The Lenovo Legion Go 2 is finally here to put the ROG Xbox Ally in its place

It’s been nearly nine months since Lenovo first showed off the Legion Go 2 prototype at CES, but at long last, it’s finally here to take the spotlight. And boy was it worth it.

The updated Windows handheld features top-notch specs across the board. We don’t have all of the SKUs yet, but the specs announced at IFA today list “up to” the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme and 32GB of RAM. The ROG Xbox Ally X, which was finally revealed last month, ships with the same chip, but maxes out at 24GB of RAM.

Presumably, there will be a non-Extreme AMD Ryzen Z2 model, but the specs revealed today show that it will not have an onboard AI chip. That puts it at odds with the cheaper ROG Xbox Ally, which has an AI-infused AMD Ryzen Z2 A processor. What effect this has on upscaling and performance is yet to be seen.

But that’s not the only place where the Legion Go 2 ups the ante. The 8.8-inch screen size remains the same from the first edition, but it’s been upgraded to a WUXGA OLED panel with a 30-144Hz variable refresh rate. The overall resolution is smaller than that of the older IPS panel, but the HDR TrueBlack 1000 certification means your games should pop like never before. For comparison, the ROG Xbox Ally X features a 7-inch FHD IPS 120Hz display with VRR.

Powering the Legion Go 2 is a 74WHr battery, a welcome upgrade from the puny 49.2WHr battery on the first model. It’s not as large as the 80Whr battery on the ROG Xbox Ally X, but Lenovo’s handheld keeps the two USB-C 4.0 ports (one on top and one on bottom) of its predecessor for easy charging while gaming. It also features up to 2TB of internal storage, plus a MicroSD card slot on the bottom for up to 2TB more.

The massive handheld also features the same Nintendo Switch-style detachable controllers, but with a more ergonomic design. It also keeps its predecessor’s “fps mode,” which turns the right controller into a kind of vertical mouse. The sticks are Hall effect, but not TMR, so they should be free from any drift problems in the long run.

Of course, all that power comes at a cost. The Lenovo Legion Go 2 will start at $1,049, with availability starting in October. That’s likely the pricing for the non-Extreme model, so expect to pay significantly more for the tricked-out version. The ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X will ship around the same time period, and although pricing has yet to be confirmed, early leaks show it could be significantly cheaper.