IN a century dominated by social-media apps like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, it’s fascinating that games are the top apps used by smartphone owners.
The repeated Covid-19 lockdowns last year only added fuel to the fire as people resorted to playing mobile games to ease boredom. That comes as no surprise since mobile games are easily accessible, provide quick entertainment, and rarely require any special skills. You can play while waiting for the train or the bus, or when you are waiting for your queue anywhere. I hear people couldn’t even resist playing games even when using the bathroom. But, hey, we’ve all been there! No judgment.
Games account for 43 percent of smartphone use with 62 percent of phone owners downloading games on their new phones during the first week.
With the continued rise in popularity of gaming, it’s no wonder that smartphone brands are often highlighting the gaming features of their smartphones hoping to entice more gamers.
There are, however, only a handful of true gaming smartphones specifically created for serious gamers. These phones are all about blazing fast processors, the sharpest and most vivid displays, unique cooling systems and batteries that could keep up with those long gaming sessions—and, oh don’t forget those flashing RGB lights.
Leveraging on its solid PC gaming background, Lenovo takes the term “gaming phone” to a whole new level with the latest iteration of the Lenovo Legion Phone Duel 2—pairing top-level specs with an exciting look that’s designed for gamers.
Its impressive spec sheet can make any gamer giddy with excitement as it is run by a Snapdragon 888 5G processor, up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, a 6.92-inch AMOLED display with 144Hz refresh rate, 720Hz touch sampling rate, and a 5,500mAh large battery. Unique for gaming are eight virtual triggers, dual HaptiX feedback, active twin turbo fans and customizable RGB lights. For its cameras, the Legion Phone Duel 2 has a dual 64MP + 16MP ultrawide camera setup on the back and a 44MP AF pop-up selfie camera that’s ready to stream anytime.
As for the design, the Legion Phone Duel 2 is hands down one of the most gorgeous-looking smartphones I’ve ever seen this year. But is it a gaming phone that would help you achieve “Legion-dary” status?
DESIGN AND BUILD
It’s hard to get excited when you see a new phone launching almost every week with just slight variations in design. The Legion Phone Duel 2 gave me a different feeling. When I first opened the box and saw it for the first time in real life, I was honestly surprised by how good it looks. You can sense the feeling of innovation that is sorely missing from the modern flagship market. Good job, Lenovo.
The device sports chamfered aluminum sides, smooth glass and a highly reflective mirror finish. It’s a smudge and fingerprint magnet, so you’ll have to wipe it every now and then unless you use the protective case—which I strongly recommend as you are basically holding a glass sandwich. And when it’s glass versus floor, most of the time floor wins.
The Legion Phone Duel 2 is built from a gamer-first design and shares the same design principle as the original. This time, Lenovo raised the back of the phone to make room for two active cooling fans on either side.
The device is pretty tall, measuring 176mm in length and 78.5mm wide. It’s a bit on the chunky side at 9.9mm thick and hefty at 259g making it a bit of a challenge to hold the phone with one hand. The curved frame and the raised back does make for an incredibly comfortable gaming experience, and gamers will surely appreciate the console controller-like feel of the phone. Since the CPU, GPU and fans are housed in the middle, the Legion Phone Duel 2 focuses the heat in the center of the device, allowing your hands to stay cool during long gaming sessions.
This gaming-centric design, however, does have its quirks for day-to-day smartphone use. Holding the device in portrait mode can be a bit awkward. Due to the raised module on the back, you can’t really hold the entire half of the phone without covering the cameras—or the fan.
DISPLAY AND SOUND
THE Legion Phone Duel 2 boasts of a 6.92-inch AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution, a 144Hz refresh rate, and an improved 720Hz touch sampling rate—another feature even the most hardcore gamers will appreciate. The display also supports HDR 10+ and can get as bright as 1,300 nits at peak brightness and has Gorilla Glass 5 for protection. There is a preinstalled screen protector, as well.
Lenovo deploys a Pixelworks Iris 6 visual processor to ensure a premium experience in both gaming and multimedia, through ultra-vivid imagery, richer colors and sharper detail.
The device’s display is complemented by an equally excellent audio system. Lenovo incorporated powerful, Dolby Atmos dual-front speakers that deliver superb sound quality, and allows users to catch the subtlest of sounds even in the heat of battle. The volume is loud enough to make you forget about connecting it to any speakers. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have a 3.5mm headphone jack, but Lenovo did include an adapter for those private sessions.
Overall, the Legion Phone Duel 2 has one of best video and audio combos in a smartphone.
GAMING AND PERFORMANCE
LIKE a seasoned gamer getting ready to face the final boss, Lenovo has equipped the Legion Phone Duel 2 with the best hardware arsenal available. As you would expect from a gaming phone with a Snapdragon 888 5G processor and a minimum 12GB of RAM, the Legion Phone Duel 2 handles almost every game with ease. I’ve tested it on a bit of PUBG, Call of Duty, Asphalt 9 and lent it to my nephew for some Mobile Legends and Genshin Impact—and we were both blown away by its performance even on the high settings and we didn’t encounter any frame drops or any lags.
Keeping things cool despite the heat of the action is its One Complete Thermal System. The Legion Phone Duel 2 is the first smartphone to have a built-in active twin turbo fan cooling system. The dual fans work together as a push-pull system to force the cool airflow through the independent copper wind-tunnel. As a result, the Legion Phone Duel 2 doesn’t heat up that fast until about an hour into gaming. For those interested in benchmarks, the Legion Phone Duel 2 handled itself admirably in every test and ranks among the top Android phones of the year.
You can also adjust the lighting effect of the RGB-illuminated Legion logo and fan allowing you to customize the lights and notifications based on your liking, which is really cool.
Keeping it powered are two 2,750mAh batteries with a total of 5,500mAh capacity. It supports dual Type-C charging with two USB Type-C connectors on the smartphone—on both edges—so you can charge the phone while holding it in either vertical or horizontal orientation. With 90W fast charging, you can get up to 50 percent charge in just 13 minutes, and a full charge in about half an hour.
FINAL WORD
THE Lenovo Legion Phone Duel 2 is a gamer’s dream phone, offering a host of game-centric features such as a huge responsive display and a whole lot of customization options. It also has the power to go head-to-head with any Android flagship, and though might be big and bulky for some, its bold eye-catching design immediately grabs attention—something gamers love to have.
The Legion Phone Duel 2 starts at P34,995 cash price and is available in Legion Exclusive Stores and authorized resellers nationwide. It is also available at the Lenovo Legion Flagship Store in Lazada.