Legion Go

The Lenovo Legion Go is a handheld PC manufactured and released by Lenovo. It was released on 2023 November 1. Like the ONEXPLAYER 2 and Nintendo Switch, it features detachable controllers. Like the Nintendo Switch, these controllers can work independently via a wireless connection. This enables diverse functionality not seen in other handheld PCs to date, such as a industry-first vertical mouse input mode, convertible from the right controller, branded as DualStrike controllers.

Introduction

Lenovo LEGION is Lenovo's brand of gaming-centric hardware, which includes laptops and tablets. Legion Go is Lenovo's first foray in the handheld PC industry, and the third major handheld PC release in America following the Steam Deck and ROG Ally. All SKUs come equipped with the Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU and 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, with a variable amount of this being dedicated for the onboard graphics. The PC is packed with a carrying case, 65W AC adapter, and magnetic stand for the right DualStrike controller for use in "FPS Mode", a configuration that converts the controller into a vertical optical mouse. The base is not necessary for FPS Mode to function.

As of November 6, the unboxing experience involves fighting the tablet to display in reverse landscape mode during the Windows Out of Box Experience (OoBE), as the Legion Go's display is manufactured as a portrait oriented display with a resolution of 1600x2560.

Comparison to ONEXPLAYER 2

Audio:

The factory experience of the speaker setup on the OXP2 features much richer audio with more defined mids and lows with properly mitigated highs. In general, the OXP2 is an overall superior experience, but the Legion Go can be improved with software such as FXSound to remove some tinniness and introduce a noticeably richer soundscape. Even with these optimisations, the audio of the Legion Go suffers most notably in volume output. An audio comparison video can be found here.

Display:

This is arguably the largest to second largest upgrade in favor of the Legion Go compared to the OneXPlayer 2. Without specific calibration testing results, the IPS LCD of the Legion Go exceeds standard sRGB gamut rating and seems to be slightly oversaturated, similar to many Samsung OLED panels in their most vibrant color setting. It is comparable to a Switch OLED display in terms of contrast, even though it can't reach the same black levels. It also refreshes at 144hz compared to OXP2's 60hz. Despite being the same resolution, the significantly improved black levels and contrast on the Legion Go lends to an unmatched visual experience for content consumption and gaming alike, where content on the Legion seems much sharper than OXP2's, like a Retina display. Despite my inexperience of owning only three handheld PCs (as well as a DeckHD), it will take a lot of convincing for me to dethrone this as the best available handheld PC display on the market. The only upgrade I can see as feasible would be OLED.

At an angle, the display does lose a noticeable amount of black contrast and shifts to a blue-green hue, like the OXP2.

Compared to OXP2, the Legion also features slimmer screen bezels on the sides of the device which are about half the width of the OXP2 side bezels. The top and bottom screen bezels are about the same.

ONEXFLY on a slot-in ONEXDOCKING station.

Design

The OXP2 utilises pogo-pin connections for its non-standard accessories, such as its magnetic keyboard and detachable controllers. The bottom USB 3.2 port is located adjacent to the bottom pogo-pin connection, which is still balanced enough to be used for docks with bottom-firing connectors.

Unfortunately, on the Legion Go, both USB4 connectors are located on the far left side of the device, making it more difficult to find a dock which is a slot-in solution similar to the Nintendo Switch and ONEXDOCKING. This issue necessitates the use of USB4 extension cables or top-firing docking stations similar to the official Steam Deck dock, which are generally less elegant than simply sliding the system down into place. In addition, the Legion Go lacks a USB-A port entirely, whereas the OXP2 features a singular USB 3.1 port.

Aside from the USB situation, Legion lacks a few console buttons, but makes up for them in the form of dedicated volume buttons, which were missing from OXP2. The microSD reader is in more-or-less the same spot.

The Legion is slimmer on average compared to the OXP2, the latter of which is a larger rectangular slab which lacks the slimness and curvature of Legion Go. While I haven't been able to weigh these devices, the weight distribution and ergonomics of the Legion Go lends itself to feel lighter in weight, when compared to the blockier and thicker ONEXPLAYER 2.

Performance

ONEXPLAYER 2 features a APU which is effectively one and a half generations younger than the Legion Go, which is the AMD Ryzen 6800U. As of yet, I have not run comparisons between the ONEXPLAYER 2 and Legion Go.