Skip to main content

Lenovo just killed its Legion gaming phones, and that’s a shame

There had been some recent rumors that Lenovo would be sunsetting its Legion brand gaming phones, and now it’s been officially confirmed.

In a statement to Android Authority, Lenovo confirmed that it will be stopping its current gaming phone efforts as the company restructures its approach to its “gaming portfolio.”

The Lenovo Legion Phone Duel 2.
Lenovo

The full statement shared by Android Authority reads:

Lenovo is discontinuing its Android-based Legion mobile gaming phones as part of a wider business transformation and gaming portfolio consolidation. As a leader in gaming devices and solutions, Lenovo is committed to advancing the gaming category across form factors, as well as focusing on where it can bring the most value to the global gaming community.

This news comes as something of a surprise given Lenovo’s dominance in the portable gaming hardware market, and considering how well Legion gaming phones have generally been received in the past. Lenovo seems to think that by sunsetting its Legion smartphones, it can better focus on where the company can bring the most value to the games industry, but if Legion phones start disappearing, the pickings for quality gaming smartphones will be getting much slimmer.

With Legion phones out of the picture, there will essentially be just three solid device lines for mobile gamers to choose from: Asus ROG Phone devices, the Nubia RedMagic lineup, and the Xiaomi Black Shark series. While they each bring something to the table, it’s not clear how long they’ll all still be around, especially with Xiaomi laying off 10% of its workforce this past December.

Legion gaming phones were always on the more inventive side when it came to shaking up mobile gaming hardware, so their absence in the industry will certainly be felt. Luckily, Lenovo isn’t calling it quits entirely, as made clear in its statement to Android Authority, so you can still expect new gaming hardware from the company. Last week, for example, Lenovo announced its new LOQ gaming laptops.

It’s certainly possible that Lenovo might change its mind somewhere down the line and get back on the mobile gaming horse, but for now, it seems like mobile gamers will need to rely on other companies for their gaming-devoted mobile hardware.

Editors' Recommendations

Peter Hunt Szpytek
A podcast host and journalist, Peter covers mobile news with Digital Trends and gaming news, reviews, and guides for sites…
Forget gaming — there’s another big reason to buy the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate
The back of the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate.

The Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is, first and foremost, a gaming smartphone. But during my review, I found it also hides a secret, as it’s also really good at something else too.

The latest ROG Phone’s secret weapon is its fantastic audio and visual ability, and I consider it as much of a reason to choose the phone as its superb gaming credentials. Here’s what makes it so good.
Two front-facing speakers

Read more
Your old iPhone may not get iOS 17 this year, and that’s good
Apple iPhone X Review

With Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference coming on June 5, we’re expecting a lot of cool things to be announced during the keynote. This could finally be the time that Apple unveils its mixed reality headset, and — of course — we’ll be getting our usual slate of software updates for existing products. That includes iOS 17, which will no doubt ship with the iPhone 15 later this year.

But one rumor going around recently is that iOS 17 could be dropping support for the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X. iPadOS 17 may also be leaving the first generation 9.7-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pros, as well as the fifth-generation iPad, in the dust. Though many people who are using these devices seem to be outraged at the possibility of not getting iOS 17 on their older iPhones, I think it’s the right decision. Here’s why.
You already got over 5 years of software upgrades

Read more
Apple may kill one of its most important iPhones with iOS 17
Apple iPhone X screen upright on a table.

Apple’s WWDC 2023 is just a few weeks away, which is when we expect the company to unveil new software updates for iPhone, Apple Watch, iPads, Mac, and more. This means we’ll be seeing a preview of iOS 17, watchOS 10, iPadOS 17, and macOS 14 during the conference. However, a new report seems to hint that iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 will drop support for devices that were released between November 2015 and November 2017.

According to MacRumors, a source with a proven track record for upcoming software updates reports that iOS 17 will drop support for the following devices: iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, the first generation 9.7-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and fifth-generation iPad.

Read more