Lenovo finally took the wraps off its new Legion Go 2 during IFA, and it’s probably safe to say that it’s a massive upgrade from its predecessor. This isn’t just a simple refresh though, with considerable improvements in terms of display quality, a bigger battery, and a more powerful processor in the mix as well. Priced at $1,049 (and scheduled to launch later in October), Lenovo is clearly poising the Legion Go 2 to compete with high-end rivals.
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In terms of performance, the Legion Go 2 is powered by AMD’s new Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor, which works in tandem with Radeon 890M graphics. It also features up to 32GB of 8000MHz LPDDR5X RAM and up to 2TB of PCIe Gen 4 storage, which should provide most users with enough performance for most gaming scenarios. Lenovo also stuffed in a larger battery this time around, with as much as a 50% increase going from 49.2Whr to a more beefy 74Whr, which should provide considerably better endurance.
Additionally, one big change with the Legion 2 is the switch to a new 8.8-inch OLED display. It should be noted that the original Legion Go used an IPS panel, and while it wasn’t bad per se, the addition of a new OLED screen means that you’re getting deeper blacks and more vibrant colours all around. The Legion 2’s screen also features a 144Hz variable refresh rate, as well as HDR TrueBlack 1000 certification. It’s something that we don’t really see on other premium handhelds like the Nintendo Switch 2 or ROG Ally X, for example.
Like the Switch 2, the Legion Go 2 also features detachable controllers, which Lenovo refers to as its “TrueStrike” controllers. There are some new tweaks in terms of ergonomics, along with a circular D-pad, and hall effect joysticks to prevent stick drift. The controllers still feature a built-in FPS mode, which allows users to detach the right controller and use it as a vertical mouse when needed; there are also three customizable buttons which can be reprogrammed depending on your software.
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With all that said, the Legion Go 2 isn’t the only premium handheld that’s arriving this October—ASUS’ own Xbox Ally series devices will make their official debut in the fall as well, available in two different models: there’s the ROG Xbox Ally which runs on an AMD Ryzen Z2 A chip accompanied by 16GB RAM and 512GB of internal storage, while the Xbox Ally X features a more powerful AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor, as well as a more spacious 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.
