Lenovo Legion Go 2 Z2 Extreme Review – OLED Handheld Performance, Design, and Battery Life
Lenovo Legion Go 2 Z2 Extreme Review – OLED Handheld Performance, Design, and Battery Life
Introduction
Lenovo’s Legion Go 2 arrives as the company’s most ambitious handheld gaming PC yet, targeting power users who demand desktop‑class performance in a portable form factor. The Z2 Extreme configuration packs AMD’s latest Zen 5 architecture, an 8.8‑inch OLED display with a 144 Hz refresh rate, and detachable controllers that double as an FPS‑style base. In this first‑look article we break down the device’s design, hardware specifications, software ecosystem, benchmark results, real‑world gaming performance, and early battery‑life estimates.
Design and Build Quality
Form Factor and Weight
Although the Legion Go 2 weighs up to 920 g with controllers attached, the weight is evenly distributed thanks to a centrally‑located battery and a single‑fan cooling solution. The device feels lighter than its specifications suggest, offering a balanced handheld experience that doesn’t feel top‑heavy.
Detachable Controllers and FPS Base
- Hall‑effect analog sticks – full‑size, offering precise input.
- Locking FPS base – a zip‑pered case includes a mounting plate with a rubber cover to protect the controller ports.
- USB‑C charging ports on each controller allow independent charging, a long‑requested improvement over the first‑generation Legion Go.
Ergonomics
The rounded back edges hug the palm, while the built‑in trackpad and improved D‑pad provide easy navigation in Windows. Grip texture on the controllers enhances comfort during extended sessions. Overall, the Legion Go 2 ranks among the most ergonomic handhelds currently available.
Display
The centerpiece is an 8.8‑inch OLED panel with a native resolution of 1920 × 1200 (16:10 aspect ratio). Key specs include:
- 144 Hz refresh rate
- Up to 1,100 nits peak brightness
- 100 % DCI‑P3 color gamut
- HDR support (uncalibrated out of the box but promising after calibration)
The combination of high brightness, deep blacks, and vibrant colors makes HDR content look striking, especially for games that leverage the panel’s VRR capabilities.
Controls and Input Options
- ABXY buttons, shoulder buttons, and triggers are positioned for natural thumb placement.
- Hall‑effect sticks deliver smooth, low‑latency movement.
- Programmable macro keys on the right‑hand controller can be customized via Lenovo’s software.
- Top‑firing stereo speakers provide solid audio with noticeable bass, a unique design choice for handhelds.
- USB 4 (40 Gbps) port, micro‑SD slot (up to 2 TB), and a 3.5 mm audio jack round out connectivity.
The detachable controllers also feature a FPS‑mode switch, enabling a mouse‑like layout for shooters when docked on a desk.
Hardware Specifications
| Component | Specification |
|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme (Zen 5) – 8 cores / 16 threads (3 × Zen 5 + 5 × Zen 5C) |
| Base Clock | 2 GHz (all cores) |
| Boost Clock | Zen 5 cores up to 5 GHz, Zen 5C cores up to 3.3 GHz |
| GPU | Integrated RDNA 3.5, 16 Compute Units (890M) – up to 2.9 GHz boost |
| RAM | 32 GB LPDDR5‑X at 8,000 MT/s |
| Storage | 1 TB NVMe SSD (expandable via micro‑SD) |
| Battery | 74 Wh, rapid charge (0‑50 % in 30 min) |
| Display | 8.8” OLED, 1920 × 1200, 144 Hz, 1,100 nits, DCI‑P3 |
| Connectivity | Wi‑Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 |
| OS | Windows 11 Home |
The Z2 Extreme’s hybrid core design provides a strong blend of high‑clock performance for single‑threaded tasks and efficiency cores for background workloads.
Software – Legion Space
Lenovo bundles a custom overlay called Legion Space that sits atop Windows 11. Key features include:
- Game library scanner – automatically detects installed titles from Steam, Epic, etc.
- Performance profiles – Quiet (8 W), Balanced (16 W battery / 25 W AC), Performance (20 W battery / 32 W AC), and a fully customizable Custom mode (up to 45 W boost).
- Fan curve editor – fine‑tune cooling behavior or use preset curves.
- Display controls – switch resolution (1280 × 800, 1600 × 1000, 1920 × 1200) and refresh rate (60‑144 Hz) on the fly.
- Radeon Super Resolution – integrated upscaling for games that benefit from higher internal resolution.
- Controller mapping – adjust dead zones, assign macros, and enable/disable the trackpad.
- Quick‑menu overlay – access performance, display, and controller settings without leaving a game.
The interface is clean and responsive, making it easy to tweak settings for each session.
Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 (35 W TDP)
- Single‑core: 2,814
- Multi‑core: 12,344
These scores align with other Z2 Extreme devices, confirming the CPU’s strong single‑thread performance.
3DMark Time Spy
- Score: 4,970 (GPU‑only)
The integrated RDNA 3.5 GPU shows competitive performance for an iGPU, especially at higher boost clocks.
Gaming Performance
All tests were conducted at the device’s native 1920 × 1200 resolution unless noted otherwise.
Forza Horizon 5 (Medium settings, 20 W TDP)
- Average FPS: ~90
- High settings: ~72 FPS
The game runs smoothly, and the analog triggers provide precise launch‑control input.
Fallout 4 (High settings, 20 W TDP)
- Average FPS: ~78 (locked at 60 FPS for consistency)
Even demanding titles like Fallout 4 stay comfortably above 60 FPS.
Borderlands 4 (800 p, 35 W TDP, low settings, FPS mode)
- Performance: Acceptable after reducing Windows sensitivity; the FPS controller layout works well for shooters.
Cyberpunk 2077 (1200 p, 25 W TDP, Steam Deck preset)
- Average FPS: ~48 (high settings)
- Lower resolution (800 p): Substantial FPS boost, making the game more playable.
HDR on the OLED panel delivers vivid highlights, though calibration is recommended to fully exploit the display’s potential.
Battery Life Estimates
Testing used a 50 % screen brightness setting and measured power draw via HWInfo.
- Quiet mode (8 W): ~12 W total draw → ~6 hours of indie gaming.
- Balanced mode (16 W battery / 25 W AC): ~27 W draw → ~2.7 hours of AAA gaming.
- Performance mode (20 W battery / 32 W AC): ~30 W draw → ~2.3 hours of AAA gaming.
These early figures suggest the 74 Wh battery provides respectable endurance for a high‑performance handheld, especially when operating in lower‑power profiles.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Stunning 8.8‑inch OLED with high brightness and HDR support.
- Powerful Zen 5 CPU and RDNA 3.5 iGPU.
- Detachable controllers with independent charging and FPS base.
- Robust software suite (Legion Space) for on‑the‑fly tweaking.
- Good ergonomics and balanced weight distribution.
Cons
- Premium price point, driven partly by tariffs and the custom OLED panel.
- Performance still lags behind dedicated discrete GPUs for the most demanding titles.
- Battery life, while decent, is limited under high‑performance settings.
Conclusion
The Lenovo Legion Go 2 Z2 Extreme positions itself as a flagship handheld PC, delivering desktop‑class performance in a portable, ergonomic package. Its OLED display sets a new visual benchmark for handhelds, while the detachable controllers and comprehensive software give users fine‑grained control over performance and ergonomics. Although the price remains high and battery life under heavy loads is modest, the device offers a compelling option for gamers who want a Windows‑based handheld that can also serve as a desktop console when docked.
Future firmware updates and software refinements are likely to improve power efficiency and UI polish, but even in its current state the Legion Go 2 stands out as a premium, versatile gaming device.
If you have specific games or use‑case scenarios you’d like to see tested on the Legion Go 2, let us know in the comments.