Lenovo Releases Details About Legion Go 2 Handhelds, Ryzen Z2 Pricing Still Looks Crazy

After the Legion Go 2 leak we discussed back in July, Lenovo has finally lifted the lid on what it'll be bringing to the table with their new models. The competition is certainly heating up in this space, but we're still largely none the wiser as to how much a lot of these products will cost once they arrive on the market.

I love my Lenovo Legion Go. For me, over the nearly two years I've owned it, it's very much revitalised the way I play games and has actually allowed to be finish a lot more of my backlog than I have over the previous ten years.

So of course I've been watching and waiting as manufacturers have announced their next handhelds to see what Lenovo would do. After the factory leaks in July, things were looking pretty promising, and Lenovo haven't disappointed in what they've announced.

The Lenovo Legion Go 2 is offering four different SKUs with a few different processor, RAM and storage options. All come with the same amazing looking OLED screen and a larger battery, which look like winners in the space. But as we've seen with this new generation of handhelds, pricing is looking like a pretty divisive factor.

Lenovo Legion Go 2 Specs & Pricing

I couldn't find any definitive statement on the speed of the RAM, but it looks like it's probably LPDDR5X-8000 across all the models. Don't quote me on that one though.

The big talking point here is the screen, which looks like a massive improvement on the original - featuring a high framerate, VRR and OLED, but at a lower resolution. The resolution on the original Legion Go was overkill, so no complaints there. Lenovo have apparently also managed to find a screen that runs horizontal natively (the original was actually a vertical/portrait tablet screen).

The battery is also an improvement on Lenovo's models to date, and should offer a significant increase in battery life (though there's of course a tradeoff with the OLED screen here).

But as with the rumoured Asus Xbox ROG Ally pricing that leaked back in July, it's a pretty tall order here, with the base model here looking like over $200 USD dearer than the most expensive model Lenovo have released to date, with the top SKU coming in at an eye-watering near $600 more. So being able to afford this one might be a pretty tall order.

What's the Competition Looking Like?

Asus/Microsoft's ROG Xbox Ally X collaboration also lands next month on 16th October. As of writing, it doesn't appear there's been any pricing announced at this time, however leaked pricing from July places these models at a significantly cheaper pricepoint that what Lenovo's announced. The flagship model is rumoured to come in at around $1,040.00, below the base level Legion Go 2. It features the same Ryzen Z2 Extreme as Lenovo's premium models, but with less, slower LPDDR5X RAM, a significantly smaller 7" 1080p IPS screen, and a large 80Wh battery. If it's something that matters to you, the Ally also doesn't have detachable controllers.

The MSI Claw A8 also looks to be landing in October and seems to cut the difference between the Asus and Lenovo models. Featuring a 8" FHD+ IPS display, the Z2 Extreme and 24GB of LPDDR5X-8000, it seems like a good compromise choice. I wasn't able to find US pricing for this one (feel free to reach out to me if you find anything!) but it's priced at $1,749.00 AUD, so likely to be in the middle of Lenovo's range for pricing.

There's a couple of dark horses in the mix, too. Zotac has its second gen Zone handheld likely to arrive later on in the year, featuring a higher spec Ryzen HX 370 CPU. OneXPlayer is also offering a Ryzen HX 370-based handheld in the OneXFly F1 Pro.

GPD is bordering on the ridiculous with its GPD Win 5, featuring the extremely powerful Ryzen AI Max+ 395, but with no internal battery - leading to an ultra-light and insanely powerful handheld that users will regardless need to lug around a battery to play on the go. Apparently it's possible to switch batteries while playing, so the handheld is likely to have some sort of super capacitor or the like in it to keep it running. It's sure to cost a pretty penny, though.