The Lenovo Legion Go S: A Handheld PC Review
Handheld gaming PCs have surged in popularity, largely thanks to the Steam Deck. Lenovo's Legion Go S aims to compete, but its Windows 11 iteration falls short of expectations, especially considering its price. A SteamOS version is slated for later this year, promising a more optimized experience.
Design and Display
Unlike its predecessor, the Legion Go S boasts a unibody design, ditching removable controllers and extraneous buttons for a cleaner aesthetic. This results in a more comfortable, albeit heavier (1.61 pounds), device compared to competitors like the Asus ROG Ally X (1.49 pounds). The trade-off is a stunning 8-inch, 1200p IPS display with 500 nits of brightness, rivaling even the Steam Deck's OLED screen. Available in Glacier White and Nebula Nocturne (the latter exclusive to the SteamOS model), it features RGB lighting around the joysticks.
The button layout is improved, though the placement of Lenovo's menu buttons above the standard 'Start' and 'Select' buttons may initially cause confusion. The custom Lenovo buttons offer convenient access to system controls and shortcuts. The touchpad, while smaller than its predecessor's, remains functional.
The rear features programmable paddle buttons with increased click resistance, and adjustable trigger travel distance (though limited to two settings). Dual USB 4 ports are located on top, while a microSD card slot, oddly placed in the center of the bottom, completes the design.
Performance and Battery Life
Powered by the AMD Z2 Go APU (4 cores, 8 threads, 12 RDNA 2 GPU cores), the Legion Go S's performance lags behind competitors like the original Legion Go and the Asus ROG Ally X. Benchmark tests reveal a significant performance deficit. Battery life, despite a larger 55Whr battery, is shorter than the original Legion Go.
While gaming performance isn't disastrous at lower settings (800p, Medium), demanding titles like Horizon Forbidden West struggle even at low settings. Less demanding games like Persona 5 perform admirably.
Pricing and Value
The reviewed $729 configuration (32GB LPDDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD) is overpriced, especially given the weaker APU and lower resolution display compared to the original Legion Go. The higher RAM is largely unnecessary for the integrated GPU. A more affordable $599 model with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD is launching later, offering far better value. The faster memory in the original Legion Go also provides a performance advantage. Manually allocating more VRAM in the BIOS can improve performance, but this shouldn't be a user-required step.
Conclusion
The Lenovo Legion Go S, in its current configuration, is a disappointing release. The higher price for inferior performance makes it a hard sell. However, the upcoming $599 model presents a significantly more compelling option, making it a contender in the handheld gaming PC market. The SteamOS version remains an intriguing prospect.
