About a month ago, I purchased the Legion Go S Windows Edition with the AMD Z2 Go processor, and after comparing it to my original Legion Go, I discovered several things you really need to know.https://youtu.be/sMn4w9i_1vM
Unboxing the Legion Go S
The unboxing experience was fairly straightforward. Inside the box, I found a 65W USB Type-C charger and, of course, the Legion Go S itself. There was also a cardboard box, which I believe doubles as a kickstand, and some paperwork that I didn’t bother opening—because honestly, I never read that stuff anyway. One thing worth noting is that unlike the original Legion Go, the Legion Go S doesn’t come with a case. And due to design changes, it won’t fit in the same case as the original either.
Improved Ergonomics and Design
The biggest improvement I noticed right away was in the ergonomics. Lenovo moved away from the boxy grips of the original and went with a more rounded, comfortable shape that fit my hand perfectly. Weight-wise, the Legion Go S came in at 745 grams, which is significantly lighter than the original’s 896 grams. Even though the ROG Ally X is smaller overall and has a larger battery, it still manages to be lighter at 718 grams. These are my own scale measurements, and I’ve upgraded the SSDs in both the ROG Ally X and the original Legion Go, so your mileage may vary. Still, after using the original Legion Go, the Steam Deck, and the ROG Ally, I found the Legion Go S to be the most comfortable to hold.
Buttons, Triggers, and Sticks
As far as the buttons go, they felt the same as the original—clicky and satisfying, which I actually like. The top triggers on the Go S were noticeably clickier, and I could even hear the difference. The lower triggers had a bit more tension, which I appreciated. I don’t use the back buttons much, but they felt fine. The thumbsticks got a small design upgrade too, with a new glossy silver finish. They still used Hall effect sensors and offered the same responsive feel, with a nice curvature on top for control. However, the grips are no longer removable, and there’s no kickstand. Lenovo did add a trigger mode switch on the back that lets you toggle between short and long press modes, which is incredibly useful for switching between shooters like Call of Duty and racing games like Forza.
Trigger Issue and Fix
Speaking of Call of Duty, I ran into a frustrating issue early on. When I aimed down sights using the left trigger, it wouldn’t fully register. This never happened with my original Legion Go, and I suspected the new trigger mode switch might have had something to do with it. Thankfully, a software update eventually fixed the problem.
D-Pad and Speaker Changes
Lenovo also redesigned the D-pad, embedding a cross within a circular shape, which I preferred for fighting games like Mortal Kombat. The Legion Space and in-game quick access buttons were moved up to make room for new 2x2W front-facing speakers. They didn’t sound as good as the ROG Ally’s, but I appreciated the new placement compared to the original’s top-facing speakers.
Trackpad and Port Configuration
The trackpad was noticeably smaller than on the original Legion Go but functioned the same. I had to tweak the Windows settings to get it just right. Up top, the power button, volume controls, and headphone jack remained, but Lenovo added a second USB-C port. Both are USB 4 with 40 Gbps transfer, DisplayPort 1.4, and power delivery support. The SD card slot was moved to the bottom.
Display Comparison
The display on the Go S was an 8-inch 1920×1200 touchscreen with a 16:10 aspect ratio, 120Hz refresh rate, and 500 nits of brightness. It’s a native landscape display—unlike the original’s 8.8-inch portrait-oriented 2560×1600 screen with a 144Hz refresh rate. Despite the lower specs, I didn’t feel like I was missing much when gaming.
Upgrading the Storage
Lenovo made the internals a bit harder to access compared to the original. I had to disable the battery through BIOS, remove several screws, and carefully pry open the device. But the effort was worth it. The Go S now supports M.2 2280 SSDs natively, which allows for cheaper and higher capacity upgrades compared to the original’s 2242 slot.
Performance Benchmarks
I ran 3D Mark’s Time Spy and Fire Strike benchmarks on both devices. The Go S scored 2460 in Time Spy with 2299 for graphics and 4090 for CPU, averaging 75°C. The original Legion Go scored higher across the board—2967 overall, 2681 for graphics, and 7519 for CPU, while running cooler at 64°C.
At 1080p Ultra settings (no ray tracing), here’s what I got on the Go S:
- Battlefield V: 55 FPS
- Apex Legends: 110 FPS
- GTA 5: 145 FPS
- Red Dead Redemption 2: 35 FPS
- Fortnite: 180 FPS
The original Go had higher FPS across the board except for Red Dead 2, where performance was comparable.
RAM Limitation
Even though the Legion Go S comes with 32 GB of RAM (double the original’s 16 GB), the max GPU memory I could assign in BIOS was still 8 GB—just like the original. By contrast, the ROG Ally X let me assign up to 16 GB via its software settings.
Battery Life Test
The Go S comes with a 55.5Wh battery, slightly larger than the original’s 49.2Wh. I gamed from 11:14 AM to 12:30 PM, dropping from 97% to 10%. The original lasted from 3:03 PM to about 4:10 PM, dropping from 97% to 6%. Despite the different games and variables, battery life was fairly close.
Price and Final Thoughts
I bought the Legion Go S for $729. But with the original Legion Go still available new for $699 or open-box around $589, the price difference is tough to justify. While I loved the Go S’s comfort, trigger mode switch, and improved SSD support, it was hard to ignore the performance and versatility of the original. Features like detachable controllers and FPS mode gave me a better experience in games like Frag Punk, and benchmarks consistently favored the original.
With the Legion Go 2 on the horizon and a Steam OS version of the Go S coming, Lenovo might struggle to sell this Windows model at its current price point. As much as I enjoyed using the Go S, I just couldn’t recommend it over the original. Not when the original is cheaper, more flexible, and performs better.
Would you pick up the Go S, stick with the original, or wait for what’s next? Let me know.