MSI’s Claw 8 AI+ Is A Major Improvement Over Its Predecessor

After Valve’s highly successful Steam Deck turned handheld gaming PCs into mainstream platforms, competitors quickly followed suit. ASUS and Lenovo almost immediately answered with the Ally and Legion Go, respectively. MSI, on the other hand, soon attempted to catch up with the Claw. The first-generation model did not meet sales expectations, but the new Claw 8 AI+ is an entirely different machine.

Unlike its rivals, which are all using custom AMD chipsets, the Claw 8 AI+ is still sticking with Intel. This time around, it’s packing a Core Ultra 7 (series 2) processor with a 32 GB LPDDR5x-8533 RAM. Players can expect a major improvement in graphical fidelity courtesy of the Arc 140V GPU. Internal storage uses a 1 TB M.2 2230 SSD (NVMe PCIe Gen4).

MSI tells us its latest flagship portable gaming device is also larger than its predecessor at 299 mm x 126 mm x 24 mm. It sports an 8″ FHD+ (1920×1200) IPS LCD touchscreen with a 120 Hz refresh rate and VRR support. Instead of solely marketing the Claw 8 AI+ for gaming, the Taiwanese computer hardware firm is also pushing its capabilities as a mini PC.

Two Thunderbolt 4 ports let users hook it up to an external display and an external GPU for content creation and so much more. For some visual flair, the analog sticks and ABXY face buttons flaunt RGB Mystic Light illumination. Stick drift shouldn’t be an issue as the Hall effect joysticks and triggers deliver precision inputs.

Wireless connectivity includes Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. Elsewhere, we have a pair of forward-facing 2W speakers for immersive audio. The Claw 8 AI+ comes with a 6-cell 80 Whr battery, which purportedly lasts up to 4 hours on a full charge (Endurance mode).

Images courtesy of MSI