Lenovo Legion ‘leak’ hints at the future of Android gaming

Lenovo’s upcoming Android flagship leaked online earlier today, having appeared in an official-looking press render on Weibo, China’s Facebook equivalent. It’s quite likely the image that can be seen above originated directly from the company seeing how fake and unofficial smartphone renders tend to have a much cruder aesthetic, not to mention that Lenovo’s been teasing its Legion-series handset for about a month at this point, with the latest sighting of the device being in line with its previous appearances.

Following in Razer’s mobile gaming footsteps

With that in mind, whether this new leak has been planted is beside the point; it appears legitimate enough to provide insight into Lenovo’s vision for the future of Android gaming, and that’s all that matters. For starters, it adds further credibility to the expectation of a rather aggressive industrial design. Not only is this in line with the rest of Lenovo’s Legion brand but also signals the firm will be following in the footsteps of Razer’s own handsets. Like all other consumer demographics, gamers vote with their wallets, and they have repeatedly signaled this particular LED-infused aesthetic is right up their alley.

Furthermore, the new Legion leak suggests Lenovo will be packaging its upcoming mobile device with a number of accessories. A contractible gamepad is definitely the star of that show, though a sturdy-looking protective case also seems like a worthy addition to the portable gaming bundle. A pair of wireless headphones completes the show, assuming that’s what’s sitting in a small accessory case seen to the left of Lenovo’s controller. It remains to be seen whether the smartphone will also be available for purchase separately, though that’s a likely outcome, based on Lenovo’s established product release practices.

Given its focus on mobile games, the Lenovo Legion will almost certainly utilize the Snapdragon 865, Qualcomm’s latest and greatest system-on-chip powering every major 2020 flagship. A modified version of Android 10 is also a given. Other specifications are up in the air, but it’s fair to assume the manufacturer will opt for a display with a high refresh rate and equip the phablet with an abundance of RAM. What’s less certain is whether the Legion smartphone will be available globally, though we should know more in a matter of months, if not weeks, as Lenovo itself is already hinting as much.