The Lenovo Legion Phone Duel – also known as the Legion Phone Pro in China – is the company’s first attempt at a flagship gaming phone, and it’s gone all-out from the word go.
With the world’s fastest processors, dual batteries, and a selfie camera that pops out of the side of the phone, the Legion Phone Duel isn’t quite like anything else on the market.
Here’s everything we know about the Legion Phone, including when the phone actually comes out in the UK.
When is the Lenovo Legion Phone Duel coming out?
The Legion Phone was announced in China on 22 July, and went on sale in the country that month too.
It took a bit longer to reach other markets however, but the phone is now available to pre-order in the UK ahead of a proper release on 25 October. That’s the for the black-and-red model of the phone only, with the blue version due to follow “later in the year.”
Sadly there won’t be a US launch for the phone, but dedicated US fans can always import one.
How much does the Lenovo Legion Phone cost?
In the UK the Legion Phone Duel starts from £799 for a model with 12GB of RAM and 256GB storage, and £899 for a version with 16GB of RAM and 512GB storage space.
At the time of writing only the pricier £899 version is available to pre-order direct from Lenovo, but if you get in early you’ll be able to get it along with a free gift using the code ‘LEGIONEARLYBIRD’: your choice of a Lenovo Smart Clock or Yoga Active Noise Cancelling headphones.
What are the Legion Phone specs & features?
The Legion Phone Duel is a pretty unusual phone. It may look like a standard gaming phone at first, but under the surface there’s a lot more going on.
First up, here are the core specs:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus 5G
8/12/16GB LPDDR5 RAM
128/256/512GB UFS 3.1 storage
6.59in FHD+ 144Hz AMOLED screen
Stereo speakers
64Mp main camera
16Mp ultrawide camera
20Mp selfie camera
5,000mAh battery
90W fast charging
The headline spec there is the Snapdragon 865 Plus. This is the overclocked version of Qualcomm’s flagship processor, and the Legion Phone Duel is the first phone in the world to use it, alongside the Asus ROG Phone 3.
The 865+ promises 10% more CPU clock speed, 10% faster graphics, and faster Wi-Fi with speeds up to 3.6Gbps – not to mention 5G support of course.
Lenovo is pairing it with up to 16GB RAM and 512GB of storage (specific options vary by market), so the phone should be blazing fast and have plenty of space for games.
The display is a 6.59in AMOLED with a 144Hz refresh rate. That’s the fastest on the market, though it’s worth noting that Lenovo didn’t get there first – the Nubia Red Magic 5G included 144Hz earlier this year. The display caps out at FHD+ resolution, but most gamers would prioritise frame rate over resolution any day, especially at this screen size.
The screen isn’t interrupted by any notch or punch-hole camera thanks to using a pop-up lens – but one mounted on the side of the phone. It’s an unusual choice, but one designed to facilitate selfies and streaming while playing games in landscape phone – and indeed if you open the camera while gaming you can immediately start recording or streaming the camera feed in an overlay, with software that’s supposedly compatible with most major streaming services.
That camera is a 20Mp f/2.2 lens, but the rear cameras are even more impressive. The main lens uses a 64Mp sensor with 0.8 µm pixels and an aperture of f/1.89, which should capture loads of light for excellent detailed images. It’s paired with a 16Mp f/2.2 ultrawide lens, and these are mounted in the centre of the phone so that your fingers won’t block the lenses when it’s held in landscape.
In fact the phone has been designed for landscape use from top-to-bottom. The Legion OS software – built on top of Android 10 – is optimised for landscape use (though you can of course use it in portrait too) and Lenovo has even moved the phone’s internals to optimise cooling (using liquid cooling, naturally) and heat distribution when the phone is on its side.
That comes down to the batteries too – yes, plural. The Legion Phone Duel has a 5,000mAh capacity, but that’s actually split between two 2,500mAh cells. That’s better for heat distribution, but also allows the phone to hit 90W fast charging by charging the two cells simultaneously – though you’ll need to use both USB-C ports at once to hit those speeds, which can top the phone up fully in just half an hour.
One of those USB-C ports is on the phone’s side – so that it’s at the bottom in landscape, and thus not in the way while charging. The phone also includes ultrasonic shoulder buttons for gaming, and can be paired with either a gamepad or a mouse and keyboard combo for desktop-style gaming from the phone.
The Legion Phone Duel is a gaming phone, so it’s no surprise that it comes decked with RGB lighting across the rear, including on the back of the pop-up selfie lens to complete the effect. It’s available in Vengeance Red or Blazing Blue.
