AMD has slowly but surely announced brand new Z2 Series chips destined for handheld PCs, although there are a lot of them, and it can be difficult to know what’s new and what’s different between the model designations.
Here we’ve rounded up everything you need to know about AMD’s Ryzen Z2 series of handheld chips, including technical details, why they’re better than the previous generation, and where you can find these new chips in new and potentially upcoming handheld consoles.
What are the different Ryzen Z2 series chips in their lineup?
So far, AMD has unveiled five chips with the Z2 designation, listed below in order of power for convenience:
| Chip | CPU Cores & Threads | Graphics | TDP |
| Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme | 8 cores, 16 threads w/ XDNA2 NPU (Zen 5) | 16 GPU Cores (RDNA3.5) | 15-35W |
| Ryzen Z2 Extreme | 8 cores, 16 threads (Zen 5) | 16 GPU Cores (RDNA3.5) | 15-35W |
| Ryzen Z2 | 8 cores, 16 threads (Zen 4) | 12 GPU Cores (RDNA3) | 15-30W |
| Ryzen Z2 Go | 4 cores, 8 threads (Zen 3+) | 12 GPU Cores (RDNA2) | 15-30W |
| Ryzen Z2 A | 4 cores, 8 threads (Zen 2) | 8 GPU Cores (RDNA2) | 6-20W |
Looking from the bottom upwards, the Ryzen Z2A is the ‘base’ chip as it were that features in the ROG Xbox Ally handheld, It comes with four Zen 2 cores and eight threads, alongside eight RDNA 2 GPU cores, and supports up to LPDDR5-6400 memory.
The Zen 2 architecture inside is similar to that of the Steam Deck, as well as the PS5 and Xbox Series consoles’ APU, although makes this chip less potent than the last-gen Z1 model. This chip also has a configurable TDP ranging from 6W to 20W, which could be beneficial in terms of longer battery life and efficiency, although at the expense of overall performance.
In comparison, the Ryzen Z2 Go has four Zen 3+ cores and eight threads based on the same architecture as AMD’s Ryzen 6000 laptop chips, and comes with an extra four RDNA 2 GPU cores to take it to a total of 12. This chip is found exclusively inside the Lenovo Legion Go S.
The Ryzen Z2 is the middle ground option with eight Zen 4 cores and 16 threads (the same architecture as Ryzen 7000), as well as a 16-core GPU with RDNA 3.5 graphics, coming as a much more advanced chip than the lower-end models alongside a heightened configurable TDP of between 15 and 30 Watts. It supports LPDDR5-7500 RAM.
AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme explained
The top two Ryzen Z2 Extreme and Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme are mostly identical in terms of their specs, with eight Zen 5 cores, 16 threads and a 16-core RDNA 3.5 GPU.
The AI variant also adds an XDNA2 NPU for more AI horsepower, if needed, and is the chip featured in the flagship ROG Ally Xbox X alongside support for up to LPDDR5-8000 RAM.
Which Ryzen Z2 chip is best?
Purely on the basis of specs, the Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme is the best Ryzen Z2 chip. This is because it takes advantage of AMD’s latest hardware processes with up-to-date architecture, thanks to eight Zen 5 cores in its CPU and 16 RDNA 3.5 GPU cores.
The eight Zen 5 cores here put this on the same architecture as AMD’s Ryzen 9000 desktop chips, while the 16-core GPU is similar to the Radeon 890M integrated graphics in AMD’s Ryzen AI HX 370 laptop chip, which features surprisingly decent gaming performance.
You do also have the XDNA2 NPU with the AI model, although it appears that the Ryzen Z2 Extreme is otherwise identical in specs.
What is the difference between Ryzen Z2 and Ryzen Z1?
As with more ‘normal’ computing processors, the new chips hold theoretical advantages over the older Z1 models with faster processing speeds, better efficiency and a newer architecture to reap the gains of. This should lead to games running more smoothly with better frame rates than on older handhelds, especially with the top-end Ryzen Z2 Extreme and AI variants.
The curiosity is with the Ryzen Z2 A and Z2 Go chips, which aren’t as powerful in terms of their CPU as the initial Ryzen Z1, even if they have a more potent GPU. They’re designed more for simple gaming and for better efficiency.
The Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme also adds in a dedicated APU, unlike any of the other Ryzen Z1, or other Z2 chips, meaning it can also technically be classed as an AI PC. It has enough AI horsepower for any of the handhelds it features in to be classified as one of Microsoft’s Copilot+ PCs. The addition of a proper NPU can take some load off the GPU and CPU portions to make for an overall smoother experience.
Which gaming handhelds have Ryzen Z2 chips inside?
At the moment, there are only a couple of confirmed handhelds using Ryzen Z2 chips.
Of course, both the new ROG Ally Xbox and ROG Ally Xbox X are using the Ryzen Z2 A and Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme, respectively. In addition, the Ryzen Z2 Go is exclusively found in the Lenovo Legion Go S.
There are rumours that a new Lenovo Legion Go 2 and Asus ROG Ally 2 may take advantage of the Z2 Extreme, although they are simply rumours at this point. As and when we hear more, we’ll be sure to pass it on.
