The gaming smartphone segment has grown steadily over the last couple of years, with several OEMs like Asus, Razer, and Nubia offering some compelling devices geared towards mobile gamers, and practically all of them pushing the envelope when it comes to pure specifications. Now, Lenovo is marking its entry into the gaming smartphone segment with the launch of its first smartphone under the Legion brand, the Lenovo Legion Phone Duel, which will also be known for its quirky take on the front-facing camera amongst other features.
Lenovo Legion Phone Duel: Specifications
|
Specification |
Lenovo Legion Phone Duel |
|---|---|
|
Dimensions & Weight |
|
|
Display |
|
|
SoC |
|
|
RAM & Storage |
|
|
Battery & Charging |
|
|
Fingerprint sensor |
In-display fingerprint sensor |
|
Rear Camera |
Video:
|
|
Front Camera |
20MP, f/2.2, side-mounted pop-up |
|
Other Features |
|
|
Android Version |
Android 10 with ZUI 12/Legion OS |
The Lenovo Legion Phone Duel had been extensively leaked and teased, so we had already had a fair idea of what to expect from the device. The stand-out feature of the device (pun intended) is perhaps the side-mounted pop-up front-facing camera, which houses a 20MP sensor. Moving the camera to a popup on the side allows Lenovo to ship a fullscreen experience, and also promote one of the highlight features of the device: the Lenovo Legion Phone Duel is targeting gamers who would prefer using a device in landscape orientation instead of the conventional portrait orientation, even when not gaming. Of course, you can also use the side-mounted front camera if you are a game streamer, and Lenovo is including software tweaks that will let you easily inlay your front camera view while game streaming.
If you do prefer to spend more of your time gaming, the Lenovo Legion Phone Duel is one of the smartphones you should consider. The phone has an expansive 6.59" FHD+ AMOLED with a 240Hz touch sampling rate and a 144Hz refresh rate, pushing it into the realm of rare smartphones with such a high refresh rate display. The dual front stereo speakers also ensure you get the best of your gaming experience. As for the phone, it follows along with a gaming phone aesthetic, complete with a multicolor LED on the back beneath the Legion "Y" logo.
On the inside, the Lenovo Legion Phone Duel comes with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus, as we already knew. Lenovo is pairing this up with up to 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage, ensuring you have some of the best specifications on paper. Powering the device is a 5,000mAh battery, which Lenovo has positioned in a split-cell design onto the top and bottom of the phone -- Lenovo claims this is where gamers usually rest their hands while gaming, so the freed up space in the middle can be occupied by the logic board which is likely to run hotter during an intense session.
The Lenovo Legion Phone Duel is also the first smartphone to ship with an insane 90W Turbo Power Charging technology -- but there is a catch here. To achieve this 90W, you need to make use of both the USB Type-C ports simultaneously, which would allow you to charge the 5000mAh battery from 0% to 50% in just 10 minutes, and complete a full charge of the massive battery within 30 minutes.
Pricing and Availability
The Lenovo Legion Phone Duel will be available in the coming days of July 2020 in China. The device is priced at below:
- 8GB + 128GB: CNY 3499 (~$500/₹37,300)
- 12GB + 128GB: CNY 3899 (~$557/₹41,500)
- 12GB + 256GB: CNY 4199 (~$600/₹44,700)
- 16GB + 512GB: CNY 5999 (~$740/₹63,900)
Later, it will be made available in other select markets in the Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. The phone will not be making its way to the USA as per current plans.