Lenovo Legion Go 2 Review: The Ultimate PC Gaming Handheld

The Lenovo Legion Go 2 offers solid upgrades over its predecessor, while keeping the features that make this PC gaming handheld unique among its peers. For instance, the detachable controllers, one of which can even double up as a joystick-like mouse are still present, but now with improved ergonomics. Lenovo has also kept the 8.8-inch screen size, but switched to an OLED version that looks even better — and likely upped the cost, too. Of course, there's a processor upgrade to keep up with the times and the competition. In short, Lenovo has doubled down on its vision of a PC gaming handheld with the Legion Go 2. Which makes it even more of a tough sell for consumers. It's heavier, more expensive, and while the performance and battery life are better, the price tag has also gone up. Perhaps this explains why it's no longer available on the Lenovo website just a few months after its debut, though it's possible Lenovo has sold every last unit. You can still buy it from third-party retailers on Shopee and Lazada at S$1,799. And I would recommend it over the more portable, but cut-down Lenovo Legion Go S if you can afford it. For a gaming handheld, the Lenovo Legion Go 2 is massive. It tips the scale at 920g, which is about as heavy as some ultra-portable laptops in the market, such as the Acer Swift Air 16 (review coming soon!). In comparison, the ROG Xbox Ally X, which is heavier than previous iterations, is still a svelte 715g. The culprit here is the Lenovo's 8.8-inch OLED screen, but this vibrant and large display — with an appropriately fast 144Hz refresh rate — is also the reason why one should get this handheld over its rivals. Things just look better and clearer on this 8.8-inch OLED screen. Yes, the IPS screen on competitors like the ROG Xbox Ally X is bright and vibrant by most standards, with a competitive 120Hz refresh rate to boot. But there were times when I had to squint to make out text and interface elements on the Xbox Ally X. That's not an issue with the Lenovo Legion Go 2. The display grabs you instantly, and deserves all the plaudits. Besides, the Lenovo Legion Go 2 effectively doubles as a media tablet when you're not gaming. Just leave the detachable controllers at home, and you'll have a lighter, albeit still chunky Windows tablet with a built-in kickstand that lets you bring your content anywhere. The detachable controllers — unique among PC gaming handhelds — are probably the other reason to get the Lenovo Legion Go 2. Lenovo has tweaked the design, though to their credit, they are actually backward compatible with the older handheld. The new controllers (uses Hall Effect like the previous ones) are more rounded at the bottom, and won't dig into your palms. The D-pad is improved, and there are now two more buttons. Lenovo has also retained the original's touchpad, which can be useful when navigating and dealing with Windows 11. Of course, you can still use the right-sided controller as a mouse with the included base for FPS games that require more precision. I would prefer a proper mouse, but this controller is usable. The new buttons are also useful: One toggles between your app and the Windows Desktop, while the other activates Windows Task View to let you manage multiple apps and workspaces. There are also remappable buttons and paddles at the back and sides, though I personally don't use them in my games. Other tweaks and improvements from the original Lenovo Legion Go include integrating a fingerprint sensor into the power button, relocating the microSD card slot to the bottom edge, presumably to avoid the warm exhaust vents at the top edge. The 3.5mm audio jack and one of the USB4 ports are also found at the bottom, which isn't ideal. It can be quite tricky to use these ports while the handheld is being propped up on a desk. Thanks to the tilt of the kickstand, this just about works, but I don't think it's good for the longevity of the USB or audio cable. Lenovo has tried to improve the usability of the Legion Go 2. Like its competitors, there's a software layer (Legion Space) that tries to give this Windows handheld a unified console-like interface for all your game platforms (e.g. Steam, Epic Games, Xbox and more). It works somewhat, though you still have to navigate the Windows 11 setup process and update Legion Space, the BIOS and Windows 11 several times before everything comes together, and you can actually start playing. In fact, the first thing anyone should do with a brand-new Lenovo Legion Go 2 is to go into the BIOS and change the amount of video memory (VRAM) allocated for the device from the default 2GB to 8GB (or more if you think you'll be playing at higher graphics settings). This step is critical to unlocking the performance. Before this tweak, the Legion Go 2 scored 1,761 in 3DMark's Time Spy Extreme benchmark. That's lower than the ROG Xbox Ally X (1,911), which uses the same AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor as the Lenovo. After I changed it to 8GB of VRAM, the score went up to 1,924, which is in line with the ROG Xbox Ally X. Like the ROG Xbox Ally X, the Lenovo Legion Go 2 uses the latest AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor that offers improved power efficiency and performance, more so for the former than the latter. I tested the Lenovo Legion Go 2 using a custom profile with everything maxed out, and with the power plugged in. In Watch Dogs: Legion, the Lenovo scored an average of 48fps at High setting, which is identical to the ROG Xbox Ally X. In Hollow Knight: Silksong, the Lenovo can easily max out the frame rates for its OLED screen (144fps) at its native resolution. In terms of battery life, the Lenovo Legion Go 2 is pretty good, albeit not as good as the ROG Xbox Ally X, which has a smaller screen and a larger battery. An hour of running Silksong in Performance mode at 50% volume and brightness saw the battery dip by 28% compared with 17% for the ROG. Switching to the most power-efficient Quiet mode for less demanding games like Is This Seat Taken? saw the battery drop by 20% after an hour at the same settings. Performance remained smooth at 60fps. Thermals seem fine, too, with internals temperatures peaking in the mid 50s degrees Celsius. Note: Review unit provided by Lenovo.