Lenovo Legion Go S Windows 11 review: “my heart aches for this mixed up handheld”

As I sit looking at my morbid Lenovo Legion Go S review notes, I’m practically grieving for what the gaming handheld could have been. The laptop maker firmly had my attention when it first announced that it was cooking up a $499 SteamOS version that’d take on the mighty Steam Deck with a Ryzen Z2 Go chip. Yes, all that has still technically to come, but I feel like launching the Windows 11 model first has already hampered its cheap contender’s success.

By freeing the Lenovo Legion Go S from the gimmicky removable controllers and needlessly large screen, the company has created the device I wanted back in 2023. Had I ended up testing the SteamOS version first, I’d likely be about to dive into one of the next best gaming handheld options. Instead, I’m looking at a device that has unbalanced specs, plenty of Windows 11 caveats, and a dreadful $729 price tag. That inflated MSRP is actually tied to a weird specific US decision to only sell the 32GB / 1TB version, as those of you in the UK can pick up the 16GB / 512GB model for £549. Hmm.

Even the base model is more than what I’d want to pay now that I’ve tested the Lenovo Legion Go S. In a nutshell, its new AMD Ryzen Z2 GO chip shares more similarities with the custom chip in the Steam Deck OLED than the Ryzen Z1 Extreme within the OG Legion Go and Asus ROG Ally. I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with that, but if I’m being real, you can’t slap a premium price tag on a handheld wrestling within the sub $400 ring.

Design

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Let me make one thing clear – the Lenovo Legion Go S gets almost full marks for design. It almost feels like someone listened to me moan about the original’s laptop vibes, as this model packs an 8-inch IPS display into a much sleeker package. Gone are the removable TrueStrike controllers, aggressive angles, and smooth plastics of the OG portable. Instead, we have plenty of ergonomic curves, pleasing grippy texturized sides, and far nicer buttons than last time around.

It’d be weird if the ‘S’ Legion Go didn’t weigh less, but I’m pleased to report it’s 740g (1.63lbs). That’s a noticeable difference compared to the 854g (1.88lbs) weighing down the original, even if it’s still a chonker compared to the 580g Asus ROG Ally. Shifting the heat naturally helps the handheld feel nicer to hold, especially when paired with a slimmer back and more pronounced grips.

The main thing that gave me the ick with the original Legion Go was how hollow the back felt. It’s a design choice that’s often the result of cooling techniques, and while the S model also has big vent grills at the back, there’s far less space between the innards and shell. Perhaps I’m being picky, but I like handhelds to feel pretty compacted, and this new version feels just as solid as the ROG Ally in that regard.

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I’d argue that the biggest improvement to be found with the Legion Go S is on the gamepad side of things. Lenovo has gone back to the drawing board with all of its buttons, resulting in more tactile thumbsticks, a drastically improved circular d-pad, a thoughtfully placed set of back toggles, and decent shoulder buttons. The only element that’s still not quite to my liking is the shallower-than-average face buttons, but even those are pretty serviceable and not what I’d call a deal breaker.

You’ll perhaps have noticed that I said the Legion Go S almost gets the design right. That’s largely because I’m a little miffed at the tiny touchpad that’s included for mouse inputs. The sensation of using this thing is a bit like the little keyboard nipple included with classic IBM Thinkpads, and that’s sort of amusing since Lenovo now owns that brand. Simply put, the pad is so small that moving the handheld’s cursor around Windows 11 is more frustrating than convenient, and I’d rather just use the joysticks to click around the OS when needed.

On the aesthetic front, the Legion Go S is rocking a new white shell with contrasting black buttons. The accents prevent it from looking too clinical, but you can bet this handheld will end up pretty grubby and prone to marks. That’s less a criticism of Lenovo’s newfound tastes and more a fact of owning lighter colored devices, and it could be another reason to wait for the “Nebula Violet” SteamOS version.

Features

Gaming handhelds and flamboyant features go hand in hand, and while the Legion Go S cuts back on gimmicks, it comes with a few new tricks. Some of its evolved elements feel a little lacklustre, like that comically small touchpad, but the new all-in-one design has allowed for an adjustable trigger system that adds a nice hint of versatility.

Lenovo isn’t first out the door with adjustable handheld triggers, that accolade goes to the Zotac Zone,but it’s a feature that will help make the system more comfortable for a bunch of players, including myself. Sometimes, clicky hair trigger presses are a much better fit and can save larger handhelds from feeling unbalanced in the hands, whereas I’ve got friends who can’t stand not having full action when playing shooters. I’d personally rather click shots in Cyberpunk 2077 and save full presses for racing games or scenarios that need sustained input, but everyone will have different tastes when it comes to portable play.

On the connectivity front, the Legion Go S is armed with two USB-C ports, which is slowly becoming a standard at this point. The idea here is that you’ll be able to charge up that chonky 55.5Whr battery while hooking up a gaming monitor using DisplayPort 1.4 output. I’m in two minds over whether this is actually useful, as you’re still going to want one of the best Steam Deck docks if you’re aiming for full integration with your desktop accessories, but it will mean you don’t need any add-ons out of the box for quickly hooking up to a gaming TV.

I can take an extra USB-C port, but I’ll absolutely leave features like a dual array built-in mic. Maybe I’m a grump who just has no friends to talk to, or maybe I’m just struggling to see why you’d use something like that over a gaming headset on a handheld. Either way, squeezing audio capture into a device like this feels like it’d impact the end cost, and I’d skip on it even if it only cut Lenovo’s MSRP down by a few dollars. Simply put, don’t stick needless extras in your handheld if it’s already sitting at a risky price point.

Technically, Windows 11 is also a “feature”, even if it’s one I think sours the experience. Perhaps that’s a bit harsh since we’re talking about an OS that’ll allow you to run practically any game your PC can, but it’s still nowhere near being handheld friendly, even with Lenovo’s LegionSpace app attempting to bridge gaps.

It doesn’t help that the version of Microsoft’s operating system installed feels immensely bloated and has some irritating tweaks enabled, like a taskbar that’ll auto-hide no matter what you tell it. Plus, vital elements like sleep mode are janky at best and unusable at worst, with the Legion Go S outright refusing to properly nap when plugged in. These flaws aren’t even just an inherent part of the Windows 11 handheld experience, as rivals like the Ayaneo Flip DS and other similar devices come with far less frustration before launching into games.

That’s not to say Lenovo isn’t trying to enhance its Windows 11 experience, and LegionSpace has come a long way since 2023. It still doesn’t do enough to stop me immediately launching into Steam Big Picture mode, and the side quick settings menu is unsettlingly temperamental and laggy. I’m also not a fan of Lenovo thrusting its digital game store in your face rather than providing a clearer hub. But, it’s pleasant enough to navigate when the itch to change RGB thumbstick colors or play with in-depth power settings arises.

Performance

Price and performance go hand in hand, and oh boy, the Legion Go S doesn’t punch like a $729 handheld. Frankly, launching into a new generation with the Ryzen Z2 Go was pretty foolish of Lenovo, as I knew it wouldn’t come close to matching the Z1 Extreme based on its specs. Now that I’ve taken the handheld for a proper spin, I can confidently say that it should be trading blows with the Steam Deck in the sub-$500 ring, as its benchmarks get bludgeoned to a pulp in the premium pit.

I kicked things off by running a few test games at 800p on the Legion Go S to see how it directly compares to the Steam Deck. The handheld managed at 45fps average while running Cyberpunk 2077 with low settings enabled, which isn’t atrocious at a glance. My issue is that it’s not a huge uplift compared to Valve’s handheld, as the Deck reaches 43fps in the same test scenario. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t smell like a $729 boost.

Hitman 3 still stresses out entry-level PCs to this day, so I always install it on new handhelds. The Legion Go S managed to nudge playable results by sticking to around 41fps at 800p. The Deck isn’t far behind with a 36fps average and, while it’s still a win for Lenovo, it’s not what I’d call a graceful victory.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider manages to fare well on the Legion Go S with a 70fps average – a nice lead compared to 53fps on the Deck. A nicer result, but one that’s worth paying over $300 more for? I don’t even have to say it. Keep in mind that these benchmarks are designed to squeeze the highest frame rates possible out of the handheld, and unplugging the system and using it at lower wattage naturally produces far lower results.

Stepping away from the Steam Deck fight and focusing on the Lenovo Legion Go S vs the original is even more harrowing. If my figures reaffirm anything, it’s that the new handheld is very much a light version of the OG, despite technically using a next-gen Ryzen APU. You’re looking at 25fps in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1200p versus 38fps on the 2023 model, and Hitman 3 widens the gap further with respective 34fps and 51fps results.

Not to pile on Lenovo’s device, but there is another huge issue with this handheld – it wields next-gen hardware without solving our current battery dilemma. I could look past Steam Deck-level frame rates if I could grab the Legion Go S for $400, but the closer I get to the $1,000 mark, the more I’m going to expect an fps boost with runtime to match. Not only are you not getting the same frame rates as the original Legion Go, but you’re only going to be cutting the cord for the same length of time as Valve’s portable.

In proper gameplay sessions, and with brightness sitting half way, the Legion Go S lasted around 1.5 hours. That was my average when exclusively adventuring around in new releases like Dragon Age: The Veilguard and Avowed, but I managed to keep the portable running for around 3 hours when wrestling with Windows 11. You’ll realistically be looking at that latter figure if you set “Thermal Mode” to Balanced and mix up playing games with general use activities, which is similar to my experience with the Steam Deck OLED.

At this point, I feel like I’m bullying the Legion Go S, so I’ll touch on another con followed up with some praise. The first is that Lenovo’s handheld likes to get noisy, and its fans are noticeably louder than the Steam Deck OLED or the ROG Ally. It’s not as intrusive if you keep your wattage down low, but that’s not going to do the Ryzen Z2 GO APU any favors.

On the other hand, that promised praise relates to the 1200p 120Hz IPS display and its accompanying speakers. The screen’s nice contrast levels, decent brightness, and respectable colors cheered me up during testing, while the surprisingly punchy front-firing speakers helped mask fan noise without remotely sounding tinny.

I found myself pretty absorbed in the Souls-like indie caper FlyKnight while testing the Lenovo Legion Go S, and it's a good example of a scenario where performance, refresh rate, and resolution all feel like a good fit, even if running a game that takes visual queues from old Runescape isn't exactly a feat.

If the device was even just a bit more powerful than the OG Legion Go, I could see myself using it over an OLED handheld even if it meant compromising on vibrancy. I do rank Lenovo's choice of display among the best within the portable PC scene right now, and while not convinced we need to be pairing lower spec Ryzen chips with anything over 1080p, playing lighter romps at 1200p does produce crisp visuals.

Should you buy the Lenovo Legion Go S?

No, you shouldn’t buy the Lenovo Legion Go S right now. Trust me when I say it pains me to say that, as I fully believe that the cheaper SteamOS version will make for a great Steam Deck when it eventually arrives. I actually think the Windows 11 model could have ranked among the top premium handhelds if it wasn’t rocking that underwhelming Ryzen Z2 GO chip. But alas, this specific device isn’t worth $729, and there are countless options you could pick up for a chunk less that pack a more appropriate frame rate punch.

Ultimately, the Lenovo Legion Go S is a contradiction. Its name suggests it’s a light version of the first model, but its price and additional specs point towards it being a successor. My heart aches for this mixed up handheld and, since I truly believe the company is onto a winner with this formfactor, I hope its blueprint helps the eventual SteamOS model thrive soon.

How I tested the Lenovo Legion Go S

I used the Lenovo Legion Go S as my everyday handheld to assess its performance, battery life, visuals, and audio in general use for two weeks. In addition, I also used Cyberpunk 2077, Hitman 3, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider as benchmark games to compare performance to the Steam Deck OLED and Windows 11 alternatives like the Asus ROG Ally and original Legion Go.

For more information on how we test handhelds and other portable gaming devices, swing by our full 12DOVE hardware policy.

Looking for add-ons for Valve's handheld? Take a peek at the best Steam Deck accessories. Alternatively, check out the best retro consoles for a portable system that'll run the classics.