The rumored Lenovo Legion Go S might seem like a downgrade according to a new leak, but that's not exactly the case

A new handheld gaming PC known as the Lenovo Legion Go S has leaked
The device could feature a smaller screen compared to its predecessor
It will reportedly use AMD’s Ryzen Z2 Go chip, which was previously labeled Z2G

If it wasn’t evident enough already, handheld gaming PCs have already become a focal point of the PC gaming market. Now, the rumored Lenovo Legion Go S has leaked, revealing several changes from its predecessor based on new render images.

According to WinFuture (in an article written in German), the Legion Go S could feature AMD’s new Ryzen Z2 Go APU (previously labeled as the Ryzen Z2G), with 8 cores and 16 threads (RDNA 2), which would be the weaker variant compared to the purported Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip. Based on the leaked render images from WindowsCentral (pictured below), it’s clear that the screen size has been shaved – it could now feature an 8-inch display as opposed to the Legion Go Z1 Extreme’s 8.8-inch display.

As a result of this, the display resolution has also supposedly seen a significant change, from 2560×1600 to 1920×1200, and a 120Hz refresh rate. It appears that this device is the Legion Go ‘Lite’ that was rumored a few months ago – the eventual official reveal could come alongside a true Legion Go Z1 Extreme successor, using the Z2 Extreme chip.

Image of Lenovo Legion Go S — This image, provided by Windows Central, shows a detailed breakdown of what the Legion Go S will look like. (Image credit: WindowsCentral)

Will this Legion Go alternative be worth a purchase?

Considering the rumored specifications that include a 55Wh battery and AMD Radeon 680M GPU, it would be easy to see the Legion Go S as a downgrade. While it is indeed the weaker option compared to the Legion Go Z1 Extreme (which uses the Radeon 780M), it uses a 1920×1200 resolution.

It appears that Lenovo has learned its lesson: the Z1 Extreme chip simply could not handle that 2560×1600 resolution. This is the same APU found in the Asus ROG Ally, which uses 1920×1080 resolution, with some games required to run at 900p instead. We aren’t sure yet how similar the Z2 Legion Go will perform in comparison to the Z1 Extreme, but there’s a high chance that it will be able to handle games at the new target 1200p resolution.

Rumors suggest the price will be around €600 / AU$1,200 (more expensive than the Z1 Extreme ROG Ally), which may be a dealbreaker for many considering the specifications, but we’ll have to wait for an official reveal to form any real judgment.