The Design
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GAMING PHONE DESIGN! |
As expected, the design of this handset screams "GAMING PHONE" right off the bat. Like what we mentioned in our article here.
It is noticeable that the company designed this for landscape mode because of the symmetrical design on the back.
This also has beautiful holographic accents all over the phone that shine depending on how the lights hit it, gray lights and super grippy texture on the left and right side, bright red glossy texture for the cameras + LED flash, and a Y-shaped RGB lighting.
To keep it simple, this gaming phone is easy on the hands with proper button placements for gaming despite weighing 349 grams.
The Specs
As expected from a gaming phone, this device is a beast. It sports a 6.65-inch large Gorilla Glass 6 protected AMOLED screen with a 144Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, FHD+ resolution at 391 ppi, and an In-Display fingerprint reader. There's no notch for the front camera. It uses a full-screen design.
Inside, this is powered by Qualcomm's 3.1GHz 7nm Snapdragon 865 Plus octa-core processor, Adreno 650 GPU, 12GB or 16GB LPDDR5 RAM, 256GB or 512GB UFS 3.1 storage, and a large 5,000mAh battery.
It is one of the few high-end phones with a big battery that uses super-fast charging support rated at 90W. Keeping the performance in check is a Dual liquid-cooling solution with copper tubes.
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Pop-up cam |
It even has cameras at the back in case you need it. This one is sporting a 64MP f/1.89 main shooter paired with a 16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle camera at the back. It also has a 20MP f/2.2 pop-up shooter that you can use for selfies, streaming, and more.
Completing the experience, Lenovo loaded this with a stereo speaker setup, 2x USB-C ports, WiFi 6, 5G Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, GPS (L1 + L5 dual-band), GLONASS, BDS, QZSS, Galileo, dual SIM
Actual performance
Superb overall gaming performance!
Thanks to its 1080p AMOLED display that supports up to 144Hz refresh rate. We were able to enjoy crisp images with beautiful colors.
There are only a few games that support up to 144hz refresh rate though. But, you can feel its smoothness on the animation and transitions on the phone's user interface.
Among the games we tested, PUBG Mobile is one of the few that supports up to 90 frames per second. We were able to use 90fps at low graphic settings. Unfortunately, we can use higher graphics once this was set.
BUT, there's a HUGE difference in smoothness once you set it at 90fps. You'll be able to react faster than your opponent that can give you an advantage in playing shooting games like this.
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Air Triggers |
On top of that, the phone has triggers that make it easier to tap, shoot, and aim against our opponents.
This phone also has a 240Hz touch sampling rate which is important for playing competitive rank games such as mobile legends where you can easily use your micromanagement skills against your enemies.
For thermals, thanks to its use of the above-mentioned cooling solution, the phone stayed cool and at a decent temperature in most games except Genshin Impact.
It can run this game at max settings with a smooth gaming experience, but we encountered heating as early as 15 minutes where the temperature rose to 47 degrees Celius. After an hour of playing, it went up to 52 degrees.
All throughout the game, it gave minimal 2-5 fps drops. The heat is quite uncomfortable even with the case provided. So better get an additional cooling fan or tone down the graphics to low or medium settings. Or play in an air-conditioned room.
For the speakers, the sound is immersive and gives clearer details like hearing the footsteps near me in games like PUBG or COD mobile allowing us to react faster when engaging against nearby enemies.
For the microphones, while MLBB with our squad, we noticed that they were complaining that they can hear my voice well. They said that the mic of this phone is quite low. They described it as a kid whispering even though I personally already raised my voice already.
The solution? Use a good quality headphone with microphones. Since it has Bluetooth 5.0 tech, audio delays using a good quality wireless headphone will be less.
For games like ML, we were able to use the phone 6-8 hrs straight before the battery becomes low. For PUBG at 90fps and Genshin Impact set at max, the battery drains quicker at 3-4m hours. This is understandable as those games are more power-hungry.
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90W Dual Turbo Charging |
The phone gets fully charged in around 50 mins to 1 hour using the 65W mode of its charger. If you have 2x USB-C to USB-C cables, you can enjoy its 90W charging that can charge the phone from 0 to 100 percent in about 35 minutes. That's super impressive!
We just noticed that it heats up when charging. We don't suggest using it while charging unless you have external cooling equipment.
Other gaming features
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Legion Realm |
Legion Realm provides a console-like gaming lobby. When scrolling down it lets you see the "Legion Assistant" which gives the actual fps, ping from wifi or data, temperature, the clock speed of CPU, and GPU.
When pressing rampage mode it will give you a significant boost in performance but at a cost of more power consumption.
You can also see the controls for sound and brightness, screen recording, the key mapper for triggers, screenshot, RAM cleaner, and no call and no notify button so your gaming experience will have no interruptions. For vibration feedback, there are a few games that support it like PUBG or Real Racing 3.
This also has a streaming mode that lets you stream while playing your favorite games. So you can share it among your friends or your followers live via YouTube. When enabling the feature, the pop-up selfie camera will activate and will appear a mini picture in picture mode on your screen.
However, we find it distracting when using it for popular competitive games like COD Mobile, ML, or PUBG as it blocks the view on the screen.
Oh, by the way, we almost forgot to mention that this phone has now-and-future-ready 5G tech. So, if you have 5G in your area, it'll help in loading your online games faster. It prevents lags as well.
Lenovo Legion Phone Duel Specs
Display: 6.65-inch 2.5D curved Gorilla Glass 6 protected AMOLED screen w/ 144Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, FHD+ 2340 x 1080 resolution at 391 ppi
CPU: 3.1GHz 7nm Snapdragon 865 Plus octa-core processor
GPU: Adreno 650
RAM: 12GB/16GB LPDDR5
ROM: 256GB/512GB UFS 3.1
Back Camera: 64MP f/1.89 + 16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle + LED flash
Selfie Camera: 20MP f/2.2
Battery: 5,000mAh battery w/ 90W Turbo Power Charging
OS: Android 10 w/ Legion OS
Connectivity: WiFi 6, 5G, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, GPS (L1 + L5 dual-band), GLONASS, BDS, QZSS, Galileo, dual SIM
dual SIM
Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic, ultrasonic
Others: In-Display fingerprint sensor, face unlock, stereo speakers, AWINIC 88264 smart amp, Dirac HD Sound, 4x microphones w/ Qualcomm Noise reduction, Dual vibration engine, Dual ultrasonic shoulder key, Multidimensional vibration control, Customizable RGB lighting, Dual liquid-cooling w/ copper tubes, 2x USB-C, Colors: Vengeance Red, Blazing Blue
Dimensions: 169.17 x 78.48 x 9.9 mm
Weight: 239 g
Price: PHP 39,995 12GB/256GB (PHP 34,995 new SRP), PHP 49,995 16GB/512GB (PHP 44,995 new SRP)
Verdict
Even in early 2020, the Lenovo Legion phone Duel remains as one of the most impressive (if not the most impressive) Android phone designed for gaming.
Hardcore mobile gamers will surely enjoy its form factor, smooth display with up to 144Hz refresh rate, snappy performance, decent cooling, fast charging experience, and modern connectivity features. It even has useful air triggers that could help you perform in games better and the pop-up cam for streaming.
So, if you want to be different in a good way and you play a lot of demanding games, we won't blame you if you will pick this as the next handset that you can use for years.
To celebrate the Chinese New Year this February, Lenovo permanently slashed PHP 5,000 off the original price of the phone, making it more affordable for everyone planning to get a powerful gaming smartphone.
To check this phone on Lenovo's website, click here.
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