Lenovo first entered the gaming phone space with its first Legion Duel back in 2020. There have been two gaming phones under the brand’s Legion gaming line since, but it looks like there will not be a third. A company spokesperson has since confirmed that it is in fact shutting down the Legion phone line of products.
Android Authority reports that someone who was believed to be a Lenovo employee made the claim that the brand’s gaming phone business was no more. This claim made its initial rounds a week ago, but since then the outlet has since received a response from a company spokesperson, who has confirmed the claim. According to the statement, this is done “as part of a wider business transformation and gaming portfolio consolidation”.
That being the case, the company says that it is still “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 probably means that its remaining Legion desktops and laptops, as well as their newly introduced LOQ counterparts, will be unaffected.
Gaming phones have always been a niche market, so it was surprising to see so many brands jumping onto the bandwagon. For now, the only brands that remain steadfast in the field are ASUS with its ongoing ROG Phone line, and Nubia’s RedMagic line. The Xiaomi-affiliated Black Shark would also be included in the list, but so far, there’s no indication that it will be releasing a new model this year to succeed the Black Shark 5 Pro. Even gaming peripheral maker Razer stopped at two generations of gaming phones, and that was back in 2019.
That being said, it’s also the sub-segment that sees the most unique takes when it comes to smartphone design. This applies to the Lenovo Legion Duel series of phones too, with their unique placement of the front-facing camera. So it’s a still a shame to see them go away nevertheless.
(Source: Android Authority)
