Head-to-head · Best Handheld Gaming PCs

Lenovo Legion Go S (Z2 Go, SteamOS) vs Valve Steam Deck OLED

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

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The short answer

Lenovo Legion Go S (Z2 Go, SteamOS) and Valve Steam Deck OLED score essentially the same (4.3 vs 4.3). Pick the one whose trade-offs match your priorities — the strengths and watch-outs below are where they actually differ.

Ranked #2 in Best Handheld Gaming PCs

Lenovo Legion Go S (Z2 Go, SteamOS)

4.3

3 sources

The Lenovo Legion Go S gets pitched as the better Steam Deck, and its AMD Ryzen Z2 Go chip, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD back that up on portable AAA gaming. PCMag's Zackery Cuevas called it a 'better Steam Deck' that surpasses expectations. Reviewers criticized the loud fan noise and the limitation that blocks background game updates during sleep mode. Gamers who want SteamOS compatibility and high performance should look; anyone who values quiet operation or battery efficiency shouldn't.

Strengths

— Features an 8in WUXGA LCD touchscreen with 120Hz refresh rate and VRR
— Powered by AMD Ryzen Z2 Go chip with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD
— SteamOS is lightweight and integrates seamlessly with Steam accounts

Watch-outs

— Fan runs loudly even during light usage
— Game installation and updates cannot be done while device is in sleep mode

Buy at bestbuy.com Full review →

Ranked #1 in Best Handheld Gaming PCs

Valve Steam Deck OLED

4.3

2 sources$878.8as of Oct 15

The Valve Steam Deck OLED's big change over the original is the display: vibrant HDR images and 1,000 nits peak brightness. Reviewers said the screen on its own makes the handheld feel notably better, with excellent color reproduction and a 90Hz refresh rate. Battery life improves, the fans run quieter, and Wi-Fi 6E is supported. The AMD APU hardware is showing its age on some newer games, though titles like Diablo 4 and God of War Ragnarök still pull off immersive play. For anyone who wants a better screen and a performance bump, it's a solid upgrade.

Strengths

— OLED display delivers vibrant HDR image with 1,000 nits peak brightness and 110% P3 color gamut
— Improved battery life with 50Whr battery and 6nm AMD APU for better efficiency
— Quieter fans compared to original Steam Deck model

Watch-outs

— AMD APU hardware shows age with some recent big-budget games
— Still uses sub-1080p resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels which may seem like a downgrade

$878.8 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

How they stack up

Lenovo Legion Go S (Z2 Go, SteamOS)

The Lenovo Legion Go S outperforms the Steam Deck OLED and Valve Steam Deck OLED in terms of hardware specs, featuring a Ryzen Z2 Go chip, making it superior for graphically intensive games. Unlike the ASUS ROG Ally X, it avoids the Xbox UI but suffers from loud fan noise and lacks the OLED screen quality of the Valve model.

Valve Steam Deck OLED

The Valve Steam Deck OLED improves upon the original Steam Deck OLED with better battery life and quieter fans, but lags behind the MSI Claw 8 in terms of hardware performance and battery capacity. It also doesn't match the Lenovo Legion Go S's Z1 Extreme chipset or the ASUS ROG Ally X's Xbox UI integration.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	Lenovo Legion Go S (Z2 Go, SteamOS)	Valve Steam Deck OLED
Processor	AMD Ryzen Z2 Go	Zen 2 4c/8t, 2.4-3.5GHz
Display	8in WUXGA (1920 x 1200)	7.4" OLED, 1280 x 800
Memory	16GB LPDDR5X	16 GB LPDDR5
Storage	512GB M.2 SSD	1TB NVMe SSD
Battery	~55.5Wh	50Whr battery
Graphics	Integrated AMD Radeon Graphics	8 RDNA 2 CUs, 1.6GHz
Refresh Rate	120Hz	Up to 90Hz

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