The handheld gaming market is buzzing with excitement as Lenovo is gearing up to introduce a new contender: the budget-friendly Legion Go S. According to fresh insights from WinFuture, the Legion Go S is poised to be the inaugural handheld device powered by AMD’s fresh Z2G APUs, anticipated to arrive in 2025. This nifty gadget will sport a 120 Hz 1080p display, 16GB of RAM, and a nimble 512GB SSD.
The heart of this device, the Ryzen Z2G—abbreviated as Z2 Go—is purportedly built on AMD’s Rembrandt architecture. It packs a punch with eight Zen 3+ CPU cores and an integrated RDNA 2 GPU, which includes 12 Compute Units. Although the Z2G might not boast all the latest features of the Ryzen AI 300 (Strix Point) APUs or even Phoenix, its production cost is lower, translating to more wallet-friendly pricing. On the techy side, this APU aligns itself with AMD’s Ryzen 7 6800U, boasting 16MB of L3 cache, a staple for AMD’s octa-core processors, and 4MB of L2 cache. The clock speed could see a slight increase from 4.7 GHz, but don’t expect performance to skyrocket.
In terms of other specs, you’re looking at 16GB of soldered LPDDR5 memory and a 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD in the compact M.2 2242 form. Connectivity is covered with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 capabilities. The 8-inch 1080p IPS display with a 120 Hz refresh rate may not offer the deep blacks and vibrant colors of an OLED, but to provide context, starting at $549, the Steam Deck OLED also comes with a slower processor, so there’s a trade-off in every sense.
The device comes with a 55.5Wh battery, slightly larger than its predecessor, but the battery life might not be stellar due to the older architecture. However, thanks to the Vantage app, you can opt to set a custom charging limit, allowing your device to run entirely on AC power if you’re keen on extending battery longevity.
Unfortunately, the report indicates that the Legion Go S will feature built-in controllers, so swapping them out with third-party options is out of the question. It’s still uncertain whether the joysticks and triggers utilize Hall Effect technology, which might be a sticking point for hardcore gamers. Prices from a few European retailers suggest an initial tag of $650, but when you factor out the VAT, it rounds down to about $500. That’s just a smidge less than the more powerful Legion Go with its superior display.
Expect the Lenovo Legion Go S to make its grand appearance next month at CES, alongside AMD’s unveiling of its lineup of Z2 APUs. As always, the retail price might shift by the time it officially hits the shelves, potentially trending lower.
