- The MSI Claw 8 AI+ and MSI Claw 7 AI+ are MSI's second-gen gaming handhelds
- Both handhelds are powered by the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V with Intel Arc Xe2 graphics
- Preorder the MSI Claw 8 AI+ and Claw 7 AI+ at Amazon, Best Buy, or the MSI store
MSI launched its latest gaming handhelds, the MSI Claw 8 AI+ and MSI Claw 7 AI+, this week, following up on its inaugural MSI Claw that launched earlier this year.
The new MSI Claw handhelds will feature the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V system-on-a-chip (SoC), which features Intel's new Arc Xe2 graphics architecture for improved gaming performance and efficiency. The first MSI Claw featured Intel's previous generation SoC, and the handheld received somewhat mixed reviews regarding performance.
With the second-generation Intel Core Ultra 7 chip, however, the MSI Claw 8 AI+ and Claw 7 AI+ should be able to move past the problems of its predecessor. Though, we won't know for sure until we get our hands on one ourselves.
In addition to the Core Ultra 7 chip, the Claw 8 AI+ will feature an 8-inch 1200p, 120Hz display with 100% sRGB color gamut and up to 500 nits brightness. It also comes with 32GB LPDDR5x-8533 RAM (impressive for a gaming handheld), a 1TB PCIe SSD, and a massive 80 WHr battery with 65W USB 3.,0 power delivery.
The Claw 7 AI+, meanwhile, differs from the above only in its screen size – it's 7 inches rather than 8 inches – and a smaller 54.5 WHr battery.
The MSI Claw 8 AI+ is available for preorder now at Best Buy, Amazon, and the MSI Store for $899.99 in the US, while the Claw 7 AI+ is available for $799.99 (about £700 / £630, respectively, in the UK, and about AU$1,400 / AU$1,245 in Australia, though UK and Australia availability and pricing have not yet been confirmed).
Time to get excited for the MSI Claw again?
When the original MSI Claw debuted at CES 2024, I was as excited as anyone to see what the new handheld, the first powered by an Intel chip, could do. With the Intel Core Ultra 100-series SoC, the first Claw had some things going for it, such as hardware accelerated upscaling via XeSS, the first gaming handheld to do so.
Unfortunately, the gaming performance of the Intel Core Ultra 100-series chips was somewhat underwhelming, especially compared to the AMD Z1 chips powering devices like the Lenovo Legion Go and Asus ROG Ally.
However, the new MSI Claws might be in a much better position this time, thanks to Intel's upgraded Lunar Lake chips. In the laptops we've been able to test with Intel Core Ultra 200-series chips, their performance has been fantastic, and their gaming performance has been surprisingly excellent.
Pair that with improved energy efficiency from the re-engineered Intel architecture, and you might have a gaming handheld that gets fantastic performance and much longer battery life – two things that can make or break a gaming handheld's appeal.
I can't say yet whether the new Claw models can deliver, but in my limited time previewing the Claw 8 AI+ at IFA 2024, it did seem to be a very different beast than the original. Was it enough to justify an $899.99 price tag? That remains to be seen.
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