MSI Claw 8 AI Plus is Official and runs on Intel Lunar Lake and has a much bigger battery

The market for handheld gaming PCs continues to expand, with the recent announcement of Zotac Zone and the new Asus ROG Ally X. Following Asus, MSI has also announced the next iteration of its handheld.

Most consoles in this category are powered by AMD’s Ryzen Z1 or Z1 Extreme APUs, leaving Intel with MSI as its sole partner. The first MSI Claw featured an Intel Meteor Lake Core Ultra 7 155H CPU.

At Computex 2024, MSI announced the next-generation version of this handheld, the MSI Claw 8 AI+, which will be equipped with Intel’s upcoming Lunar Lake CPUs.

MSI Claw Key Specifications

This new model will sport an 8-inch screen, one inch larger than the original Claw A1M. MSI also announced that the Claw 8 AI+ will feature a Thunderbolt 4 port, likely intended for use with a docking station or an external GPU, along with improved battery life compared to its predecessor.

Additional specifications are not available at this time. The company is expected to release more information during the ongoing Computex.

However, we know that Intel’s Lunar Lake offers up to 50 per cent more GPU performance compared to Meteor Lake. Additionally, its Xe2 GPU requires less power to achieve the same performance. We should expect some substantial performance improvement, which was sorely lacking in MSI Claw, compared to its competitors.

MSI Claw x Fallout Special Edition

Additionally, MSI introduced a 7-inch Fallout-themed version of the Claw, called the Claw x Fallout. According to the press release, this variant will showcase “a unique design inspired by the Fallout series’ Vaults, Pip-Boys, and robots, offering fans an immersive experience in the game’s post-nuclear apocalypse atmosphere.” The official press image at the top of this article displays the Claw x Fallout.

Whether these handhelds will be able to compete with Steam Deck or Asus ROG Ally, needs to be seen. If Intel aims to significantly impact the handheld market, where major players like Asus and Lenovo are using AMD’s chips, MSI must deliver a flawless product.