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MSI Claw 7 and 8 AI+ handheld gaming PCs with Intel Lunar Lake now available for pre-order for $800 and up

The first MSI Claw handheld gaming PC wasn’t very well received when it launched earlier this year as the first (and only) model in the space to feature an Intel Meteor Lake processor and Intel Arc integrated graphics.

But MSI has promised that the company’s next-gen models would fix many of the original’s weaknesses by offering better performance and better battery life. Now the next-gen MSI Claw 8 AI+ and MSI Claw 7 AI+ are available for pre-order and they’re expected to begin shipping December 25, 2024.

MSI Claw 8 AI+

MSI officially announced the launch of its new handhelds featuring Intel Core Ultra 7 (Series 2) “Lunar Lake” processors on December 3, 2024. But they actually started showing up in retail listings in late November.

They’re currently listed at several different stores, although availability varies by retailer:

• MSI Claw 7 AI+ (A2VM-001US) for $800 – Amazon, Best Buy, MSI, or ExcaliberPC
• MSI Claw 8 AI+ (A2VM-001US) for $900 – Amazon, Best Buy, MSI, or ExcaliberPC

Since both models feature Intel Lunar Lake processors, they should bring improvements to gaming performance and battery life: Intel says its new chips deliver up to 30% better graphics performance while improving energy efficiency by as much as 50% when compared with the Meteor Lake chip used in the original MSI Claw.

On paper, that could be a recipe for handhelds featuring the AMD Ryzen processors that have come to dominate this space over the  past few years. But I’d probably wait for some independent reviews before drawing any conclusions about real-world performance.

MSI Claw 7 AI+

The new MSI Claw 7 AI+ (A2VM-001S) looks nearly identical to the original, which suggests that the upgrades are all on the inside. The MSI Claw 8 AI+ (A2VM-001US), meanwhile, has an updated design with a “sandstone” colored body, redesigned grips, analog sticks, bumpers, and a D-pad that MSI says should make this model more comfortable to hold while ensuring better accuracy during gaming.

It also features a bigger display, a larger battery, and faster WiFi.

MSI Claw 8 AI+MSI Claw 7 AI+Display8 inches
1920 x 1200 pixels
IPS LCD
16:10 aspect ratio
120 Hz refresh rate (VRR)
500 nits7 inches
1920 x 1080 pixels
IPS LCD
16:9 aspect ratio
120 Hz (VRR)
500 nitsProcessorUp to Intel Core Ultra 7-258V
4 P-cores + 4 E-cores
3.7 GHz base / 4.8 GHz max freq
12MB smart cache
47 TOPS NPU
17 – 37W TDPGraphicsIntel Arc 140V
8 Xe cores @ 1.95 GHzRAMUp to 32GB
LPDDR5x-8533StorageUp to 1TB
PCIe Gen 4 x4
M.2 2230Up to 512GB
PCIe Gen 4 x4
M.2 2230WirelessIntel Killer BET1750
WiFi 7
Bluetooth 5.4Intel AX211
WiFi 6E
Bluetooth 5.4Battery & charging80 Wh battery53 Wh batteryCharger65W USB Type-CD PD 3.0Ports2 x Thunderbolt 4
1 x 3.5mm audio
1 x microSD card readerCoolingCooler Boost HyperFlow
Dual fans
Dual heat pipesGame controllersHall effect joysticks and triggers
M1 & M2 macro buttons (rear)
6-axis IMU
vibration motorAudio2 x 2W speakers
1 x 3.5mm audioSecurityFingerprint sensor (in power button)Dimensions299 x 126 x 24mm
11.77 x 4.96″ x 0.94″290 x 117 x 21mm
11.57″ x 4.61″ x 0.83″Weight795 grams
1.75 pounds675 grams
1.49 poundsColorSandstoneBlack

For the most part the new 7 inch model appears to be physically identical to the original MSI Claw handheld gaming PC. The only significant difference is that it has Intel’s latest processor inside.

The new 8 inch model looks like a more substantial upgrade with an updated design and a much larger battery that should, when combined with Lunar Lake efficiency improvements, lead to much longer run time.

While the $800 list prices for the new handhelds seems a little high at a time when you can buy pretty good handheld gaming computers for less than half that much, it’s possible that MSI could have some lower-cost options in the works as well.

There’s mention of models with Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processors and 16GB of memory on at least one of the product pages. Whether that’s enough to lower the price significantly remains to be seen though.

MSI Claw 8 AI+ MSI Claw 8 AI+ MSI Claw 8 AI+ MSI Claw 8 AI+ MSI Claw 8 AI+ MSI Claw 8 AI+ MSI Claw 8 AI+ MSI Claw 7 AI+ MSI Claw 7 AI+ MSI Claw 7 AI+ MSI Claw 7 AI+ MSI Claw 7 AI+ MSI Claw 7 AI+ MSI Claw 7 AI+ MSI Claw 7 AI+

via MSI Press release,  /r/MSIClaw and NotebookCheck

This article was first published November 29, 2024 and most recently updated December 3, 2024. 

#handheldGamingPc #lunarLake #msi #msiClaw #msiClaw7AiPlus #msiClaw8AiPlus