Similar to gaming laptops, gaming handhelds just like the Lenovo Legion Pass and Legion Pass S duvet an identical flooring, however are other sufficient that one is most certainly the extra best selection for you. And similar to gaming laptops, a few of that may be a distinction in specifications and a few of that may be a distinction in design.
For the reason that highest hand held gaming gadgets are a little more moderen, it may be a little harder differentiating what’s particular with the Lenovo Legion Pass S vs Lenovo Legion Pass, so we’ll assist through taking a deeper dive at what those two handhelds have to provide.
There may be a large number of overlap – they each include Home windows 11 (the Pass S may also be launched with SteamOS loaded onto it in Might), they each have brief battery existence, and so they each have microSD slots to increase upon the onboard garage. In addition they each have 8.8-inch shows, despite the fact that there are some notable variations between the 2.
As I’ll point out a little extra underneath, some of the greatest variations between the 2 is that the Legion Pass S loses the Pass’s skill to take away the joystick and use it one by one the best way one would on a Nintendo Transfer. The Pass S is sort of just like the Nintendo Transfer Lite with an all-in-one frame extra curious about portability. Regardless that the one model of the Legion Pass S to be had at this time isn’t as reasonably priced because the Legion Pass, that can alternate when the fewer souped up variations are launched.
I’ll talk about that and extra to look the place those two handhelds range, so let’s dig in to look which may well be a greater are compatible for you.
It’s a bit of older, however this fashion has a fantastically sharp show, nice audio high quality, and has totally customizable buttons. Plus, it comes with a integrated kickstand and the joysticks can also be got rid of to make use of one by one in more than one other ways.
For
- Superb efficiency
- Stunning show and nice audio high quality
- Utterly customizable
- Integrated kickstand
In opposition to
- At the heavier and bulkier facet
- Some stuttering and freezing
- Legion House is horrible

To be had with Home windows 11 or SteamOS, this unmarried frame gaming hand held saves on worth with a decrease answer and through skipping the detachable joysticks, whilst as an alternative together with quicker Wi-Fi and an up to date processor.
For
- SteamOS or Home windows 11
- Nice design
- New AMD Ryzen Z2 Pass chip
In opposition to
- Does not get probably the most robust Z2 chips
- Colorway is decided through OS
Lenovo Legion Pass vs Lenovo Legion Pass S: Value

In the case of worth, it’s value surroundings a baseline. And for that, I like to recommend a refresher on what the Steam Deck is going for. Essentially the most fundamental model, which comes with 64GB of eMMC garage and a seven-inch 1280 x 800 LCD show, is going for $399 / £349. The following model up is going for $529 / £459 with extra garage at 256GB NVMe SSD and a larger 7.4-inch 1280 x 800 HDR OLED show. The maxed out model ups the reminiscence to 1TB for a worth of $649 / £569.
When compared, the Lenovo Legion Pass is costly. It begins at $699.99 / £700 / AU$1,299 for 512GB of garage. And if you wish to have the model of 1TB of garage, the cost of access is $749.99. After all, the answer is way, a lot better at 2560 x 1600p with a larger 8.8-inch show. Plus, there’s the facility to take away the joysticks to make use of like a Nintendo Transfer, as I prior to now discussed.
The fashion that we wish to examine the Lenovo Legion Pass to is the Lenovo Legion Pass S, which is a little more various in choices. The bottom fashion, loaded with SteamOS, stocks the similar AMD Ryzen Z1 Excessive APU, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of garage. It’ll release in Might and has an asking worth of $499. The costlier SteamOS model upgrades the processor to a more moderen technology Ryzen Z2 Pass in addition to the garage to 1TB for a price ticket of $599.
If you want to have Home windows 11 put in like the unique Legion Pass (perhaps you employ different storefronts but even so Steam), then the fee tag begins at $599 for a configuration wearing the Ryzen Z2 Pass, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB garage. This model may also release in Might. The one model to be had on the time of writing is in truth about as pricey because the Legion Pass; it is going for $729 and is derived with 32GB RAM as an alternative of 16GB.
It will have to be famous that the Legion Pass is to be had simply in black, whilst the Legion Pass S is to be had in black for the Home windows 11 configurations and Glacier White for the SteamOS ones.
Lenovo Legion Pass vs Lenovo Legion Pass S: Design

The Lenovo Legion Pass S is not just the more moderen fashion, but it surely’s the quite extra moveable one. It weighs in at 1.63 lbs (740g) in comparison to the Legion Pass’s weight of one.88 lbs (854 g). And it’s quite thinner with dimensions of eleven.77 x 5.02 x 0.88 inches (299 x 127.55 x 22.6mm) in comparison to the Pass’s 11.76 x 5.16 x 1.60 inches (298.83 x 131 x 40.7mm).
Tied with its quite smaller dimension and decrease price ticket is the truth that the Legion Pass S doesn’t have detachable joysticks. As a substitute, the controls are in-built the best way they’re on a Steam Deck. The button format is most commonly the similar, despite the fact that some minor buttons were moved a little decrease.
The Lenovo Legion Pass may well be much less moveable, however the detachable joysticks are a good looking function that’s neglected at the Pass S. They may be able to be got rid of and used as is, positioned right into a holder of varieties for a wi-fi controller, or can be utilized in a virtually keyboard and mouse style the place some of the joysticks is positioned right into a base to recreate the motions of a mouse (the opposite joystick is used usually). I might say that is the most important distinction between the 2 fashions and can decide which one is right for you. In spite of everything, the dimensions distinction isn’t truly that gigantic.
The following greatest distinction is the show. Whilst each the Pass S and Pass recreation 8.8-inch shows, the more moderen Pass S comes with a decrease answer and slower refresh fee. It has a (1920 x 1200p) LCD show with a 120Hz refresh fee. Value noting is the truth that it has 500 nits of brightness, and 97% DCI-P3 colour protection.
The Pass may well be older but it surely has a greater display, which in conjunction with the detachable joysticks is mirrored in the fee. The answer is 2560 x 1600p with a 144Hz refresh fee, in conjunction with a an identical 500 nits of brightness, and 97% DCI-P3 colour gamut.
So far as ports move, they each include a headphone/mic combo jack, microSD slot to increase garage functions, and two USB4 ports with DisplayPort 1.4 and tool supply capacity.
Finally, so far as connectivity is going, the Legion Pass S is a little quicker with Bluetooth 5.3 vs the Legion Pass’s 5.1 and Wi-Fi 6E to the Legion Pass’s Wi-Fi 6 (when you’re curious in regards to the distinction, now we have a piece of writing at the key distinctions, too).
Lenovo Legion Pass vs Lenovo Legion Pass S: Options

So far as the options move, probably the most notable has already been discussed: the detachable joysticks. It’s surely a plus within the Legion Pass’s want. Then again, each devices help you no longer best attach them to a observe however use the Bluetooth connectivity to interface with them by means of a keyboard and mouse, appearing as a mini-gaming rig while you’re no longer out and about.
However, what you’re in a position to play goes to be fairly restricted through the inner working device. The Lenovo Legion Pass best comes with Home windows 11, whilst the Lenovo Legion Pass S can be bought with SteamOS pre-loaded.
Home windows 11 is the wider, however much less completely carried out choice. The setup is longer and the consumer interface isn’t as seamless because the SteamOS model. Menu searching is a lot more difficult, as an example. Then again, the Home windows 11 variations help you get entry to different storefronts like GOG and Epic Video games with out leaping thru SteamOS hoops. You’ll be able to even get entry to XBox Gamepass and EA Play.
Lenovo Legion Pass S vs Lenovo Legion Pass: Efficiency

Prior to we talk about the real efficiency, let’s take a snappy glance underneath the hood of those two fashions. The bottom model of the Legion Pass S and the Legion Pass proportion the similar Ryzen Z1 Excessive APU (a CPU with an built-in GPU) with 8 cores / 16 threads and a base clock of three.3GHz that may be overclocked to five.1GHz. Its GPU has a core rely of 12.
All however the base model of the Legion Pass S come as an alternative with a more moderen technology processor, the Ryzen Z2 Pass. Its GPU has the similar core rely, but it surely’s a little weaker at the CPU facet with 4 cores and eight threads with a base clock of 3GHz that may be overclocked to 4.3GHz. A minimum of, a model of the Legion Pass S comes with 32GB of RAM, whilst the Legion Pass is restricted to 16GB.
Past that, the diversities in garage are about the similar, with you being in a position to choose from 512GB and 1TB of garage. You’ll be able to profit from the microSD slot if you wish to increase the garage.
So, what does this imply when it comes to precise operating video games? The Lenovo Legion Pass, for example, is rather succesful. When you stay its obstacles in thoughts, the truth that it might probably succeed in nearly 60 fps on low in Forza Horizon 5 is spectacular. In our assessment, we famous that gameplay used to be usually clean with just a bit little bit of stuttering and freezing with extra not easy titles.
Whilst we haven’t but gotten a complete assessment of the Lenovo Legion Pass S but, our hands-on assessment of it from CES used to be promising with cast leads to Forza Horizon 5 on mid-to-high settings. It’ll be fascinating the way it does in our complete assessment taking into account the truth that the Legion Pass S usually comes with a more moderen technology however much less robust chip.
It’ll even be fascinating to look how the SteamOS variations carry out, specifically, as SteamOS is a little higher optimized for hand held consoles (and this will be the first formally authorized hand held with SteamOS).
So far as battery existence is going, the Lenovo Legion Pass S hasn’t but been benchmarked however comes with the next capability battery (55.5Whr) and no more not easy display in comparison to the Legion Pass’s 49.2Whr capability. So, the Legion Pass S will have to have a bit of little bit of development at the Legion Pass’s couple hours of gameplay, to not point out that the joysticks additionally want charging at the Legion Pass.
Which Lenovo hand held is best for you?
Ceaselessly, when evaluating two merchandise, it’s no longer glaring that one is categorically higher, particularly while you believe that everybody cares about other facets of a product.
The Lenovo Legion Pass S is more moderen and subsequently comes with a more moderen technology APU, quicker Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and a quite larger battery. It’s additionally extra moveable, in part as it eschews the ones detachable joysticks.
The Lenovo Legion Pass comes with a greater display and the Transfer-esque detachable joysticks, and that may well be sufficient for some. Rather then being a bit of older, it’s obviously the extra top rate product.
On the finish of the day, if you wish to have one thing extra moveable and rather a little inexpensive, then the Lenovo Legion Pass S is the simpler method to move. But when you wish to have the ones detachable joysticks and a greater display, the Lenovo Legion Pass is a greater guess.






