Lenovo just unveiled an absurd new gaming handheld with a folding 11-inch screen

Lenovo can’t stop making giant gaming handhelds. After storming onto the market with the Legion Go, which had an 8.8-inch screen and detachable controllers, the company has stepped things up another gear, this time hoping to take on the Steam Deck and its 7-inch screen with an enormous 11.6-inch folding-screen handheld, currently called the Legion Go Fold Concept.

Tapping into the growing trend for folding screens in phones, the new Lenovo device can either be used with a Steam Deck-like 7.7-inch screen or folded out to its full 11.6-inch size. With detachable controllers, you can chop and change the setup to suit your needs at any given moment. While the Legion Go never quite topped our best gaming handheld guide, thanks to the Steam Deck’s software still giving it the edge, I was still a huge fan of the Legion Go and must admit I’m excited to try the Legion Go Fold as well.

For a concept, details of the Legion Go Fold Concept spec are surprisingly complete. Lenovo has confirmed it will use an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor, which has the impressive Intel Arc 140V integrated GPU, and has 32GB RAM.

While a decently powerful CPU, the Core Ultra 7 258V is far from the most powerful mobile chip around at the moment, making it seem an odd choice for such a large device. However, while a chip such as the AMD Strix Halo used in the Asus ROG Flow Z13 would seem a more obvious choice, not only is that AMD chip very expensive, but the thin foldable design of the Go Fold probably means it’s limited when it comes to cooling.

Similarly, it’s surprising and disappointing to see only a 48Wh battery included. That’s less than the Steam Deck OLED and well behind the Xbox Ally X – though admittedly the latter does have a particularly large battery.

What we haven’t got specs for yet, though, is the screen. Whether it’s LCD or OLED, what its resolution is, and what refresh rate it can run at are all TBD. However, most folding screens on phones have been OLED, so I’d expect this one to be the same. LCD is inherently far less able to cope with being folded than OLED.

Specs aside, though, the concept here looks amazing in terms of its versatility. It can be used in four modes: Standard Handheld, Vertical Split-Screen, Horizon Full Screen, and Expanded Desktop Mode (with wireless keyboard). Like the Legion Go, the controllers can not only be removed but reattached to each other, to make for a single, more comfortable controller.

There’s no word on a Legion Go Fold release date yet, but considering how complete the spec is, and how many detailed renders Lenovo has provided of the concept, we wouldn’t be surprised to see it land sooner rather than later. As for the Legion Go Fold price, I’d be very surprised if it came in at under $1,500.