ZDNET’s key takeaways Lenovo’s Legion Go S is currently on sale for $730 at Best Buy
This handheld supports AAA gaming thanks to its AMD processor and the front-facing speakers that envelop you in high-definition sound
It is, however, bogged down by a low battery life and an expensive price tag. $729.99 at Best Buy
The Lenovo Legion Go S is the company’s second attempt at handheld gaming, following 2023’s Legion Go. It’s not a direct upgrade to the original but rather an alternate version focusing more on portability. Although it isn’t a true successor, this device does address some problems of the previous generation — but not all of them. While the Go S provides a better experience, the new console is still plagued by many of the same issues.
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Lenovo made substantial design changes to its handheld. It is smaller than before, sporting an eight-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200 pixels) touchscreen. The Legion Go, by comparison, has a nearly 9-inch Quad HD (2560 x 1600 pixels) display. Yes, the resolution is lower, but I still found the image quality on the Legion Go S quite good. The compact size also enables the console to weigh less, clocking in at 1.61 pounds.
New year, new look
Another big design change is that the controllers are no longer detachable. Although they’re affixed to the console, the unit doesn’t feel bulky. Lenovo’s new handheld is ergonomically sound. It has textured grips on the side to prevent slipping, hall-effect joysticks to maintain accuracy, and a large directional pad. On the back are a pair of switches that directly affect the travel distance for the triggers.
Cesar Cadenas/ZDNET
For example, a short-distance trigger can help with precise targeting in first-person shooters, while a long press is better for racing games. Audio output has also been improved. Instead of coming from tiny grills at the top, sound comes out of drivers on the front to completely envelop players.
You may notice a tiny square between the speaker and the joystick on the right. That’s actually a touchpad, which makes navigating the internet quite smooth. Controlling a cursor with a joystick feels awkward.
Also: Why I pick this ultraportable Lenovo tablet over the iPad Air for mobile entertainment
Around the display are four buttons. The two at the top provide access to certain features, such as a quick menu for tweaking system settings. The other two are for in-game functions like a pause menu.
Gaming performance: It’s good, but…
Under the hood is an AMD Ryzen Z2 Go chipset, an integrated AMD Radeon graphics card, and 32GB of RAM. I initially tested it by running 50 tabs and several open apps simultaneously. The hardware ran really well; however, that load activated the cooling fan, turning a normally quiet handheld into a noisy turbine.
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The Legion Go S can handle a wide array of games, including AAA titles. I enjoyed the
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