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New Lenovo gaming phone will feature monster specs and a unique selfie camera

Updated May 6th, 2020 7:41AM EDT
Lenovo Legion Release Date

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  • An unannounced Android gaming phone from Lenovo teases monster specs, as well as a few features that aren’t available on other devices.
  • The Lenovo Legion phone will come with a 144Hz display, 90W fast wired charging, and a side-mounted selfie camera.
  • Visit BGR’s homepage for more stories.

Android gaming phones are practically high-end Android devices that come with improved screens, better cooling, and flashier designs that point out the fact that they’re gaming devices. Android vendors have been using these types of devices to push specs to the limit, packing these devices with more RAM and storage than regular flagships. However, the handsets don’t get access to better processors that the ones that power the latest flagships from Samsung, OnePlus, or Google. In fact, the new Galaxy S20 and OnePlus 8 series, as well as several other 2020 flagships, already feature monster specs themselves, so you wouldn’t need to worry about getting a gaming phone this year. Even so, smartphone makers are making gaming handsets, and Lenovo is about to release its first such device. The Lenovo Legion handset was featured in a bunch of leaks so far, and the newest one reveals a unique feature: A selfie camera that’s mounted on the side of the device, popping up when you need it.

It’s unclear when the Lenovo Legion phone will be launched, but the phone has been teased for a few months now. The handset will pack the same Snapdragon 865 chipset as the Galaxy S20 and OnePlus 8, a teaser said earlier this year. Then we learned the phone will support 90W fast wired charging, the kind of charging speed that’s not available on any other handset.

The images have leaked since then, revealing the handset will feature two USB-C ports, so that the handset can be recharged while being used for gaming in landscape mode. Additionally, these images revealed the phone will have an all-screen design with no notch or hole-punch camera.

Image source: xda-developers

A new teaser video (via xda-developers) revealed additional details about the handset, including the fact that the selfie camera will sit in the middle of the phone, and pop-up when needed. Pop-up selfie cameras were widely used last year, before the emergence of the new hole-punch display design trend. But we’ve never seen cameras mounted on the side of the display. It’s an unusual position that makes sense for landscape selfies and video chatting. But it might complicate things when taking pictures in portrait mode.

On the back, the phone will have a dual-camera setup featuring 64-megapixel and 16-megapixel wide-angle cameras.

Then again, gaming phones aren’t also supposed to be great cameras, whereas other 2020 Android flagships can deliver both a great gaming experience and improved camera features.

The newest Lenovo Legion leak also says the phone will have fast LPDDR5 RAM, UFS 3.0 internal storage, and a Full HD screen that will support 144Hz refresh rate and 270Hz touch sampling rate.

The new Lenovo handset is definitely exciting when it comes to specs. But we have no idea how much that hardware will cost, or when it’s supposed to be available. Given the increasing number of online teasers, we’re likely going to see the Legion announced soon.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.