Deal | Lenovo Legion Go handheld gaming console with Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU drops to less than $550

Thanks to AMD’s Ryzen Z1 APUs, the Windows gaming handheld space has exploded with different manufacturers trying their hands at a portable system. Lenovo launched its take on a portable gaming console almost a year ago in the form of Legion Go.

Where other handheld consoles like the Asus Rog Ally present a more conventional solution, the Lenovo seemed to have taken inspiration from the Nintendo Switch. The Legion Go has detachable controllers which can be used in a unique "FPS mode". This, coupled with an 8.8-inch display with a 144 Hz refresh rate and a Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU, makes the Legion Go a powerful console that boasts a lot of interesting features.

If the above-mentioned description tickles your fancy, you’ll be pleased to know that the Lenovo Legion Go is now on sale on Amazon for only $549. Per camelcamelcamel, the console’s new price is $96 less than the average sales price and is only $3 more than the lowest-ever level.

While the Lenovo Legion Go has a lot going for it, the key characteristics of the handheld console are its solid performance, fast display, and detachable controllers.

Starting with the performance, the Legion Go performs on par with the Asus Rog Ally thanks to the Ryzen Z1 Extreme. The console played games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Horizon Zero Dawn above 40 FPS with FHD/medium settings. Demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077 can also be enjoyed with playable frame rates, albeit at low settings.

Moving to the screen, the 8.8-inch display of the Lenovo Legion Go boasts a speedy 144 Hz refresh rate, a sharp 1600p resolution, and 500 nits of brightness. Our testing revealed that the panel gets close to its target brightness of 500 nits while covering full sRGB, 90% AdobeRGB, and 92% DCI-P3. Unfortunately, the display stops just short of being truly awesome due to lacking contrast ratio and a higher-than-expected response time.

Aside from performance and the display, the detachable controllers and the novel FPS mode are the biggest selling points of the Legion Go. We found the detachable controllers easy to use thanks to their instantaneous wireless connection and Hall effect sensors. Despite some inconveniences regarding button assignment, the FPS mode also comes in handy while playing first-person shooters.

Long story short, the Lenovo Legion Go is an interesting handheld console that marries strong performance with a pleasing display. At just $549, the portable machine should be on your radar.