AMD's Z2 series of processors for handheld gaming devices has been expanded with a pair of new chips, namely the Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme and the Ryzen Z2 A. From AMD's naming scheme, one would assume that the two are quite similar, but if you've kept track of AMD's Z2 product lineup, you're most likely already aware that there are some major differences between the three older SKUs and this time around, we get a further change at the low-end. The new top of the range chip, the Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme appears to be largely the same SoC as the older Ryzen Z2 Extreme, with the addition of a 50 TOPS NPU for AI tasks, which appears to be shared with many of AMD's mobile SoCs.

However, the new low-end entry, the Ryzen Z2 A appears to have more in common with the Steamdeck SoC, than any of the other Z2 chips. It sports a quad core, eight thread Zen 2 CPU, an RDNA 2 based GPU with a mere eight CUs and support for LPDDR5-6400 memory. On the plus side, it has a TDP range of 6-20 Watts, suggesting it would allow for better battery life, assuming devices based on it get a similar size battery as a handheld based on one of the higher-end Z2 SoCs. ASUS is using both of these chips in its two new ROG Ally handheld consoles, but Lenovo is expected to follow shortly.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) is proud to announce an all-new series of Ally handhelds built from the ground up with improved ergonomics and a seamless player-first user experience. Developed in partnership with the incredible team at Xbox, the new ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X offer best-in-class ergonomics and a full-screen Xbox experience that marries the best of Xbox and PC gaming in one cohesive package.

"We wanted to take our handheld to the next level, but we could not do it alone." said Shawn Yen, Head of the Consumer product team at ASUS. "This revolutionary partnership with Microsoft allowed us to forge a brand new device with ROG muscle and the soul of Xbox." The ROG Xbox Ally sports an AMD Ryzen Z2 A Processor with incredible power efficiency, while the ROG Xbox Ally X offers the new AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme Processor for next-level gaming performance. Both launch holiday 2025 in select markets, with additional markets to follow.

MSI's European spare parts website has listed a rear plate that can fit on its previous and current generation 7-inch handheld gaming PCs. Eagle-eyed investigators noted the presence of a third unannounced option within a compatible device list: "Claw 7 A2HM (MS-1T41)." In addition, observers noticed that the Japan Audio Society had granted certification back in February. These discoveries have fired up online debates once again; regarding a theorized AMD Ryzen Z2 APU-powered portable gaming device. An early 2025 leak suggested MSI's preparing of an unusual Claw model; apparently breaking away from their "traditional" selection of Intel SoCs. Last month, Haze2K1 reiterated their belief that the manufacturer would eventually release a new handheld with Ryzen Z2 Extreme silicon onboard. Given the complete lack of a "AI" tags/branding, MSI's speculated "Claw A2HM" SKU could arrive with a less potent NPU (or completely disabled). Current-gen marketing campaigns have hyped up the Claw 8 AI+ and Claw 7 AI+'s Copilot+ credentials; driven by Team Blue's "Lunar Lake" Core Ultra 7 258V all-in-one processor.

Very recently, the Taiwanese tech firm introduced a "Polar Tempest Edition" 8-inch flagship spin-off—industry experts posit that MSI is attempting to elevate the Claw 8 AI+'s profile, following a reportedly stuttery early 2025 global rollout. Closer analysis of the "officially" leaked "A2HM" identifier points to a possible "Arrow Lake-H" visitation. As outlined by VideoCardz, this handheld could be based around some sort of Intel Core Ultra 200H chip. Elaborating on their thought process, the online publication commented: "this platform does not use Xe2 GPU cores but instead features Alchemist+ or Xe-LPG+, which is also said to deliver solid gaming performance thanks to XMX core support. Arrow Lake-H also lacks a powerful NPU, which means it doesn't meet the criteria for Copilot+ PC, so Core 200H makes sense." Three months ago, Team Blue's Robert Hallock revealed "big plans" involving futuristic "Arrow Lake-H" and "Panther Lake" portable gaming products. Given recent-ish certification to retail release timelines, handheld enthusiasts could be sizing up MSI's "Claw 7 A2HM" by late summer.

ASUS has unwillingly revealed its upcoming ROG Ally 2 handheld through FCC filings and certification images, offering an early glimpse at two distinct models. According to Indonesian certification entries and a linked US FCC listing, the Ally 2 will launch in both black and white finishes. The black version includes a dedicated Xbox button, suggesting tighter integration with Microsoft's gaming services, while the white model adheres to the traditional ROG control scheme. This latest reveal follows ASUS's April 1st teaser of "Project Kennan," which showed an animated fusion of an ROG Ally and an Xbox controller, hinting at a formal collaboration between the two companies. Under the hood, the black edition of the Ally 2 represents ASUS's most ambitious handheld to date. It employs AMD's Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor, an eight‑core chip rated at 36 W, paired with 64 GB of LPDDR5X‑8533 memory. In contrast, the white model will feature AMD's Aeirth Plus APU with four cores operating at 20 W. These hardware choices position the black version as a high‑performance Xbox-linked system, while the white version aims to balance power efficiency and sustained battery life.

Both variants are confirmed to sport a 7‑inch display with a 120 Hz refresh rate. Notably, the screen bezels appear unchanged from the original Ally and the higher‑end Ally X. The new design instead focuses on ergonomics, with larger rear grips that resemble those of a traditional controller. The top-mounted I/O includes a pair of USB Type‑C ports, and side‑view images suggest a somewhat bulkier profile. However, the final weight and comfort will depend on ASUS's manufacturing refinements. No powered‑on images have emerged, so details about display quality or software remain unverified. We assume it could support the standard Windows 11 OS, with SteamOS being an option since we reported multiple software patches for ASUS ROG Ally on SteamOS. With multiple certifications now completed in Indonesia, the United States, and Korea, ASUS seems poised to announce the ROG Ally 2 at Computex 2025. Enthusiasts are now left to await official specifications, pricing, and availability when ASUS takes the stage next month.

Two weeks ago, unannounced APU model names—"Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme" and "Ryzen Z2 A"—were leaked by Hoang Anh Phu. AMD introduced its Ryzen Z2 series at CES 2025; officially consisting of three options: Z2 Extreme, Z2 and Z2 Go. Technical make up of the two alleged new additions remained a mystery, but watchdog theorizations positioned the rumored "Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme" as the (expanded) lineup's flagship—likely due to the enablement of an integrated XDNA 2 NPU. The vanilla Z2 Extreme APU is a handheld gaming-oriented product; existing as a spin-off from Team Red's "Strix Point" mobile processor design—utilizing Zen 5 and RDNA 3.5 technologies. By similar deduction, the leaked "Ryzen Z2 A" SKU was viewed as a "Hawk Point" (Zen 4 + RDNA 3) processor, possibly with a "switched on" AI aspect. Earlier today Hoang Anh Phu provided a new follow-up claim—this morning's social media post proposes a return to "Van Gogh" pastures.

The not-yet-official "Ryzen Z2 A" APU design could be derived from the Steam Deck's Zen 2 + RDNA 2 package. Valve and AMD's collaboration resulted in the "Van Gogh" custom chip design—also known as "Aerith"—debuting back in 2022. A die shrink—from 7 nm to 6 nm—arrived in the form of Steam Deck OLED's "Sephiroth" chipset (2023). Phu's latest prediction places the "Ryzen Z2 A" closer to the already unveiled Ryzen Z2 Go, graphics technology-wise. As discussed in the past, this entry-level "Phoenix 2" solution sports an RDNA 2 iGPU, albeit paired with Zen 3 processor cores. The Ryzen Z2 Go chipset powers Lenovo's Legion Go S handheld gaming PC—in the near future, this offering will be made available with two different operating system options: Windows 11 or SteamOS. As extrapolated from Phu's fresh prediction, similar-ish lower end devices—prepped with Valve's proprietary OS—could arrive with "Ryzen Z2 A" APUs onboard.

Three months ago, AMD unveiled its Ryzen Z2 APU series at CES 2025—purpose made for deployment in next-gen handheld gaming PCs. The officially announced flagship—Ryzen Z2 Extreme "Strix Point," utilizing Zen 5 and RDNA 3.5 technologies—was previously alluded to by leakers in late 2024; albeit with some curious claims regarding an "odd 3+5 core configuration." Last week, Hoang Anh Phu (@AnhPhuH) presented an alleged expanded lineup of Ryzen Z2 processors—headlined by a mysterious "Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme" SKU.

PC hardware watchdogs believe that this speculative variant will eventually arrive with an enabled XDNA 2 NPU (a first for the series); likely readied to take on Intel's Core Ultra 200V "Lunar Lake" processor family. MSI's Core Ultra 7 258V-powered Claw 8 AI+ and Claw 7 AI+ handhelds launched not too long ago, boasting all sorts of Microsoft Copilot+ capabilities. Mid-way through March, an Xbox executive introduced "Copilot for Gaming." Team Red and manufacturing partners are likely jumping onto this "AI gaming" bandwagon with the aforementioned "AI Ryzen Z2 Extreme" chip, as well as Phu's fanciful "Ryzen Z2 A" model. The latter could be a spin-off of AMD's vanilla Ryzen Z2 "Hawk Point" design, with a "switched on" XDNA NPU.

Fps Vn—a gaming hardware YouTube channel—has managed to get their hands on an early sample of Lenovo's Legion Go S handheld system. This lower cost model was officially introduced at last week's CES trade event—with a notable specification shared across SteamOS and Windows 11 variants: AMD's Ryzen Z2 Go APU. This processor sits at the bottom of Team Red's latest line of "Strix Point" and "Phoenix Point" gaming-oriented SoCs. The Ryzen Z2 Go chipset—featuring Zen 3 processor and RDNA 2 graphics technologies—is based on Team Red's older "Phoenix 2" silicon. Fps Vn decided to compare this lower-end 4-core/8-thread APU with a widely available sibling: the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme (a Zen 4 and RDNA 3-based processor).

Their Lenovo Legion Go S sample model (Ryzen Z2 Go) was lined up against the ASUS ROG Ally X (Ryzen Z1 Extreme)—tests were performed in Black Myth: Wukong, Cyberpunk 2077 and Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut. Gaming benchmarks indicate an overall 9 to 10% performance deficit for the budget-friendly APU. The results are quite impressive; given that the Ryzen Z2 Go SoC utilizes an older processor technology (Zen 3 vs Zen 4), sports a lower core count (four vs. eight), and is only capable of boosting up to 4.3 GHz (Z1 Extreme hits a maximum clock of 5.1 GHz). Reflecting on these early performance results, potential customers are invited to inspect the gulf in pricing. Leaks indicate that the Legion Go S SteamOS model being priced at $499, while an alleged $100 upcharge grants access to a Windows 11 variant ($599). The price-to-performance ratio favors Lenovo's upcoming entry-level models, but ASUS could reduce the ROG Ally X's entry fee in the coming months—this flagship device originally launched with an MSRP of $799.

Lenovo announced the latest additions to its Lenovo Legion ecosystem of gaming devices, accessories, and software today at CES 2025, delivering a deep bench of devices across a wide range of form-factors that give gamers of all levels powerful options to game their way in pursuit of 'reaching their impossible'. These new devices include:

• The Lenovo Legion Go S (8", 1) and Lenovo Legion Go S (8", 1) - Powered by SteamOS, gaming handheld devices featuring an 8-inch screen with VRR support, a chassis sporting fused TrueStrike controllers with adjustable trigger switches and hall-effect joysticks, and the world's first officially licensed handheld powered by SteamOS.
• The Lenovo Legion Go (8.8", 2), a gaming handheld prototype device planned to feature a native landscape OLED display, up to double the RAM compared to previous generation, and a bigger battery.
• The redesigned Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (16", 10), Lenovo Legion Pro 5i (16", 10) and Lenovo Legion Pro 5 (16", 10) laptops, with new aggressive design language, more performance, and new Lenovo PureSight OLED display options.
• A fully redesigned Legion Space gaming software solution that unifies all Lenovo Legion device settings, syncs with all Lenovo Legion ecosystem devices, provides access to all games in one library, and features a suite of new AI-powered features that help gamers up their game, their streams, and their enjoyment.
• The Lenovo Legion Pro 34WD-10 monitor, a PureSight OLED display with gaming-specific features to give competitive gamers an edge on the map.
• Lenovo also announced other new additions to its Legion and LOQ laptops and desktops, the latest Legion Tab, and a selection of Legion accessories to complement the gaming devices.

AMD at the 2025 International CES unveiled the Ryzen Z2 line of SoCs for gaming handhelds that combine an x86-64 based SoC with a customized version of Windows 11. This market segment is poised to heat up with the entry of the Intel Core Ultra 200V "Lunar Lake" processor, and so AMD is responding with its latest IP. The Ryzen Z2 series is based on the 4 nm "Strix Point" silicon, which combines "Zen 5" and "Zen 5c" CPU cores with a fairly large iGPU based on the new RDNA 3.5 graphics architecture that's optimized for LPDDR5X memory. AMD's engineering effort focused on modest CPU performance gains over the Ryzen Z1 "Phoenix Point," but significant graphics performance gains. The NPU is disabled on all models.

The "Strix Point" silicon physically features two CCX, one with four "Zen 5" cores sharing a 16 MB L3 cache, and the other with eight "Zen 5c" cores sharing an 8 MB L3 cache. The iGPU of "Strix Point" is based on RDNA 3.5, and comes with 16 CU (compute units), a step up from the 12 CU of "Phoenix Point." The series is led by the Ryzen Z2 Extreme, which features an 8-core/16-thread CPU configuration that probably consists of four "Zen 5" cores, four "Zen 5c" cores, and a maxed out iGPU with 16 CU. The chip has a cTDP range of 15 W to 35 W. The "Zen 5" cores boost up to 5.00 GHz.