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Lenovo’s latest attempt to build the ultimate gaming phone has given us the Legion Duel 2, a wild-looking device with an integrated fan, a pop-up camera for streaming and multiple virtual triggers.

Gaming phones aren’t known for being subtle – just look at the Asus ROG Phone 5 we reviewed recently – and the Legion Duel 2 certainly pulls no punches with its design and the sheer amount of features.

Lenovo Legion Duel 2 price and release date

There are two versions of the Duel 2 available, a 256GB and 12GB RAM model for £699/€799 and a 512GB and 16GB RAM model for £899/€999. US pricing has yet to be officially revealed.

Lenovo Legion Phone Duel 2 specs and features

Of course, the main focus here is on features that’ll appeal to mobile gamers. That includes eight programmable virtual triggers (a couple of the top, back and inside the screen) that can be mapped to functions in games. We’ve been impressed with some virtual triggers before and it certainly is better than fussing about with dodgy touchscreen controls, so it’ll be interesting to see how these perform.

Inside the Legion Duel 2 you’ve got a twin turbo fan cooling system that Lenovo said will keep the phone cool and be able to sustain performance for longer. It has also placed the Snapdragon 888 chipset in the middle of the phone rather than on the sides, keeping the areas around your fingers cooler.

This is very much a phone designed to be used horizontally. There’s a pop-up 44-megapixel webcam in the middle that’s meant to be designed for game streaming, with autofocus (still a rarity on front cameras), optional background blur and 4K support. There are four AI microphones dotted around the phone too, with a focus on noise cancelling.

You’ve also got a duo of USB-C ports that can offer up to 90w of charging power if you plug them both in at the same time. 

During a briefing ahead of the unveiling, Lenovo said the 5500mAh battery can be charged to 80% in roughly 17 minutes. Of course, this is only when you’ve got both USB-C ports filled. While having two USB-C ports is a little over-the-top for most situations, having one on the side is smart for when you’re gaming.

Another stalwart feature of a gaming phone is a, well, unique design. The Legion Duel 2 has a bunch of RGB lights on the back that can be customised with varying colours and a sandwich–like style with a distinct middle portion. This is where the cameras sit and considering they were barely mentioned during the briefing we’re expecting much the 64MP main sensor.

Other features here include stereo font speakers, up to 18GB RAM and 512GB storage and a 6.92-inch 1080p 144Hz display. There’s no notch or cutout getting in the way either. This an OLED display and it supports HDR10+ for high dynamic range content and gaming.

Gaming phones are still a mystery to some and we can see why. There’s a lot going on here, but with mobile game streaming on the rise, it’s not exactly clear if the benefits are worth it. We did love the Asus ROG Phone 5 though, so there’s every chance this could end up being one of the best Android phones of the year – at least if you’re desperate for virtual triggers and a very gamer-centric vibe.

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