Legion Go vs ROG Ally: Which Windows-based handheld should you pick?

The Lenovo Legion Go is the newest in the line of Windows-based handhelds, released a few months after the relatively successful Asus ROG Ally. The handheld gaming PC market has seen a revolution of sorts, thanks to the release of the immensely popular Steam Deck console from Valve.

Unlike the Steam Deck, however, both the ROG Ally and Legion Go run a full-fledged Windows install, coupled with their own respective software skins/tweaks. Due to the very similar nature of the two handhelds, potential buyers may be confused about what device to pick.

Fret not, for this article details the differences between the two, along with what handheld to ultimately choose.

Note: Parts of this article are subjective and solely reflect the author’s opinions.

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All similarities and differences between the Legion Go and ROG Ally

Similarities

Here are the key similarities between the Legion Go and ROG Ally:

• Both units share the same Ryzen Z1 Extreme APUs in their highest-end models.
• A lower-specced variant with the Ryzen Z1 APU is also available.
• Both devices feature 16 GB of unified DDR5 RAM.
• Fully featured gyro, touch controller inputs are available on either unit.
• Both units have the ability to expand storage further via a MicroSD card slot.

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Differences

Here are the key differences between the two devices:

• The Legion Go is a larger handheld, featuring an 8.8-inch display, over the 7-inch display of the ROG Ally.
• The Go features a higher-resolution display, capped at 2560x1600. It also has a 144 Hz display, compared to the Ally’s 120 Hz display.
• The Go has unique controllers, much akin to the detachable Joy-Cons of the Nintendo Switch.
• The Legion Go has faster RAM and sees a 5-10% performance uplift in certain titles as a result.
• The right controller features a trackpad and a mouse scroll wheel, with the ability to turn into a vertical mouse at the flick of a switch. It also has a built-in kickstand and can be used as a proper tablet.
• The Go also has its own software suite, known as Legion Space.

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The ROG Ally is a better pick overall despite its SD card issues

The Legion Go is an overall solid product but suffers from a myriad of issues that make it very hard to recommend over the ROG Ally:

• Display: Despite the higher resolution and refresh rate of the Legion Go’s display, it still remains inferior to the ROG Ally’s own. The Go has a native portrait display, which will pose significant problems in games such as Red Dead Redemption II. Some older games may even fail to start without tweaks. The display also lacks VRR, making it a huge problem for games that exhibit frequent frame rate dips. The Go is more likely to exhibit screen tearing as a result. Furthermore, the higher resolution display on the Go is simply unnecessary, as the Z1 Extreme APU simply cannot sustain stable frame rates at that resolution.
• Speakers: The Go’s speakers are significantly worse than the Ally’s. In terms of both volume output and sound stage, the Ally simply blows it out of the water.
• Form factor: This is purely subjective, but the Ally’s more portable nature may make it more appealing over the Go for most users.
• Software: Currently, the Legion Space software is simply undercooked. Compared to the Armoury Crate SE, it offers fewer features and questionable design choices that make it hard to recommend.

• Durability of the controllers: Due to the detachable nature of the controllers, there is a very real chance of them wearing out with use. However, the exact nature of the wear remains to be seen.
• D-Pad: The Legion has a worse D-Pad in most respects, being quite stiff and awkward to use for retro titles and fighting games. The Ally’s D-Pad is not perfect either, but it is still way better.

Due to these issues, the Legion Go remains inferior to the ROG Ally despite the latter possessing problems of its own (such as the MicroSD card reader failing). The Go's software issues can be fixed with future updates, but the display choice remains questionable and will likely be its Achilles heel in the long run.