There is a new Claw coming with newer Intel CPU
No point in buying Claw with Core Ultra 100 at this point.
Claw A1M (not the 8AI+), Source: MSI
Perhaps this could be one of the most interesting announcements from Computex in regard to Intel products. MSI has now confirmed to The Verge that it will unveil a new gaming handheld at Computex. While no pictures have been provided yet, the company stated that the render leaked earlier is not the actual new version.
The new device, named MSI Claw 8 AI PLUS , will feature an Intel Lunar Lake CPU and an 80 Wh battery, similar to the recently launched ROG Ally X. However, unlike the ASUS product, which did not update its SoC or screen, MSI is upgrading the screen to a larger 8-inch panel.
MSI CLAW (March 2024) → MSI CLAW 8 AI PLUS (later 2024)
- SoC : Intel Core Ultra 100 (Meteor Lake) → Core Ultra 200 (Lunar Lake)
- Screen : 7-inch 120Hz VRR → 8-inch 120Hz VRR
- Battery : 53 Wh → ~80 Wh
MSI Claw 8 AI+ Gaming Handheld
MSI proudly introduces the Claw 8 AI+, the world’s first gaming handheld powered by Intel® Core™ Ultra processors (codenamed “Lunar Lake”). This revolutionary device boasts an 8-inch FHD display, a Thunderbolt 4-supported USB-C port, enhanced LB/RB button feedback, increased battery capacity, and a lighter charger, making it the most powerful 8-inch gaming handheld on the market.
Intel’s Lunar Lake promises faster GPU performance with its Xe2 architecture and up to 1.5 times faster cores compared to Xe-LPG (Core Ultra 100). This significant upgrade will be crucial for the MSI Claw 8 AI PLUS, potentially making it competitive with AMD’s new Ryzen AI 300 series. However, AMD has been reluctant to share details about the new Radeon 890M graphics powered by 16 RDNA3.5 Compute Units, and no company has yet confirmed plans for “Strix Point” based handhelds.
The original leak, which featured a Fallout-themed device, was actually the original Claw in a new theme, not the new 8-inch handheld. The Verge is finding this version particularly not impressive, given it is just a new skin to an already not very popular handheld.
Claw A1M with Fallout theme (not the 8AI+), Source: MSI
MSI has confirmed that the Claw 8 will feature two USB4 ports with Thunderbolt 4 support. This aligns with the ASUS ROG Ally X, which replaced its proprietary XG Mobile port with an open USB4 standard too.
There is no release date or further details available at the moment, however should those appear we will provide the necessary update.
| Handheld Gaming Consoles | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VideoCardz | MSI Claw 8 AI+ | MSI Claw | Lenovo Legion Go | ASUS ROG Ally |
| Picture | [no picture yet] |  |  |  |
| Architecture | Intel Lion Cove, Skymont Xe2-LPG | Intel Redwood Cove, Crestmont & Xe-LPG | AMD Zen4 & RDNA3 | AMD Zen4 & RDNA3 |
| APU | Core Ultra 200V | Core Ultra 7 155H 16C/22T up to 4.8 GHz or Core Ultra 5 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 |
| SoC GPU | Arc Graphics 8 Xe2-C (?) | 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] |
| SoC TDP | TBC | 28W | 9-30W | 9-30W |
| External GPU | Thunderbolt 4 | Thunderbolt 4 | USB4 | ROG XG Mobile (up to RTX 4090) |
| Memory Capacity | TBC | 16GB LPDDR5-6400 | 16GB LPDDR5X-7500 | 16GB LPDDR5-6400 |
| Storage Capacity | TBC | 512GB | 1TB/512GB | 512GB [1] /256GB [2] |
| Storage Type | TBC | M.2 NVMe 2230 SSD PCIe 4×4 | M.2 NVMe 2242 SSD PCIe 4×4 | M.2 NVMe 2230 SSD PCIe 4×4 |
| Display | 8″ 1920×1080 120Hz VRR | 7″ 1920×1080, 120Hz, 500 nits, VRR | 8.8″ 2560×1600 IPS, 144Hz, 500 nits | 7″ 1920×1080, 120Hz (VRR), 500 nits, 7ms |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7 + BT 5.4 | Wi-Fi 7 + BT 5.4 | Wi-Fi 6E, BT 5.2 | Wi-Fi 6E, BT 5.2 |
| Battery | ~80 Wh | 53 Wh, 6-Cell | 49.2 Wh, 900 mAh | 40 Wh, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion |
| Weight | TBC | 675 g | 854g / 1.87 lbs | 608g / 1.34 lbs |
| Dimensions (L×W×H) | TBC | 29.4 × 11.7 × 2.1 cm 11.6 × 4.6 × 0.8 in | 29.9 × 13.1 × 4.1 cm 11.8 × 5.2 × 1.6 in | 28.0 × 11.3 × 3.9 cm 11.0 × 4.5 × 1.5 in |
| Default OS | Windows 11 | Windows 11 | Windows 11 | Windows 11 |
| Retail Launch Price | TBC | $799/€949 [155HU+1TB] $749/€849 [155H+512GB] $699 [135H+512GB] | $749/€799 (Z1E+16G+1TB) $699/€799 (Z1E+16G+512GB) | $699/€799 (Z1E+16G+512GB) $599/€699 (Z1+16G+256GB) |
| Release Date | TBC | March 2024 | October, 2023 | June 2023 [Z1E] September 2023 [Z1] |
Source: The Verge