Photo by Lenovo Legion Go Review: A Powerful Handheld Gaming PC?
The Lenovo Legion Go has finally arrived in India, claiming to be one of the most powerful handheld gaming PCs available for nearly Rs 90,000. But does it live up to the hype? In this review, we’ll put it to the test, playing AAA games right out of the box and running benchmarks.
The Lenovo Legion Go: A powerful handheld gaming PC
Design and Ergonomics
The Legion Go features a massive 8.8-inch screen, making it the largest in the handheld market currently. It also weighs 854 grams, which is heavier than both the Asus ROG Ally and the Nintendo Switch. However, I found that my fingers grip and curve around the device’s body very comfortably, making it more than fine for daily gaming. Additionally, it’s not just limited to home use; it’s portable enough to take with you on the go.
The Legion Go’s carry case makes it easy to travel with
Display
The display is a standout feature at 8.8 inches with a QHD+ resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate. It’s absolutely gorgeous, but the tech isn’t quite advanced enough to fully take advantage of this high resolution. Most of the time, the only content displayed at the full 2560x1600 resolution will be the Windows Desktop or some random video. Despite this, the screen is solid, though I wish it was complemented by better speakers.
The Legion Go’s display is a standout feature
Audio
The Legion Go has two 2W stereo speakers located at the top, but their upward-firing placement tends to diffuse the sound. Forward-facing speakers would have been ideal here. Fortunately, I found a workaround to improve the audio experience. When you first get your Legion Go, type “Realtek Audio” in the search bar, click on it, and navigate to the speakers settings. Turn on the Omni speaker feature and choose either the “Powerful” setting or dial everything up to max. While it’s not a perfect substitute for front-facing speakers, it significantly enhances the sound quality.
The Legion Go’s speakers could be improved
Performance
The Legion Go is powered by the AMD Z1 Extreme Processor and AMD Radeon graphics, which, based on its benchmark scores, makes it one of the most powerful handhelds on the market right now. It also comes with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, along with up to 1TB of SSD storage. It can handle triple AAA titles, but I did notice some drops in FPS and benchmark scores at higher resolutions, with significant improvements at lower settings.
The Legion Go’s performance is impressive
Battery Life
On the battery front, the Legion Go features a 49.2Wh unit, and during my testing, the 65W charger took about an hour to fully charge it. However, the battery life during continuous gaming is about 1.5 to 2 hours, which feels a bit short for my liking. To get more out of the battery, I found that lowering the screen resolution and refresh rate to 800p at 60Hz made a significant difference.
The Legion Go’s battery life could be improved
Software
When it comes to the software, the Legion Go runs on Windows 11, essentially making it a portable PC. It works well for the most part, but it can be a bit buggy at times. The device also features the Legion Space software, which recently received an update, though there’s still room for improvement.
The Legion Go’s software is still a work in progress
Price and Verdict
The Legion Go is one the most feature-packed handheld devices I’ve come across, and I have to give Lenovo credit for trying out interesting features like the joystick mouse controller. That being said, it’s also not cheap at Rs 89,990. At this price, you could also find some worthy gaming laptops that might meet all your needs.
The Lenovo Legion Go is a powerful and feature-rich handheld gaming PC
In conclusion, the Lenovo Legion Go is a powerful and feature-rich handheld gaming PC, with its design, performance, and unique features standing out. While it has some drawbacks like weight and battery life, the overall experience is impressive, making it a worthy contender in the handheld gaming market.
