Lenovo has reportedly discontinued its Legion gaming phone series, leaving companies like ASUS and RedMagic, among a few other smaller brands, to serve consumers looking for a gaming phone. In the grand scheme of things, gaming phones are a pretty niche market to begin with. But with Lenovo leaving the space, it shrinks the overall category of options even further.
According to Android Authority, Lenovo has confirmed the Legion gaming phone arm of its electronics business has been shuttered. The Legion gaming phone series is officially dead. It’s a little surprising since the Legion Phone wasn’t that old. Giving it little time to grow and flourish. But then again Legion phones weren’t exactly widely available. They were never officially released in the US, and were only available in a few select markets in Europe, Asia, and Latin America.
They were also fairly expensive, which meant they had to directly compete with ASUS’s ROG Phone lineup. Another expensive gaming phone and typically thought of as the pinnacle of this device category.
The Lenovo Legion phone series shutdown is part of a business transformation
High prices mixed with a small market seems to have contributed to Lenovo’s decision. Leading the company to close down the part of the business that makes these devices. In a statement provided to Android Authority, it says the shut down was part of the company’s “wider business transformation and gaming portfolio consolidation.”
Basically, Lenovo probably needed to cut costs. And unfortunately, its Legion gaming phone business likely wasn’t profitable enough to where it made sense to keep it up and running. While this is probably good news for ASUS, because it means less competition for the ROG Phone, it’s bad news for consumers. At least those that like and actively seek out gaming phones.
Less competition can lead to less innovation from other brands. And ultimately it just means less choice for those who buy gaming phones.