- The Lenovo Legion Go 2 is set to be unveiled at IFA 2025, according to leaker Evan Blass
- Pricing is reportedly $200 more than the rumored ROG Xbox Ally X retail price
- AMD's Ryzen Z2 Extreme is barely much better than the Ryzen Z1 Extreme, which may hinder the Legion Go 2's potential success
The handheld gaming PC market is finally about to see long-awaited additions as we approach the final months of the year, and one of them, announced at CES 2025 earlier in January, may be set to join the ranks of the best handheld gaming PCs – but its price could be a dealbreaker.
According to Notebookcheck, the Lenovo Legion Go 2 may cost $200 more than the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X, with its retail price potentially between $1,049 and $1,099, and is set to be fully unveiled at IFA 2025, according to leaker Evan Blass.
Pricing for the ROG Xbox Ally X is unconfirmed, but rumors suggest a starting price of $899, possibly up to $1,000. The same source previously reported an accurate October 16 release date, ahead of Xbox's official announcement.
This is another AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme-powered handheld gaming PC, alongside the ROG Xbox Ally X and the MSI Claw A8; all of these handhelds are expected to cost a hefty price, with the Claw A8 already confirmed at £850 (around $1,150 / AU$1,750) set for a September 17 release in the UK.
Since the Legion Go 2 comes equipped with an OLED display, it's highly likely going to cost more than Asus and Microsoft's new handheld and the Claw A8, so Notebookcheck's report doesn't seem far-fetched.
However, the Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor and its predecessor, the Ryzen Z1 Extreme, have very similar performance results across multiple games, as highlighted by ETA Prime on YouTube (video below), despite the significant price jump from Ryzen Z1 Extreme-powered handhelds.
It's safe to say that any handheld starting around $800 is already a tough sell, so suggestions of a $1,049 price aren't going to do Lenovo any favors.
Of course, performance will depend on configurations and how much RAM is available, but it may be hard for many to justify spending GPU money on a handheld gaming PC, that barely performs much better than much cheaper alternatives, notably the Asus ROG Ally.
Analysis: buy an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme-powered handheld, before it's too late
Out of all the benchmarks I've seen so far, the Ryzen Z2 Extreme appears to be a minor upgrade from its predecessor. While handhelds using the new APU may have other specifications like 74Wh or 80Wh batteries to justify higher pricing, I still favor Ryzen Z1 Extreme handhelds, and I think you should too.
Fortunately, I've been able to get my hands on the Lenovo Legion Go S Z1 Extreme at £699 here in the UK, with 32GB of RAM and SteamOS pre-installed. I'm not a big fan of using my handhelds on battery, as I've mentioned before, so a 55.5Wh battery doesn't matter to me.
Essentially, the Legion Go S is a handheld that costs less than the MSI Claw A8 (using the Ryzen Z2 Extreme like the Legion Go 2) while roughly giving you the same level of performance in games.
A stronger example is with the original Asus ROG Ally, which you can find at Best Buy at $649 and on sale for much less, instead of the Claw A8 for £850, and likely higher when it launches in the US.
There's no telling how long the original Lenovo Legion Go, Lenovo Legion Go S, and Asus ROG Ally will be readily available.
So, if you're not keen on spending close to $1,000 for a handheld, I'd advise you to buy a Z1 Extreme device while you still can.
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