The mobile console offerings in the market are getting more and more interesting with the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 and the recently announced ROG Xbox Ally. Lenovo also introduced the Legion Go S earlier this year and I had the opportunity to try this console for 2 weeks and this is the full review for the Lenovo Legion Go S.
Specifications and Design
Lenovo Legion Go S
8″ Full HD (1920×1200) IPS Screen, 120Hz, Touch
CPU AMD Ryzen Z2 Go
GPU AMD Radeon RDNA 2
RAM 16GB LPDDR5X-7500MHz
Internal Load 512GB PCIe Gen4
Main Camera None
I/O 2x USB4
1x 3.5MM Audio
1x microSD card reader
Battery 55.5WHr (3 Cell)
Charging 65W
SIM/Telephony None
WiFi WiFi 6E
Audio Jack Yes
Waterproof None
Scanning System None
Selling Price RM3299 (Windows 11)
The Legion Go S uses an 8-inch LCD screen with FHD resolution. At first, I was a bit awkward with the screen on the Legion Go S because it uses a 16:10 ratio, but after two weeks of use I got used to this screen. In addition, it also comes with a 120Hz refresh rate to ensure maximum smoothness during gaming sessions. Even though it does not use an OLED panel, the screen on the Legion Go S is quite surprising because the color reproduction is very good and coupled with a screen brightness of 500 nits.
To be honest, the design on the Legion Go S looks neat but it reminds me of the ROG Ally again with the use of this white color, only the design on the Legion Go S is less boxy than the ROG Ally. I really appreciate the curves on the left and right sides of the Legion Go S because they are very ergonomic and comfortable to hold during long gaming sessions.
Connection ports such as USB-C and the 3.5mm audio jack are placed on the top of this console and only the slot for the microSD card is located at the bottom of this console. All the buttons on the Legion Go S are nice to press and responsive. This analog stick comes with a hall effect feature to reduce the risk of stick drift.
The left and right trigger buttons can be locked for fast response in FPS fighting games and so on. On the back, there are two additional buttons that can be set according to the user. In terms of aesthetics, only this analog stick lights up with RGB lights. On this Legion Go S there is also a touchpad but for me the size is a bit less practical to use, the good thing is that this trackpad is very responsive to use.
For now, this Legion Go S is only available in the Windows version for the Malaysian market. For the processor chip, it uses a chip from AMD, namely the Ryzen Z2 Go with 16GB LPDDR5X at 7500MHz and can be added up to 32GB. The storage provided is 512GB which can also be added up to 1TB.
Usage Experience
If you want to talk about the performance on this Legion Go S, in my opinion it can provide very good and smooth performance throughout my use and at the beginning of my use of this console I only used the game settings provided but strangely the settings provided were all quite high for this console.
To be honest, I only play a lot of racing games on the Legion Go S like Need For Speed Heat and CarX Drift PC. For Need For Speed Heat, the game can be run on high settings and the frame rate is also very stable, but if there is a chase session with a lot of police cars, the frame rate starts to drop quite significantly. So I only play this game on medium settings for a better experience. For CarX Drift PC, it is no problem to run this game on the highest settings.
I also tried fighting games like Sifu and when I first launched this game, it continued to give the highest settings but it was very unsmooth with a low frame rate. After changing to medium-high settings, the game continued to be smooth but there was still lag after entering a new map and after saving the game. In addition, I also tried Resident Evil 2 and the game was very smooth plus the frame rate was very stable.
The thing that impressed me about the Legion Go S was its temperature control. Throughout my playing, the temperature was not too hot and even though the fan on the back was spinning quite strongly, it was still not too noisy, probably because of its small size.
The Legion Go S has its own software, Legion Space, which allows users to change performance, RGB lighting effects on the analog stick, buy and launch games directly from this software. The interface in this software is neat, organized and not a headache to use. To be honest, I myself do not use this software much and only use quick settings that can be accessed more quickly.
The Legion Go S uses the Windows 11 operating system and there may be some people who do not like Windows 11 on this mobile console, but throughout my use there were no major problems, except that at the beginning of use it was a bit awkward to adjust to using this operating system on a small screen and also a digital keyboard.
Audio
The audio quality produced by the Legion Go S is also quite good because it uses stereo speakers that face forward so the audio produced is good enough for gaming sessions even though there is no support like Dolby Atmos. If you want more accurate audio sound, I recommend just using earphones, either wired or wireless, for a better experience.
Battery
The battery on the Legion Go S is 55.5WHr using 3-cell. On paper, the battery capacity is larger than the Legion Go, ROG Ally and MSI Claw but in reality it still provides performance more or less with its competitors. The longest I was able to use it was around 2 hours, this also depends on the type of game and the settings in the game. In terms of charging, it uses 65W charging.
What's in the Box?
Lenovo Legion Go S
65W Charger
User Manual
Conclusion
I have been using the Legion Go S to make it a portable console for two weeks and as a first-time user of a portable console, the Legion Go S provided a very good experience. I did not have any major problems or issues during the trial period. Finally, if you are looking for a portable console that uses Windows, the Lenovo Legion Go S may be worth considering.
Pros
Adequate performance
Ergonomic and comfortable design
Beautiful and bright display
Good audio quality
Cons
A bit heavy
Small and impractical touchpad
Battery life is still the same as competitors