steam Deck comes in at 11.73 x 4.6 x 1.93 inches.

The primary controls of the Legion Go S mirror an Xbox controller layout, featuring ABXY buttons, offset joysticks, a D-pad, and a touchpad. There are also four programmable buttons flanking the display. The top edge hosts usual amenities, including two USB 4 ports and a headphone jack, while a microSD reader is found at 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 graphics (integrated), RDNA 2, 12 compute units
• Memory: 32GB LPDDR5X-6400MHz
• Storage: 1TB SSD M.2 2242 PCIe Gen 4 SSD
• Display: 8-inch, 1920 x 1200, IPS, touchscreen, 120 Hz
• Networking: Mediatek MT7922 Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
• Battery: 55.5 WHr
• Dimensions: 11.7 x 5.02 x 0.89 inches
• Weight: 1.61 pounds
• Price: $729.99

Gaming and Graphics on the Lenovo Legion Go S

Lenovo’s Legion Go S sports the new AMD Z2 Go processor, yet it’s mostly a step down from the Z1 Extreme found in the original model. Packing Zen 3+ architecture with four cores and a base clock of 3 GHz, it trails behind the Zen 4-based Z1 Extreme’s eight cores.

In real-world use, the Legion Go S shows a 10% performance boost on battery compared to the first model but lags 10% to 20% when plugged in using a 40-watt TDP power profile. Testing in various games highlighted these changes, with significant performance variation on title tests like "Shadow of the Tomb Raider," "Cyberpunk 2077," and "Forza Horizon 5."

Windows 11 on the Lenovo Legion Go S

The Legion Go S arrives with Windows 11, with display scaling at 200%, making the taskbar rather large—a mixed bag when considering screen real estate and touch screen use. Unfortunately, I encountered some issues with the on-screen keyboard during use, notably with apps like Steam or the Epic Games Store.

Navigating using touch controls works fine, but its touchpad is less intuitive, often leading to off-target clicks and causing frustration in games. The forced feedback feature from its touchpad, enabled by default, generated buzzing vibrations that I found quite bothersome.

Legion Space on the Lenovo Legion Go S

Legion Space is Lenovo’s dedicated software hub for tweaking settings, launching games, and adjusting controller settings. You get access to your current games, performance settings, and controller configurations directly from it. The app allows effective navigation, with detailed settings tailored for user needs.

Display on the Legion Go S

The device’s display doesn’t match the Steam Deck OLED in contrast, but it offers a solid experience for most casual games. Despite a smaller screen and reduced brightness, vibrant colors do justice to games like "Burnout Paradise Remastered."

Battery Life on the Lenovo Legion Go S

The Legion Go S doesn’t drastically change in terms of battery life, delivering roughly 1 hour and 42 minutes on the PCMark 10 Gaming tests. Playtime varies depending on power-saving modes and specific game resolutions.

Audio on the Lenovo Legion Go S

Audio quality is satisfactory for gaming standards, delivering a decent depth for in-game sounds. However, headphones provide a more immersive gaming experience.

Upgradeability of the Legion Go S

While opening the Legion Go S might be slightly nerve-wracking, it offers access to upgrade the SSD from its default 1TB Micron 2280 PCIe 4.0 SSD. This gives users a broader array of potential upgrades to customize their experience.

Heat on the Lenovo Legion Go S

The design overhaul ensures that the Legion Go S stays cool during gaming sessions. The inward-outward fan placement disperses heat efficiently while maintaining a manageable noise level.

Lenovo Legion Go S Configurations

Selling at $729.99, the current version provides decent specs with an 8-inch 120Hz display and 32GB of RAM. A more budget-friendly, $499 SteamOS variant is slated for future release, promising reduced RAM and storage.

Bottom Line

Recommending the Legion Go S isn’t straightforward given its current pricing strategy and performance. While it offers better battery performance, the power profile falls behind, particularly when compared to its predecessor. It feels lighter and more comfortable, yet the necessity for dual-handed play without separate controllers or a kickstand hinders versatility.

Furthermore, with just a $20 difference compared to the original Legion Go (which includes a 1TB SSD and 16GB RAM for $749), the current cost doesn’t justify its limitations. Waiting for the upcoming $499 SteamOS version or a price drop seems the rational choice for prospective buyers.