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How does the Lenovo Legion Phone Duel 2 compare to its predecessor?
Everyone loves a great sequel, and Lenovo has finally rolled out its latest gaming phone for the masses. It’s called the Lenovo Legion Phone Duel 2, and it makes more than a few improvements over the original. We’re here to dig into the specs and our unboxing video to see just how the new device stacks up.
We’ll start a few of the key changes before we tie it up with a quick table of the changes. Ready to learn all about Lenovo’s gaming beast? Let’s get to it.
See also: The best Lenovo phones you can buy
Dual fans stay cool under pressure
If you’ve ever put a gaming PC through its paces, you know how important it is to keep cool. After all, you can’t rack up points with the best of them if your machine can’t keep up. Lenovo has taken that same idea and brought it to the Legion Phone Duel 2 in the form of two cooling fans.
This powerful pair of fans take the Legion Phone Duel 2 from the original passive cooling system to an active system. Lenovo’s ATA 2.0 architecture also helps manage the heat generated by spreading the key internals throughout the large body. You’ll also find an internal vapor chamber completing the cooling upgrades.
More triggers for better control
The original Legion Phone Duel came with a pair of triggers built in to help free you from in-display controls. While they were a great addition, Lenovo quickly realized that there are often more than two controls per game. With that in mind, the OEM cranked the controls up to eight for the Legion Phone Duel 2.
You’ll now find four total ultrasonic shoulder keys, as well as two rear capacitive touchpoints. The Legion Phone Duel 2 rounds out with a pair of in-display touchpoints and a new Dual HaptiX engine. The haptic system is oriented for horizontal gameplay, which is a must on a gaming device. Lenovo carefully positioned the triggers to match your natural gaming position comfortably.
Sharper cameras for a sharper display
If you’re going to boost the display by almost half an inch, why not make the most of your space? At least, that’s the idea with Lenovo’s new Pixelwork i6 AI tuning. The new processor raises the bar with richer colors and a snappy 144Hz refresh rate. Don’t get us wrong, the original Legion Phone Duel packed a crisp 144Hz display, but the new processor takes everything a step further.
Along with the better display, you’ll immediately notice a much sharper selfie camera. The Legion Phone Duel was already plenty powerful with a 20MP pop-up lens, but the sequel leaps all the way to 44MP. It’s still a side-mounted pop-up unit, so you can capture all of your best gaming reactions with ease and stream them to your friends or fans.
The Legion Phone Duel 2 in everyday life
Everyone loves a good unboxing video, and you can check out Lahn going hands-on with the Legion Phone Duel 2 above. He digs into this impressive device and gives a great explanation of how all of Lenovo’s improvements work together.
Lahn’s video helps to show how keeping the components packed into the center is much cooler on your hands in the heat of battle. He even takes you up close with Lenovo’s impressive array of triggers and highlights the powerful dual front-facing speakers. Altogether, it looks like a solid device for everyday use and intense gaming sessions alike.
Legion Phone Duel vs. Legion Phone Duel 2: Just the specs
| Legion Phone Duel | Legion Phone Duel 2 | |
|---|---|---|
Display | Legion Phone Duel 6.65-inch OLED 1,080 x 2,340 resolution 144Hz refresh rate | Legion Phone Duel 2 6.92-inch OLED 1,080 x 2,460 resolution 144Hz refresh rate |
Processor | Legion Phone Duel Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 | Legion Phone Duel 2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 |
RAM | Legion Phone Duel 12GB 16GB | Legion Phone Duel 2 12GB 16GB 18GB |
Storage | Legion Phone Duel 128GB 256GB 512GB | Legion Phone Duel 2 256GB 512GB |
Power | Legion Phone Duel 5,000mAh battery 90W fast charging in 16GB RAM version 65W fast charging in 12GB RAM version | Legion Phone Duel 2 5,500mAh battery 90W fast charging with dual USB-C ports 65W fast charging with single USB-C port |
Cameras | Legion Phone Duel Rear: 64MP wide 16MP ultra-wide Front: Motorized pop-up 20MP | Legion Phone Duel 2 Rear: 64MP wide 16MP ultra-wide Front: Motorized pop-up 44MP with auto-focus |
Video | Legion Phone Duel Front & rear: 4K at 30fps | Legion Phone Duel 2 Rear: 8K at 24fps 4K at 30/60fps 1080p at 30/60/240fps Front: 4K at 30/60fps 1080p at 30/60/120fps 720p at 30/60/120/240fps |
Audio | Legion Phone Duel Stereo speakers No headphone jack | Legion Phone Duel 2 Stereo speakers No headphone jack |
Connectivity | Legion Phone Duel 5G support Dual-SIM | Legion Phone Duel 2 5G support Dual-SIM |
Security | Legion Phone Duel Under-display fingerprint sensor | Legion Phone Duel 2 Under-display fingerprint sensor |
Software | Legion Phone Duel Android 10 ZUI12 at launch | Legion Phone Duel 2 Android 11 ZUI12.5 at launch |
Lenovo incorporated an impressive array of improvements into its second gaming flagship. While the Legion Phone Duel and Legion Phone Duel 2 are clearly siblings, there are plenty of reasons to trust the power of the new device.
The Legion Phone Duel 2 is available in select markets right now, with wider availability coming in May. Hit the button below to learn more and grab yours now.