The easiest way to describe the Lenovo Legion Go 2<\/b> is this: it\u2019s a PC gaming handheld I\u2019ve used that repeatedly tries to convince you not to treat it like a handheld, thanks to what I felt are design decisions by Lenovo engineers that seem to quietly nudge you towards desks, tables and power sockets.<\/p>\n
That already puts it on a very different footing from the ROG Xbox Ally X<\/b>, which I reviewed previously (read it here). The Xbox Ally X always felt like a Windows PC that had been somewhat simplified to behave more like a console \u2013 better ergonomics, clearer intent, and a general sense that Microsoft and ASUS wanted you to forget there was a full desktop OS humming away underneath. Meanwhile, the Legion Go 2 doesn\u2019t try to hide its PC roots at all. In fact, it leans into them aggressively.<\/p>\n
Read on to find out why.<\/p>\n
A refined version of the original Legion Go<\/h2>\n
There\u2019s no sugar-coating the Legion Go 2\u2019s size. It\u2019s large, heavy, and immediately commanding in a way that no other mainstream PC handheld currently is. Or any gaming handheld, to be exact. Coming from the Xbox Ally X, which already pushes the upper limits of what I\u2019d casually carry around, Lenovo\u2019s Legion Go 2 feels like a conscious rejection of restraint.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t a device you absentmindedly toss into a bag like, say, the Nintendo Switch<\/b>. It\u2019s something you would have to pack deliberately. On the couch, it\u2019s comfortable enough once you settle in, but you\u2019re always aware of its weight and heft. On the move, the size becomes more noticeable. I found myself far less inclined to pull it out and game when flying in the tighter spaces of economy class or budget airlines compared to the Xbox Ally X, which still feels more portable in such scenarios.<\/p>\n The Legion Go 2 retains some of its predecessor\u2019s design elements.<\/p>\n Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n We like the touchpad on the right controller.<\/p>\n Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n That weight, however, also brings stability. The Legion Go 2 feels planted in the hands, and extended sessions are less fatiguing than I expected, provided you\u2019re seated and have your arms supported on a table (or a tray at the front of your coach seat). The detachable controllers from the original Legion Go make a return here. They\u2019re not quite as slick to remove as Nintendo\u2019s magnetic Joy-Con, but once detached, the Legion Go 2 immediately changes into a different mode of use. Prop it up with the built-in kickstand, and it stops feeling like a handheld console and starts feeling more like a compact gaming terminal.<\/p>\n This is something the Xbox Ally X simply doesn\u2019t attempt. ASUS and Microsoft focused on making that device feel cohesive and console-like, from ergonomics to software flow. It\u2019s built to be portable. Lenovo, by contrast, seems to want to give gamers optionality. Handheld mode, tabletop mode, pseudo-desktop mode \u2013 none of these feel accidental.<\/p>\n The built-in kickstand from the Legion Go makes a return.<\/p>\n Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n There\u2019s no running away: The Legion Go 2 is huge compared to the ROG Xbox Ally X.<\/p>\n Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Input quality is solid across the board. The Hall Effect joysticks are responsive and light, and after weeks of use, I had no complaints about precision or drift. Face buttons and triggers felt good too, and the rear paddles are positioned well enough to be genuinely useful in shooters and action games.<\/p>\n What continues to set the Legion Go 2 apart from ROG\u2019s handhelds is the touchpad built into the right controller. Windows 11 on a handheld is still Windows 11, and anyone who\u2019s used the Xbox Ally X will remember how often you end up nudging menus with a thumbstick or poking the screen just to get something done \u2013 and it isn\u2019t very intuitive on a small 7-inch screen. The Legion Go 2\u2019s touchpad doesn\u2019t magically fix that, but it makes everyday friction far easier to live with. Installing launchers, dismissing pop-ups, tweaking settings \u2013 all of it feels less like a chore as compared to the ROG Xbox Ally X.<\/p>\n Ports are plentiful too, with dual USB-C connectors, a microSD slot, and a headphone jack. That said, the Legion Go 2\u2019s layout isn\u2019t perfect \u2013 especially when charging and gaming at the same time \u2013 but functionally-wise, there\u2019s plenty of flexibility with it. <\/p>\n If there\u2019s one reason to go with the Legion Go 2, it is its gorgeous 8.8-inch OLED<\/b>. Compared to the Xbox Ally X\u2019s smaller 7-inch IPS<\/b> screen (which is impressive, by the way), the difference is immediately obvious \u2013 everything feels less cramped. Texts are easier to read, and crucially, games with crowded HUDs simply make more sense on a larger display. And because it\u2019s an OLED, contrast is strong and colours are rich and vibrant and it\u2019s noticeably superior to the Xbox Ally X\u2019s.<\/p>\n Performance-wise, the Legion Go 2 shares the same AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor (for our review unit) as the Xbox Ally X. So gaming performances are almost neck-to-neck for both handhelds. The former does come with a higher memory count of 32GB though, and might perform just slightly better at some productivity and content creation tasks, although in this case you might want to attach it with an external monitor. Gaming-wise, that memory count advantage doesn\u2019t give it any noticeable edge.<\/p>\n Image: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Image: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Image: HWZ <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n In games like Cyberpunk 2077, the Legion Go 2 can deliver a good experience, especially when plugged in and allowed to draw more power. But compared to the Xbox Ally X, which benefits from tighter system-level optimisation thanks to Microsoft\u2019s involvement, Lenovo\u2019s handheld feels slightly less forgiving for gamers who aren\u2019t familiar with tweaking games\u2019 settings. The same pattern emerged in Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Both devices can run it, both require tuning, but the Xbox Ally X felt marginally easier to dial in for stable play. <\/p>\n Image: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Battery-life is where things start to get interesting. The Legion Go 2 comes with a 74Wh <\/b>battery, while the Xbox Ally X\u2019s features a larger 80Wh. Yet, despite it having a more power-demanding OLED panel as well as a higher memory count, the Legion Go 2 manages to hold up pretty well in our Modern Office (the test simulates internet and Office workloads). Gaming is where it stumbles against its competitor, losing out by 40 minutes<\/b> \u2013 that\u2019s quite a significant game time. But that said, with a more powerful screen and a smaller battery, I\u2019d expected the Legion Go 2 to perform much worse here. Lenovo did some pretty good optimisations with their handheld.<\/p>\n The Legion Go 2 may not have the same tight OS integration that Microsoft did with ROG for the Xbox Ally X, but after learning lessons from the original Legion Go, the Legion Space is now a more functional hub. This makes it easier to manage games and performance without constantly diving into Windows menus. It doesn\u2019t have the same console-first feel as the Xbox Ally X\u2019s Xbox-centric approach, but it works pretty well in its current form.<\/p>\n More portable PC, less gaming handheld.<\/p>\n Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Spending time with the Legion Go 2 after having lived with the ROG Xbox Ally X makes the contrast between them very clear. The Xbox Ally X is a more disciplined handheld. It knows what it wants to be, and it largely succeeds at delivering a console-like Windows gaming experience with fewer compromises and less friction.<\/p>\n The Legion Go 2 is something else entirely. It\u2019s bigger, heavier, and with a starting price of $1,399<\/b> for the model with the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor, more expensive too. But it offers a level of flexibility that the ROG Xbox Ally X cannot match. You won\u2019t use all of its features every day. Some of them you may only try once, like how the right controller can be undocked to become a hybrid mouse and joystick in FPS mode. But when everything comes together, the handheld delivers an experience that feels closer to a portable PC than a traditional handheld console.<\/p>\n If you want something you\u2019ll casually bring along and play anywhere, the Xbox Ally X still makes a stronger case. If you want a device that can shift roles depending on where you are and what you\u2019re doing \u2013 handheld one moment, tabletop console the next, mini PC after that \u2013 the Legion Go 2 offers that versatility.<\/p>\n The Legion Go 2 is available at Lenovo\u2019s e-store, with price starting at $1,399. <\/i>Click here to buy<\/i>.<\/i><\/p>\nGaming performance<\/h2>\n
Final thoughts<\/h2>\n
Read more:<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n