The Lenovo Legion Go S is among the most comfortable handheld gaming consoles available. It appears to directly compete with the low-cost Steam Deck OLED. While its pull is in the ergonomic design, its software and performance check it from becoming the ultimate handheld console for gaming on the go.
Build Quality and Ergonomics: Made with Comfort in Mind
Upon grabbing the Lenovo Legion Go S, the first thing I noticed is the level of comfort, and the effort that must have been put to achieve this. The contour grips sit snugly in the hands, and the textured plastic body can be held tightly. It weighs around 1.61 pounds which makes it not the lightest gaming handheld in the market but does mean that one can sit on the bed or couch for long comfortable gaming sessions without developing fatigue.
Improvements have also been noted on the buttons and triggers, which are an upgrade over earlier versions. The face buttons are responsive and have a good depth, and the curved redesigned triggers appropriately follow the shape of the fingers. Two extra back switches have also been added by Lenovo, making the button travel distance extremely short, which is beneficial in fast paced gaming. Although this feature doesn’t make the device more responsive, it is nice to have.
The indentations added to the D-Pad improving its response and usability are especially beneficial while playing 2D platformers or fighting games. It aids in making the experience more tactile and responsive. On the contrary, the improvement on the D-Pad is offset by the trackpad which isnt as good. The placement of the trackpad tends to make it prone to accidental touches and due to over sensitivity of the haptics, it can be more distracting than beneficial.
Display and Audio: The Pros and Cons of a Resplendent Feature
One of the highlights of the Lenovo Go S is the 8-inch IPS LCD screen which has a resolution of 1920 x 1200 along with a refresh rate between 48 – 120 Hz, ensuring buttery smooth visuals. The screen is better than other handhelds such as the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally as it is easier to use in bright lighting. There is still some room for improvement though. A few of the games do not support the 1920 x 1200 resolution which requires some manual adjustment, otherwise the aspect ratios can get distorted.
While the visuals are stunning, the sound quality leaves much to be desired. Its front-facing 2W stereo speakers are not enough to make up for the audio which feels hollow and lacks depth. Without the use of external headphones or speakers, games with powerful soundtracks or cinematics lose a lot of their impact. The Steam Deck and MSI Claw, on the other hand, offer superior audio experience on the device itself.
The audio is not the only underwhelming aspect of the product, it also suffers performance wise when compared to its competitors. The on-device performance of the Legion Go S is not quite as good as other handheld devices. The Go S is equipped with a custom AMD Ryzen Z2 Go chip containing a 3.0 GH Base clock and a 4.3 GH max boost. Along with a 4 core and 8 thread Zen 3 architecture, it also has RDNA 2 graphics. It does, however, offer a more powerful on-device option than the 8 core Ryzen Z2 Extreme.
Even though the device can support up to 40W TDP (Thermal Design Power), that level of performance is only achievable when docked. The handheld mode makes the device perform worse when compared to other devices of similar price point. Benchmark results verify this:
- 3D Mark Time Spy Score: 2489 (Legion Go Original received 3279 and Asus ROG Ally X got 3491)
- Geekbench 6 Single-Core Score: 1690 (1,840 on the Ally X)
- Geekbench 6 Multi-Core Score: 5369 (10,343 on the Ally X)
The Go S Legion severely lags in CPU intensive games such a s Cyberpunks 2077 on Mid settings at 1920x 1080 resolution Legion Go S = 33 FPS 30W TDP 60Hz refresh rate. Asus ROG Ally X=42 FPS 30W TDP 60Hz refresh rate.
For less demanding 2D designs such as Hades II or Pyre, the device does well due to comfortable design and high refresh rate. However, the device does not do well with more graphically intensive designs, especially at the same price range, where the competition is much better.
User Experience and Software: Getting the Linux Experience
One of the primary losses of the Legion Go S is its use of Windows 11. While it offers software flexibility, the OS is still not well suited for handhelds. Windows, for example, is very difficult to use with a touchscreen. Additional problems include the constant breaking of things due to updates, poorly designed scaling parameters, and devices not responding where they should.
Lenovo in theory tried to make this process easier with the Legion Space software; however, it is in a terrible state. The software lags heavily, and even basic tweaks take way too many taps to accomplish. Things like adjusting the brightness are incremented when a game is running in the background, making it feel like an eternity for the adjustment to change.
Windows also doesn’t have a handheld mode, making the basic act of putting it to sleep and back into gameplay far more obnoxious than on the Steam Deck. This means that many users would prefer the SteamOS version of the Legion Go S, which everyone expects to come out sometime in 2025.
Battery Life and Charging: Shorter Playtime With a Charge
Life for the battery is yet another category where the Legion Go S misses the mark. The system packs a 55.5Wh battery which is quite average for handhelds in this price range. However, it does not compare well to the 80Wh battery found in the Asus ROG Ally X. In actual usage, the Legion Go S battery is disappointing:
- High-performance gaming (120Hz, 1920x1200p resolution, max TDP): ~1 Hour 30 Minutes
- Moderate settings (60Hz, lowered resolution, 15W TDP): ~2-3 Hours
- Game streaming (power savings mode, increased brightness): ~3 Hours
On the upside, fast charging is supported. With the supplied power brick, it is possible to reach close to 90% charge within about 80 minutes, permitting fairly rapid turnaround between play sessions.
Verdict: Does the SteamOS Version Change It?
At $730 for the 32GB RAM/1TB SSD, the Legion Go S feels exceedingly overvalued considering the feature set and performance windows frustration. The $650 Steam Deck OLED offers much better software and more than adequate performance for a cheaper price. Although the Asus ROG Ally X is a little more expensive, the added cost comes with substantially better performance.
The version with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage that is speculated to come out for $500 is where the true value lies. It should provide a simpler software experience and be more optimized for gaming. Furthermore, it is said that Lenovo is preparing a Legion Go 2 with a Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip to help mitigate some of the struggles with the current model.
If you prefer value and can tolerate some of the quirks that come with Windows 11, then the Legion Go S is a good pick. Otherwise, if you’re looking for the best value in handheld gaming, trying out other options or waiting for the SteamOS version would probably be the better option.
