- Lenovo is currently facing issues fulfilling Legion Go 2 pre-orders, and has cancelled some
- This comes at the same time that GPD Win 5 first impressions are landing
- The GPD Win 5 has somewhat similar pricing to the Legion Go 2, but offers significantly better performance
With the Lenovo Legion Go 2 showcased at IFA 2025 in Berlin, Germany, fans have been keen to grab the new handheld, but sadly pre-orders have not gone to plan. Meanwhile, there’s a new device in town that outperforms the Legion Go sequel and could easily top the rankings of the best handheld gaming PCs.
As reported by our friends at Tom’s Hardware, Lenovo has cancelled some Legion Go 2 pre-orders due to high demand and because it can’t deliver units to consumers in a ‘timely manner’.
Unfortunately for Lenovo, this is happening while we’re getting our first look at the new and more powerful GPD Win 5 handheld.
It’s quite evident that both are very different handhelds, but they are similar in terms of starting prices – which is to say they’re both expensive. The GPD Win 5 Ryzen AI Max 385 model starts at $1,599 / around £1,470 / AU$2,420, while the Lenovo Legion Go 2 starts at $1,099 / £899 / AU$1,809.
While the AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 in the GPD Win 5 likely performs a lot closer to the Ryzen AI Max 395+ top dog, and a lot better than the Ryzen Z2 in the base Legion Go 2 model, Lenovo’s device is still cheaper.
Where the GPD Win 5 dethrones the Legion Go 2 is with the Ryzen AI Max 395+ 2TB model, which comes in at $1,850 / around £1,720 / AU$2,800, compared to the Lenovo Legion Go 2 Z2 Extreme 2TB model that is $1,479 / around £1,279 / AU$2,240 – and its performance doesn’t even come close to the GPD Win 5.
Simply put, as showcased in the YouTube video above by The Phawx, the GPD Win 5 is the most powerful handheld gaming PC currently on the market. It’s quite literally providing gaming laptop level performance close to the likes of an Nvidia RTX 4060 or RTX 4070 (laptop GPUs).
It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that if you’re willing to spend big on the Lenovo Legion Go 2, it might not hurt to save a little more for a device that (based on what we’re seeing with early impressions) blows all other handhelds out of the water in terms of performance.
That’s not to say that the GPD Win 5 isn’t a niche device, as it most certainly is given how expensive it’s pitched. But the difference is those lofty asking prices are warranted considering the power that this portable is capable of – running demanding titles like Returnal at over 80 fps (at 1080p resolution without frame generation).
Analysis: the GPD Win 5 is the only handheld gaming PC that warrants its premium price
Without sugarcoating it, the Lenovo Legion Go 2 has no business costing as much as it does – and certainly not coming close to the GPD Win 5’s price, not even with its OLED screen.
As I’ve said before, the Ryzen Z2 Extreme (that powers the beefier Legion Go 2) barely provides much of an upgrade from its predecessor, so the only major selling points of the sequel are its OLED screen and battery life – but that’s not enough.
The GPD Win 5 is the ultimate portable gaming experience outside of laptops, with a detachable 80WHr battery and a lightweight design. I would much rather have an 8-inch screen instead of the GPD’s 7-inch display, but when you’re getting high-level performance across the board, that becomes less of an issue.
Don’t get me wrong here – I wouldn’t buy a handheld device that costs as much as a gaming laptop or desktop PC anyway. But for those who want the best of the best for handheld gaming, the GPD Win 5 seems to be the answer, and the only device I’ve seen so far that justifies its high pricing.
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