Pictured: Legion Go S in Glacier White
Lenovo
The situation surrounding Lenovo’s Legion Go S is quite peculiar. In the US, Best Buy has listed February 14, 2025 as the release date, while major online retailers like Amazon do not even have a pre-order page available. On the other hand, some customers in the UK who pre-ordered the Legion Go S have already received their new handhelds, despite an initial shipping date of January 22, 2025.
One of the early recipients of the Legion Go S runs a YouTube channel called Mash IT, and recently posted an unboxing video of the Windows 11 device, along with a 3DMark Time Spy score.
With the first Legion Go S SKU featuring the Lenovo-exclusive AMD Ryzen Z2 Go processor, gaming enthusiasts are eager to see its performance. How does the Legion Go S compare to the original Legion Go or the ROG Ally X in terms of graphics performance?
Time Spy: Legion Go S VS Legion Go VS ROG Ally
In the video below, Mash IT runs a 3DMark Time Spy benchmark with the Legion Go S set to its “Performance” power profile. The Legion Go S initially achieved a graphics score of 2152. However, the updated score in the video’s description was revised to 2400.
I conducted the same test on my fully updated Legion Go and ROG Ally, both equipped with the more powerful AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor. Here are my results:
3DMark Time Spy result for Legion Go
Jason Evangelho
3DMark Time Spy result for ROG Ally (Z1)
Jason Evangelho
In this test, the Legion Go S showed 16% lower graphics performance compared to the Legion Go, and was 9% slower than the ROG Ally Z1. Considering the differences in processor cores and boost clocks between the Ryzen Z2 Go and the Z1 Extreme, this result is not disappointing.
While the Legion Go S may not outperform the original Legion Go or updated ROG Ally Z1/X handhelds, further testing on battery life and real-world gaming performance is necessary before making a final judgment.
Will the Legion Go S with a Ryzen Z2 Go processor be faster than the Steam Deck at equivalent resolutions? Only official reviews closer to the end of the month or early February will provide a definitive answer.
