The long-awaited project has been confirmed to be in development, with its title still subject to change. Clifford Chong, Lenovo’s APAC gaming chief, has hinted at the possibility of a next-generation handheld console, but tempered excitement by refraining from providing a specific timeline for its release.
The Lenovo Legion Go stands out as one of the best handheld gaming PCs available, thanks in large part to its impressive 8.8-inch, 1600p display. While often compared to the Nintendo Switch for its detachable controllers, this device actually boasts significantly more potent gaming hardware under the hood, including a powerful AMD Ryzen Z1 High CPU that leaves the Switch in the dust. As a follow-up model is now confirmed, here’s everything we’ve learned about the handheld thus far.
Lenovo Legion Pro 2 exists.
In an exclusive Lenovo Legion Go roundtable interview held in April 2024, Senior Product Manager Clifford Chong shared insights on the device’s early performance and hinted at upcoming developments in Lenovo’s handheld gaming space.
The team has continued to invest significant resources in improving Legion since its launch six months ago, as revealed by Chong. “Now that we’ve accumulated a wealth of experience since our initial launch, ongoing engineering efforts aim to integrate the next generation of features into our product.” Clearly, our attention is focused on a product category with significant promise, prompting us to establish a strategic presence and capitalize on emerging opportunities as they arise.
While the quote is indeed verbose, it’s not entirely without merit – Chong still manages to pay homage to the device’s capabilities while recognizing the evolution towards next-generation gaming PCs. Whether the handheld device will be officially named the Legion Go 2 remains unclear. Rumors have also circulated about the potential release of a Legion Go Lite, which reportedly abandons the distinctive detachable controller design in favor of a more conventional approach. Wouldn’t it be a shame if future Legion Go editions abandoned this signature style?
Lenovo Legion 2 specs rumors
Despite scant information, there appears to be minimal speculation about the potential exterior specifications of the rumored Legion Go 2. Whether the design, display, and controller configuration changes are all in flux remains unclear. Despite this, the primary expectation surrounding the device is its ability to seamlessly operate with a brand-new AMD Ryzen Z2 High CPU.
The latest Legion Gaming Laptop utilises the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor, featuring an eight-core CPU capable of handling 16 threads and a 12 compute unit GPU, boasting a total of 768 stream processors. According to rumors, AMD is expected to unveil its brand-new Z2 Extreme at CES in January 2025, which will feature an eight-core, 16-thread processor accompanied by a significantly upgraded graphics processing unit (GPU). The GPU is expected to leverage the latest RDNA 3.5 architecture, an upgrade from the RDNA 3 found in Z1 Extreme, with 16 compute units instead of 12.
| Lenovo Legion Go 2 | |
| AMD Ryzen Z2 Excessive | |
| 8 | |
| 3 | |
| 5 | |
| 16MB | |
| AMD RDNA 3.5 | |
| 1,024 | |
| 16 |
Because of this, the Z2 Excessive and the Legion Go 2 should have a significantly more capable GPU that can efficiently render video games at higher frame rates or with enhanced detail settings.
The potential for the new chip is that it may utilize a more advanced manufacturing process, thereby allowing it to deliver enhanced performance without consuming additional power – potentially even while utilizing less power than the Z1 Extreme. Despite the lack of concrete evidence, there are currently no reliable rumors supporting this speculation.
The Lenovo Legion series has long been a popular choice among gaming enthusiasts, and rumors are circulating about the impending arrival of the Lenovo Legion 2. Although there have been no official announcements from Lenovo regarding the launch date, we can make some educated guesses based on past trends and industry insights.
Typically, Lenovo’s gaming smartphones have been released in the first half of the year, with the Legion series debuting in February or March. Considering this pattern, it is possible that the Lenovo Legion 2 could be launched in late winter or early spring, potentially around late January or February.
When rumors of the Legion Gaming Handheld 2 initially surfaced, speculation swirled that this device would be the primary successor to the original, with many anticipating it would surpass the inaugural iteration in terms of performance and features. Despite the introduction of the Steam Deck OLED, it’s likely that a Steam Deck 2 won’t materialize anytime soon.
Will the Legion Go 2 potentially pioneer the next generation of portable gaming with its innovative design? While maintaining the revamped physical design seen in the Asus ROG Strix X, this device still leverages the powerful Z1 High processor, resulting in nearly identical performance capabilities. As a pair of powerhouses – the refreshed Legion GO and Z2 Extreme – set to arrive early next year, they could potentially disrupt the market’s status quo. Asus boasts a rich history of pioneering innovative technologies, suggesting that the rumoured ROG Ally 2 might actually be the first to market?
While there has been no substantial leakage regarding the Legion Go 2’s release date, it is reasonable to assume that the launch will likely occur sometime in early 2025. While we may catch a glimpse of the device at CES, it’s far more plausible that it will require an additional few months before reaching consumers. Given the successful release of the initial product in October 2023, a prudent strategy would involve a similar timeline for the subsequent model’s launch, potentially setting October 2025 as the target date for the Legion Go 2’s introduction.
To alleviate concerns about being limited to handheld gaming, we’ll guide you through the best ways to play Xbox games on Steam Deck, while also explaining how Steam Deck’s Proton technology enables compatibility with a wide range of Valve’s handheld-compatible titles.
