The AMD Ryzen Z2 series has leaked ahead of its planned announcement at CES 2025 according to VideoCardz, showcasing new processors aimed at handheld gaming devices like the Lenovo Legion Go and ASUS ROG Ally. The Z2 lineup is expected to enhance performance and battery life compared to its predecessor, the Z1 range.
AMD Ryzen Z2 series leaks ahead of CES 2025 announcement
Reported by VideoCardz, the Z2 processors are still based on RDNA 3 technology and will include three different chip configurations: Ryzen Z2, Ryzen Z2 Go, and Ryzen Z2 Extreme. The Z2 Extreme will feature 8 Zen 5 cores and 16 RDNA 3.5 compute units, offering significant performance improvements over previous models.
The Ryzen Z2 Go will exclusively power the upcoming Lenovo Legion Go S, catering to budget-conscious gamers with its 4 Zen 3+ cores and 12 RDNA 2 compute units. Meanwhile, the standard Ryzen Z2 will utilize the Hawk Point architecture with 8 Zen 4 cores and 12 RDNA 3 compute units.
Interestingly, AMD hinted that Valve might leverage the Z2 series in upcoming devices. However, Pierre-Loup Griffais from the Steam Deck development team clarified on BlueSky, stating, “There is and will be no Z2 Steam Deck,” suggesting that any mention of Valve was likely referencing third-party devices and not a new Steam Deck.
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AMD plans to unveil the Ryzen Z2 APUs and additional products during its CES 2025 presentation on January 6, 2025, at 11 AM PT. This event is expected to generate substantial anticipation as the handheld gaming market continues to grow rapidly, with competing devices also in development from major companies like Nintendo and Microsoft.
The growing interest in handheld gaming devices underscores the industry’s shift toward accommodating gamers who may not have direct access to their consoles or PCs.
Featured image credit: Kerem Gülen/Ideogram
