Lenovo Legion Go S Review: Lacking Substance?

In recent years, the handheld gaming PC arena has seen a flurry of activity, thanks largely to the arrival of the Valve Steam Deck. This release paved the way for competition, bringing us models like the Asus ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go. Riding the wave of excitement generated by AMD’s latest Z2 Go processor, which features Zen 3+ architecture, Lenovo has introduced the Legion Go S. This new iteration veers away from its predecessor, showcasing a fresh design perspective.

One of the first things that strikes you about the Legion Go S is its departure from the Nintendo Switch’s design style, no longer featuring detachable controllers. Its all-in-one design reminds us more of the ROG Ally and Steam Deck. The screen size has also been trimmed down a bit, now measuring 8 inches instead of 8.8 inches.

Even with the absence of detachable controllers, the Legion Go S remains a bulky piece of hardware. Potential buyers should be prepared for some compromises compared to its forerunner before they make it their chosen handheld gaming PC.

Design and Comfort of the Lenovo Legion Go S

Though sharing a similar mission, the Legion Go S and the prior Legion Go have some notable differences. The old Legion Go used a blend of matte grey aluminum and plastic, whereas the Legion Go S opts for an all-plastic build. It features a white molded plastic body, with black finished buttons and triggers. While it’s sturdy, it doesn’t quite deliver the premium feel of its predecessor.

The newer, curvier design of the Legion Go S offers a more comfortable experience than the angular Legion Go. After hours of switching between the two devices, I found the Legion Go S left my hands and fingers less weary.

Interestingly, the Legion Go S has done away with the kickstand which the Legion Go featured. This kickstand was handy for propping the unit in use with detached controllers like a Nintendo Switch. With its integrated controllers, Lenovo seems to have deemed it unnecessary in this version.

Lenovo has made another notable change with the display. The previous model’s 8.8-inch 2560 x 1600 screen is replaced by a smaller, 8-inch display. The resolution also drops to 1920 x 1200. However, I wasn’t entirely disappointed by these reductions, since gaming at a higher resolution with the Z1 Extreme and Z2 Go is often pushing the envelope.

The dimensions of the Legion Go S are 11.77 x 5.02 x 0.89 inches, and it weighs 1.61 pounds. Meanwhile, the original Legion Go measures 11.76 x 5.16 x 1.60 inches and weighs 1.88 pounds. For context, the Asus ROG Ally comes in at 11.04 x 4.38 x 0.84 inches and weighs 1.34 pounds, and the original Steam Deck stacks up at 11.73 x 4.6 x 1.93 inches and 1.47 pounds.

As far as controls go, the layout mirrors that of an Xbox controller. On the right side are the ABXY buttons with offset joysticks. Below the left joystick, you’ll find a D-pad along with a small touchpad underneath the right joystick. The top of the display houses four programmable buttons. The right ones access quick settings and the menu, while the left ones serve Legion Space and view functions.

The top of the device hosts the usual LB/LT and RB/RT, along with two additional programmable buttons on the back (Y1 and Y2). You can adjust the triggers’ travel distances using dials on the device’s rear. Additional features include two USB 4 ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, volume controls, and a power button on the top, with a microSD reader at the bottom.

Lenovo Legion Go S Specifications

Below are the specifications for the Legion Go S:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen Z2 Go (Zen 3, 4 cores / 8 threads, up to 4.3 GHz, 6 nm)
• Graphics: AMD Radeon 680M (integrated), 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 card slot, 3.5 mm headphone jack
• Battery: 55.5 WHr
• Power Adapter: 65W
• Operating System: Windows 11 Home
• 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

Under the hood, the Legion Go S boasts AMD’s new Z2 Go processor, which represents a step down from the Z1 Extreme found in the original model. With the Zen 3+ architecture, it has four cores and eight threads, whereas the Z1 Extreme, found in both the ROG Ally and the Legion Go, features Zen 4 architecture with eight physical cores supporting 16 threads. Compounding this, the Z2 Go pairs with an integrated 12-core Radeon 680M GPU, unlike the 12-core Radeon 780M in the Z1 Extreme.

For managing performance, the Legion Go S has four profiles to choose from: Performance, Efficiency, Custom 1, and Custom 2. When untethered, I opted for the default Performance profile, which aligns with the Performance profile in Windows 11. For evaluating plugged-in performance, I adjusted the settings to the Custom 1 profile, cranking the TDP to a maximum of 40 watts.

Overall, the Legion Go S displays about a 10 percent increase in speed over the Legion Go under battery power. However, the difference flips when connected to power with a 40-watt TDP, where the Legion Go outpaces the Legion Go S by 10 to 20 percent.

Benchmarks using Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Medium settings, DX12) saw the Legion Go S hold a 10 percent lead in both 800p and 1200p over its predecessor on battery power. However, on full power mode at 40 watts, the original Legion Go pulled ahead.

Cyberpunk 2077 (Steam Deck preset) mirrored this trend, with the Legion Go S keeping pace while unplugged but lagging considerably when plugged in. With Forza Horizon 5 (High settings), the performance gap deepened again against the Legion Pro and ROG Ally.

Testing Red Dead Redemption 2 at 1200p on low graphical settings, the Legion Go S managed over 30 fps on either AC or battery power. Dropping to 800p while plugged in bumped the fps to 52, but the Legion Go remained the frontrunner.

The last benchmark, Borderlands 3 (Medium graphics settings, DX11), showed a tighter competition. Plugged in, the Legion Go S achieved 50 fps at 800p.

Windows 11 on the Lenovo Legion Go S

Windows 11 comes preloaded on the Legion Go S, with display scaling set at a hefty 200 percent for its 1920 x 1200 native resolution. Though this makes navigation easier, the large taskbar icons mean multiple open applications quickly spill into a separate pop-up menu.

A range of issues arose during use, notably with the on-screen keyboard in certain apps like Steam and the Epic Games Store. Worse, attempts to type would see the keyboard briefly appear before vanishing again.

The touch screen and multi-touch work seamlessly, though the small touchpad beneath the right joystick leaves much to be desired for gaming. Pressing to click moves the mouse, making it hard to hit targets. This quirk wasn’t an issue with simpler applications.

The touchpad introduces force feedback thanks to the Lenovo Space app. Out of the box, it’s set to Medium intensity, resulting in a loud buzz with every interaction. I found turning it off entirely was best for a smoother experience.

Unfortunately, the removal of a kickstand means it’s less suited for transformation into a standard Windows 11 PC setup with a mouse and keyboard.

Legion Space on the Lenovo Legion Go S

Legion Space is the device’s one-stop-shop app for accessing settings, launching games, and configuring the built-in controllers. Accessible via the Legion Space button, the app’s tabs are:

• My tab: Ties to your Lenovo account.
• Store tab: Connects you to buy games through platforms like Steam and GOG.
• Library tab: Lists installed games and apps, and lets you launch games directly.

Perhaps more useful is the Settings tab. Here, you can monitor real-time system stats including fan speeds and CPU temperatures. Battery modes and display settings are easily adjustable, and you can tweak audio, update drivers, and customize controllers as well.

The Quick Settings overlay gives you the power to modify some of these settings without interrupting gameplay.

Display on the Legion Go S

Compared to its predecessor, the new Legion Go S sports a smaller 8-inch screen with a lower resolution setting of 1920 x 1080. Side by side, the size change wasn’t too jarring, and 1280 x 800 gaming looked sharper on the smaller screen.

Despite finishing second to the Steam Deck OLED in terms of contrast, it’s not bad with a 120 Hz refresh rate (down from 144 Hz). Even at 50 percent brightness, I found it more than adequate for engaging gameplay.

Gaming benchmarks didn’t surprise after the step back, and color performance, while inferior to the Legion Go and Steam Deck OLED, was superior to the ROG Ally.

Battery Life on the Lenovo Legion Go S

The Legion Go S variability in battery life is typical for handheld devices, affected by your specific display and performance settings.

Outlasting its predecessor by a narrow margin in the PCMark 10 Gaming suite benchmark, real-world tests resulted in a slightly disappointing hour and 42 minutes. Swapping to a power-saving profile during a similar session granted just over two hours of gameplay.

Audio on the Lenovo Legion Go S

While not outstanding, the Legion Go S speakers offer adequate sound quality. Racing games like Forza Horizon 5 played well with engine roars and tire screeches punching through effectively.

Generally, I’d recommend using headphones for a truly immersive experience.

Upgradeability of the Legion Go S

Gaining access to the internals of the Legion Go S isn’t overly complex, but it’s not for the faint of heart. Opening the device involves working through several screws and retaining clips to finally reach the M.2 slot. The slot accepts either 2242 or 2280 SSDs, lending flexibility for upgrading to larger storage capacities.

Heat on the Lenovo Legion Go S

Credit goes to the redesign, which ensures the device stays within a comfortable temperature range. Its efficient cooling system routes air through the back and out the top, with noise levels remaining fairly acceptable even during intensive tasks.

Lenovo Legion Go S Configurations

At $729.99, the Legion Go S is packaged with a 120Hz 8-inch display, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. Lenovo is also slated to unveil a more budget-friendly $499 version running SteamOS, reducing RAM to 16GB and storage to 512GB.

Each purchase includes a one-year manufacturer warranty.

Bottom Line

In its current iteration, recommending the Lenovo Legion Go S over its competition is challenging. While it offers similar if not slightly improved battery performance, it falls behind when performance matters most.

The all-in-one approach is lighter and more ergonomic but sacrifices the modular versatility fans loved, not to mention a lower resolution and a slightly less vibrant display.

The price comparison remains the real conundrum. At $729, it provides less value compared to the $749 Legion Go featuring a 1TB SSD and 16GB of RAM. Until Lenovo revises the price — perhaps nearer to the anticipated $499 entry version — it’s not an enthusiast’s top pick.