Whether you’re looking for a handheld, a high-performance tablet, or a creative mini PC, regardless of which of these use cases you’re interested in, this Lenovo Legion Go 2 is currently your best choice. After two years of optimization and refinement, the Legion Go 2 has been comprehensively upgraded compared to the first generation.
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Design & Ergonomics
First up are the design of the exterior and the controllers. The entire device continues the modular design, but the details have been completely evolved. The body’s lines have changed from sharp and distinct to rounded and smooth, thoroughly optimizing the pain points of the original model that made it uncomfortable to hold.
Although the weight has increased by about 10% compared to the first generation, the curved design, which fits the palm of your hand, makes the grip much more comfortable. It’s worth noting that the surface finish of the body feels incredibly silky to the touch and is also fingerprint-resistant, giving it a very premium feel.
Controller Upgrades
The controllers are a major focus of the upgrade. The Lenovo Legion Go 2 uses Hall effect joysticks, eliminating the hidden danger of joystick drift. Their service life is also much longer than traditional mechanical joysticks. The D-pad on the left has been upgraded from a cross shape to a circular one, making it more convenient for fighting games.
There are three customizable mapping buttons on both the left and right sides, allowing for easier execution of various shortcut operations. Additionally, the tactile feel of the buttons has been improved; the tactile bump and rebound are crisper, and the operational feedback is more direct.
At the same time, this generation of controllers features a detachable design similar to the Switch. Both the left and right controllers support independent charging via a USB-C port. The signature FPS mode is still here, and a desktop shortcut key and an Alt+Tab switching key have been added. Multitasking is now much more seamless.
Furthermore, there’s a new motion-sensing gameplay feature. By turning on the controller’s gyroscope, you can unlock a floating air mouse function, achieving a more immersive shooting experience.
Performance & Benchmarks
In terms of performance, there has been a quantum leap. It’s equipped with the newer AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor, and its overall performance is about 30% higher than the first generation. In the Time Spy benchmark test, with performance mode enabled while on battery power at a TDP of 35 watts, the CPU score was 6285 and the GPU score was 2844. After half an hour of stress testing, the device’s total power consumption remained stable at 37 watts for short periods. The highest temperature on the chassis was 42 degrees Celsius, with a noise level of 44 decibels.
The performance delivery, and heat dissipation are excellent, but the fan noise at full power is quite loud. For daily gaming, you can appropriately lower the power consumption to get a quieter gaming experience.
Gaming Experience
In actual gaming tests, the performance is equally outstanding. With the handheld set to balanced mode at a TDP of 28 watts, Cyberpunk 2077 at 1200p resolution and high preset graphics averaged 31.5 frames per second over half an hour. For Halo Infinite, at 1200p with high preset graphics, the average frame rate over half an hour was 45.6. For AAA games, the experience is largely smooth. If you’re playing less demanding indie games, you can absolutely maintain higher visual quality while achieving a smooth 60 FPS gameplay experience.
Memory & Storage
Regarding memory and storage, the second generation has been upgraded from 16GB to a maximum of 32GB. The frequency has been increased to LPDDR5X-8000. Running multiple games or heavy emulators is completely stress-free. Frame rate fluctuations in AAA games are significantly reduced.
For storage, the base model starts at 1TB, with an option to go up to 2TB. It also supports up to a 2TB microSD card for expansion. You can cram in 50 AAA games with no problem.
Display
As for the screen experience, the Lenovo Legion Go 2 is undoubtedly Tier 0 among all handhelds on the market right now. It has an 8.8-inch OLED screen with 97% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage. The full-screen brightness can reach 600 nits, and with HDR enabled, the local peak brightness exceeds 1000 nits. Details in the dark areas of games are perfectly clear.
It supports a 144Hz VRR high refresh rate, combined with a 0.1ms response time. FPS game visuals are silky smooth with no ghosting. Using it as a tablet to watch movies is also excellent.
Battery & Charging
The battery life has improved significantly. The battery capacity has increased from 49.2 watt-hours to 74 watt-hours. You can play high-demand AAA games for two hours. For low-demand games, if you limit the power consumption to between 5 and 10 watts, you can play for five to seven hours, which is double the battery life of the first generation.
The charging speed is also impressive. With the stock 65W charger, it charges to 50% in 30 minutes and takes 1 hour and 26 minutes for a full charge. It supports 100W PD fast charging. If you’re in a hurry, you can get a full charge in one hour and 15 minutes.
Conclusion
Finally, looking at the overall picture, whether you are a hardcore gamer or a user with multiple scenarios, this handheld is a winner. Attach the controllers to play AAA blockbusters, detach them to use it as a tablet for work, or connect it to a dock to turn it into a console for your TV. Its multi-form factor design meets the needs of various usage scenarios. Does this Lenovo Legion Go 2, starting at ≈ $1,099 USD, meet all your expectations for a Windows handheld?
