MSI has just unveiled two next-gen gaming handhelds, the MSI Claw 8 AI+ and the Claw 7 AI+. A follow-up to the original MSI claw that failed to make much of a splash, these two mini PCs are referred to as a “refresh” — but they seem to be more than just that. The consoles, apart from updated specs, get a few design changes too. The downside? The flagship is significantly heavier.
We got our first look at the new Claw during this year’s Computex, but that was before we knew the full specs. Now, MSI has revealed pretty much every spec for the two handhelds.
The Claw 8 AI+ comes in a new color referred to as “sandstorm,” while the 7-inch Claw 7 AI+ retains the black color scheme. MSI redesigned the sticks, bumpers, hall-effect triggers, and D-pad compared to the previous iteration. The handhelds also come equipped with a dual-fan, dual-heat-pipe system to keep the temperatures at bay.
One change that could end up being a bother is that the MSI Claw 8 AI+ appears to be significantly heavier than the previous portable PC, weighing in at 795 grams versus the MSI Claw 7 at 675 grams. We’ll have to test it ourselves, but I could see it getting heavy to hold during longer gaming sessions. The weight increase seems to come from the bigger screen, as the 7-inch model retains the 675-gram weight.
In terms of specifications, both consoles now sport Intel’s Lunar Lake CPU, namely the Core Ultra 7 258V. There’s also a significant upgrade to system memory, as the Claw now offers 32GB of LPDDR5x-8553 RAM, which is the highest out-of-the-box capacity of any gaming handheld currently available. Lunar Lake means Intel Arc 140V graphics, and that should prove to be a sizable boost over the previous generation.
The Claw 8 AI+ comes with an 8-inch 1,920 x 1,200 touchscreen and a 120Hz refresh rate, maxing out at 500 nits of brightness. The smaller model seems much the same, except it’s a 7-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 panel. Both support Wi-Fi 6E and run on Windows 11, but MSI’s Player also makes it possible to run Android mobile games.
The handhelds are available now, although one significant detail appears to be missing from MSI’s press release — the price. However, an early Amazon listing earlier this week revealed that the MSI Claw 8 AI+ should cost $900. We’ll have to wait for official listings to confirm that price.
