After months of anticipation, following a reveal at CES 2025 back in January, the Lenovo Legion Go 2 is finally almost here. That means some reviewers and critics already have their hands on the device and are offering their first impressions. On the whole, it sounds like a pretty impressive Steam Deck rival, but with one significant caveat that might put a few potential users off picking up the handheld.
For those who don't know, the Lenovo Legion Go 2 is a follow-up to the original, which happens to be a top pick from our guide to the best Steam Deck alternatives. We've already got a pretty good idea of the specs it's packing, including an 8.8-inch OLED display, a powerful AMD Ryzen Z2 processor, and a whopping 1TB, so it sounds pretty impressive on paper. The problem is the price, with the Legion Go 2 starting at $1,099, almost double the cost of the 512GB Steam Deck OLED. That's all on paper, though, so what do the reviews say?
IGN's Jacqueline Thomas gave the Lenovo Legion Go 2 a 7/10 score, praising the "excellent OLED display" and "huge performance jumps," but admits that the price point makes it "hard to recommend to anyone but the most fervent handheld enthusiasts." Tom's Guide's Tony Polanco had a similar view of the handheld, scoring it 3.5 out of 5, but his criticism wasn't limited to just the price point, as he also had some choice words about the "poor battery life" and "clunky" Windows 11 operating system.
However, some are slightly more enthusiastic about the Legion Go 2, including PCWorld's Chris Hoffman, awarding the console a score of 4/5 while praising the "excellent" hardware. Windows Central's Rebecca Spear also heaped praise on the Go 2 in her 4.4/5 review, highlighting the "best OLED handheld display to date" and "solid performance." In simple terms, it sounds like the handheld is a very solid offering from Lenovo, but the price point, combined with the much-maligned Windows 11 software, means it's unlikely to be a Steam Deck killer. Still, we'll have to put it through its paces ourselves to see how it stacks up against the likes of fellow premium handhelds, including the MSI Claw 8 AI+ and Asus ROG Ally X.
If you want to get your hands on the Lenovo Legion Go 2 yourself, the big release date is coming on October 31, so there's not long to go. Still, it's always a good idea to check out the competition before parting with your hard-earned money, so be sure to take a look at our guide to the best handheld consoles to see what else is out there before you put your order in.