Review of Lenovo Legion Go S: Missing the Substance?

In recent years, the handheld gaming PC arena has been buzzing with innovation, largely sparked by the release of the Valve Steam Deck. This momentum has given rise to diverse alternatives, such as the Asus ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go. Lenovo has now introduced the Legion Go S, a significant shift from its predecessor, enhanced by AMD’s fresh Z2 Go processor that operates on Zen 3+ architecture.

At first glance, the Legion Go S stands out with a unified design, moving away from the Nintendo Switch-like detachable controllers, similar to designs seen in ROG Ally and Steam Deck. Its display has also shrunk to 8 inches from the previous 8.8 inches, making it more compact yet still maintaining a hefty presence, reminiscent of its forerunner.

Diving into its aesthetics, the Legion Go S swaps its earlier metal and plastic blend for an all-plastic body. Clad in molded white plastic with contrasting black buttons, it might feel less premium but retains robust construction. The streamlined, smoother design enhances comfort over long gaming sessions compared to the edgier Legion Go.

One notable design change is the absence of a built-in kickstand, reflecting the integrated controller approach. This absence might seem like a step back as it reduces the device’s versatility when propped up for a conventional gaming experience. The display also steps down in size and resolution from 8.8 inches at 2560 x 1600 to 8 inches at 1920 x 1200—a decision that, while understandable during high-intensity sessions, might be off-putting for some gamers keen on crisp, high-res graphics.

Physically, the Legion Go S measures 11.77 x 5.02 x 0.89 inches and weighs 1.61 pounds. While it loses some weight and size compared to its predecessor, the comparison with competitors like the ROG Ally or Steam Deck reveals a heavier and slightly bulkier unit.

Despite these changes, the Legion Go S retains reliable game controls similar to an Xbox controller setup, featuring customary buttons, joysticks, and a D-pad. Its host of programmable buttons, two USB 4 ports, headphone jack, and microSD reader ensure it remains versatile for seasoned gamers.

Under the hood, the Lenovo Legion Go S houses an AMD Ryzen Z2 Go CPU, a step down from the Legion Go’s Z1 Extreme. The four-core, eight-thread configuration offers a base clock of 3GHz and boosts to 4.3GHz. Comparatively, the Z1 Extreme showcases double the physical cores, reflecting similarly in performance metrics where the Legion Go S lags behind its predecessor on demanding tasks and plugged-in scenarios.

Gamers navigating through different performance profiles—Performance, Efficiency, and customizable options—will find the Legion Go S adequate in mobility, offering around 10% improved efficiency on battery but slightly lagging when tethered, compared to competition.

In gaming trials like Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Cyberpunk 2077, the Legion Go S delivers smooth gameplay at lower settings but struggles when pushed to high-res benchmarks. The general pattern shows competitive rates in simpler tasks, but heavy-duty demands depict noticeable slowdowns against higher-performing counterparts.

The convenience of Windows 11 out-of-the-box matches the UI needs but poses challenges with oversize taskbar icons and inconsistencies with the on-screen keyboard. Some might find the touchpad vibration effects annoying, yet these can be adjusted through Legion Space, though a missing kickstand might limit workspace comfort.

Legion Space acts as an all-inclusive hub for tweaking settings and launching games. Here, intuitive controls allow for performance tuning, display adjustments, and controller configurations, though not without minor operational quirks.

The Legion Go S sports a high refresh rate IPS display albeit lower in resolution and brightness compared to past models, yet satisfactorily meets gaming visuals for standard titles. While not as vibrant as some OLEDs on the market, it serves functionally for most games.

Battery life reflects the typical fluctuations in handheld devices, with the Legion Go S steadily maintaining game runs, albeit slightly underperforming when juxtaposed with its predecessor. However, options to tweak power profiles provide flexibility to extend these gaming sessions.

Sound performance remains decent, delivering sufficient acoustics for immersive gameplay with an emphasis on clarity over depth, making headphones a preferable alternative for the full experience.

For those considering upgrades, the design allows access to the SSD slot without too daunting a procedure, providing an edge for players looking to expand digital storage alongside battery replacement possibilities down the line.

The Lenovo Legion Go S, priced at $729.99, currently seems a tough recommendation with its performance setbacks and closely huddled cost to its fuller-featured counterpart. Unless the price drops significantly, potentially aligning with the forthcoming $499 SteamOS variant, gamers might hold off for better value options.