MSI Claw released in the US, the first Intel Core Ultra gaming handheld

MSI CLAW now available

MSI Claw in stock and shipping.

At CES 2024, MSI caught everyone off guard with the announcement of its first gaming handheld. The surprise was even greater when it turned out that Claw relies on Intel hardware, diverging from AMD-based alternatives like ROG Ally or Legion GO.

The Claw’s launch has left a lot to be desired, as MSI never fully confirmed when the system will be released, nor acknowledged that the handheld is actually already on sale in China. There have been hands-on videos and reviews popping out the whole of February, while the Western countries were eagerly awaiting any updates.

MSI has just updated its official US store to confirm that Claw is in stock and shipping. What’s important is that only the $699 version features the Core 5 135H processor, the 14-core variant. The handheld is also available with 16-core Core Ultra 7 155H, but this version is not in stock and the best estimate for its availability is next week (around March 15th).

MSI CLAW Pricing

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MSI Claw is in stock through the official U.S. store, Source: MSI

By listing the Claw as in stock, the company has effectively released its first gaming console today, March 8, as previously reported. However, in the case of Newegg, which is also offering the system, the release date was bumped to March 15. It appears MSI’s official store is getting the priority this time while other retailers are awaiting stock.

Handheld Gaming Consoles Specs
VideoCardz MSI Claw ASUS ROG AllyLenovo Legion Go Valve Steam Deck OLED
Picture
Architecture Intel Redwood Cove, Crestmont & Xe-LPG AMD Zen4 & RDNA3AMD Zen4 & RDNA3AMD Zen2 & RDNA2
APU Core 7 Ultra 155H
16C/22T up to 4.8 GHz
or

Core 5 Ultra 135H
14C/18T up to 4.6 GHz
Ryzen Z1 Extreme
8C/16T up to 5.1 GHz
or
Ryzen Z1
6C/12T up to 4.9 GHz
Ryzen Z1 Extreme
8C/16T up to 5.1 GHz
or
Ryzen Z1
6C/12T up to 4.9 GHz
AMD Sephiroth (6nm)
4C/8T up to 3.5 GHz
SoC GPU Arc Graphics
8 Xe-C @ 2.25 GHz [155H]
7 Xe-C @ 2.20 GHz [135H]
AMD iGPU
12CU @ 2.7 GHz [Z1E]
4CU @ 2.5 GHz [Z1]
AMD iGPU
12CU @ 2.7 GHz [Z1E]
4CU @ 2.5 GHz [Z1]
AMD iGPU
8CU @ 1.6 GHz
SoC TDP 28W 1-30W9-30W4-15W
External GPU Thunderbolt 4 ROG XG Mobile (up to RTX 4090)USB4Not officially
Memory Capacity 16GB LPDDR5-6400 16GB LPDDR5-640016GB LPDDR5X-750016GB LPDDR5-6400
Storage Capacity 1TB/512GB 512GB1TB/512GB512GB/1TB SSD
Storage Type M.2 NVMe 2230 SSD PCIe 4×4 M.2 NVMe 2230 SSD PCIe 4×4M.2 NVMe 2242 SSD PCIe 4×4M.2 NVMe 2230 SSD PCIe 3×4
Display 7″ 1920×1080, 120Hz, 500 nits, VRR 7″ 1920×1080, 120Hz, 500 nits, 7ms, VRR8.8″ 2560×1600 IPS, 144Hz, 500 nits7.4″ 1200×800, 90 Hz
Connectivity Wi-Fi 7 + Bluetooth 5.4 Wi-Fi 6E, BT 5.2Wi-Fi 6E, BT 5.2Wi-Fi 6E, BT 5.3
Battery 53 Wh, 6-Cell 40 Wh, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion49.2 Wh, 900 mAh (controllers)50 Wh
Weight 675 g 608g / 1.34 lbs854g / 1.87 lbs640 g / 1.41 lbs
Dimensions (L×W×H) 29.4 × 11.7 × 2.1 cm
11.6 × 4.6 × 0.8 in
28.0 × 11.3 × 3.9 cm
11.0 × 4.5 × 1.5 in
29.9 × 13.1 × 4.1 cm
11.8 × 5.2 × 1.6 in
29.8 × 11.7 × 4.9 cm
11.7 × 4.6 × 1.9 in
Default OS Windows 11 Windows 11Windows 11Steam OS/Win 11
Retail Price $799/€949 [155HU+1TB]
$749/€849 [155H+512GB]
$699 [135H+512GB]
$699/€799 [Z1E]
$599/€699 [Z1]
$749 [Z1E+1TB]
$699/€799 [1E+512GB]
$649/€679 [1TB]
$549/€569 [512GB]
Release Date March 2024 June 2023 [Z1E]
September 2023 [Z1]
October 31, 2023November 2023

Source: MSI Store