AMD Ryzen Z2 Go vs. Z1 Extreme: a handheld head-to-head

By Jon Martindale and Lloyd Coombes Updated December 23, 2025

AMD chips have done a great job of breathing life into the handheld PC market, with a variety of options across budgets and form factors that mean you’re getting pretty great power efficiency and power whichever you go for.

Still, AMD’s second-generation Z2 portable processors debuted in 2025, but a bigger number doesn’t necessarily mean more power over the Z1 Extreme. Below, we’ll cover how they compare to each other, including which ones are in which model of handheld PC, to help you choose wisely.

Pricing for these individual processors is redundant, since you won’t be buying them by themselves, but pricing per device is going to vary dramatically by manufacturer. In the case of the Lenovo Legion Go S, where both chips will be an option eventually, the Z1 Extreme version is available now, with an $800 price tag and Windows 11 installed.

In May, Lenovo launched the Legion Go S with SteamOS as an alternative, with the option of the Z2 Go and more modest companion hardware — such as less memory and onboard storage. Prices there start at $500.

On paper, the Z1 Extreme shows much more capable internals than the Z2 Go. Despite the latter being the newer processor in terms of release chronology, the Z1 Extreme is built on a newer architecture, with a new graphics core design, more cores, and a higher clock speed. It’s the more expensive chip, in the more expensive version of the device, so we’d expect it to perform better.

Still, keep in mind that an even newer chip, the AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme chip, can be found in the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X. That console is pricey, but it does net you sizeable power gains.

The specific performance of any hardware in any portable device is very dependent on the overall design. Available power and cooling play a huge role in how fast a processor can run, and the operating system plays a big part too, so judging how these CPUs will square off without comparable testing using the same devices is tricky.

However, it is possible to make some estimations by comparing how these chips perform in different devices. In our review of the Legion Go S, Jacob Roach tested the Lenovo Legion Go S with a Z2 Go onboard, against the Asus Rog Ally X, running the Z1 Extreme, and even the older ROG Ally with the original Z1.

Although the Z2 Go does put up a decent fight, it’s clear that in most games, the Z1 Extreme is the more capable CPU. Its greater number of CPU cores, higher boost clock, and newer graphics architecture give it a modest but notable advantage. That means that if you’re going to buy the Legion Go 2 S and you want the best performance, the Z1 Extreme version (with SteamOS, please) is the better choice for raw power.

Although this does give a single-source win to the Z1 Extreme, it’s also a decent success story for the Z2 Go. Despite using an older Zen 3 architecture, with fewer cores, and limited to a 4.3GHz boost clock, it’s able to leverage its high-core GPU to great effect — almost keeping up with the higher-power, more expensive alternative. Considering the Z2 Go version with SteamOS will be several hundred dollars cheaper than the Z1 Extreme version, it could make the Z2 Go version of the Legion Go S the better option to undercut the Steam Deck as the best budget handheld gaming solution in early 2025.

While the Z1 Extreme version is faster, it’s also more expensive, pushing it into competition with higher-end handheld gaming systems like the aforementioned Ally X, not to mention the Xbox-branded version with the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme.

The Legion Go S has the AMD Ryzen Z2 Go inside, but arguably struggles for performance when pitted against the SteamOS-based version.

That’s not a concern with the Z1 Extreme, but that chip is likely to be phased out now that the new Z2 Extreme is here. If you’re trying to decide on SteamOS or Windows, that decision will come down to compatibility and the ease-of-use you’re looking for. But, if you’re not bothered either way, I’d recommend holding out for Z2 Extreme price drops.

With Microsoft rolling out the Xbox Full Screen Experience to similar handhelds, you won’t necessarily need to dig into Windows after you’ve set the system up, but you’ll want to know that, if you do have to, the chip won’t struggle to get what you need done.