Smartphone makers started making gaming phones a few years ago, which are basically just Android flagships that push their hardware to its limits. Lenovo was one of the first Chinese vendors to take this route, launching its uniquely designed Legion handset a few years ago. Lenovo is now back with the Legion Y90, a gaming phone that features SSD storage in addition to the typical high-speed memory you see on mobile phones.
Gaming phones seem like overkill, given that any modern flagship will deliver a great mobile gaming experience. The Galaxy S22 phones are great gaming phones because they have the best chips possible for Android devices, fast RAM, and fast storage.
But gaming phones like those made by Lenovo are responsible for drawing our attention to certain features. Gaming phones were the first to offer high refresh rates, and now 120Hz displays are the new standard for high-end smartphones.
They’ve also pushed RAM beyond anything we’ve seen before. And they’ve introduced new cooling systems for long-lasting performance. We’ve seen these features hit non-gaming devices as well.
The Lenovo Legion Y90 is the latest addition to the gaming phone category. The handset features the same unusual rear panel design as its predecessor. The camera system sits in the middle of the handset so gamers can comfortably hold it while playing games in landscape mode. Therefore, the camera bump is right in the middle.
The Lenovo Legion Y90 gaming phone
Specs are really where Lenovo’s 2022 gaming phone will impress. Some of them will look familiar to you, as they resemble what you’ll find on the Galaxy S22. But Lenovo pushed the hardware to get the most out of it. The 6.9-inch Full HD+ OLED display has a refresh rate of 144Hz and a multi-finger touch sampling rate of 720Hz. A fingerprint sensor is integrated into the display.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 system-on-chip (SoC) is identical to that of the Galaxy S22. But it is paired with 12GB or 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM. Storage starts at 256 GB of UFS 3.1 flesh memory for these models. Choose the 18GB RAM version and you get 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage and a 128GB SSD.
Using an SSD inside a phone is unusual, but Lenovo does it to increase random write performance by 50%.
Dual fan cooling is also unusual, but it’s something we’ve seen before on Lenovo’s 2021 gaming phone variant. The fans work with liquid cooling so the phone can support an additional 4W of power.
The Legion Y90 also comes with 2 USB-C ports like its predecessor. As a result, the 5600mAh battery supports 68W fast charging. It will take you about 35 minutes to reach a full charge. Along with fast USB-C ports that support up to 10Gbps transfers, you also get fast Wi-Fi 6E wireless internet and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity.
Price and release date
The new Lenovo handset wouldn’t be a gaming phone without rocking the gaming triggers and rear RGB lighting. Stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos sound are also present.
Finally, the main camera has a 64-megapixel sensor with an f/1.8 aperture. The secondary rear camera has a 13-megapixel ultra-wide lens. A 16-megapixel camera sits on the front.
If the specs of Lenovo’s gaming phone convinced you to buy one, you should see the pricing structure. The Legion Y90 12GB/256GB version will cost you 4,299 yuan, or about $681. The most expensive model, the one with built-in SSD storage, will cost 5,299 yuan ($839). Those who pre-order the gaming phone will get an instant discount of 300 yuan ($48).
The bad news is that Lenovo will start selling the Legion Y90 in China first. It’s unclear when international markets will receive the new gaming phone.
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