MSI Claw 8 AI+
MSI · Released Dec 2024 · 2nd Gen
MSI's Intel-powered flagship pairs a big 8-inch 120Hz screen and an 80Wh battery with Lunar Lake efficiency for long PC-gaming sessions on the go.
Pros
- +Large 8" 120Hz screen
- +Huge 80Wh battery for the class
- +Strong Lunar Lake efficiency and Arc graphics
- +Hall effect sticks
Cons
- −Expensive
- −Heavy
- −Intel handheld driver maturity still catching up to AMD
What can it play?
Emulation performance by platform, based on real-world testing.
Full specifications
Hardware
- Chipset (SoC)
- Intel Core Ultra 7 258V (Lunar Lake)
- CPU
- 8-core, up to 4.8GHz
- GPU
- Intel Arc 140V
- RAM
- 32GB LPDDR5X (8533 MT/s)
- Storage
- 1TB NVMe SSD
- Weight
- 795 g
- Dimensions
- 299 x 126 x 24 mm
- Cooling
- Active (fan)
Display
- Size
- 8″
- Resolution
- 1920x1200
- Panel
- IPS LCD
- Refresh rate
- 120 Hz
- Touchscreen
- Yes
Battery & Connectivity
- Battery
- 8000 mAh
- Real-world life
- ~3.5 hours
- Wi-Fi
- Wi-Fi 7
- Bluetooth
- Bluetooth 5.4
- Ports
- USB-C (Thunderbolt 4) x2, 3.5mm headphone, microSD
- Expandable storage
- Yes (microSD)
Controls
- Analog sticks
- 2
- D-pad
- Yes
- Face buttons
- Yes
- Analog triggers
- Yes
- Gyroscope
- No
- Hall effect sticks
- Yes
Software & custom firmware
Ships with: Windows 11
Also plays natively: Steam, Xbox Game Pass, All PC storefronts
Custom firmware
Our verdict
The Claw 8 AI+ is MSI's answer to its rocky first attempt, and it is a big step up. Intel's Lunar Lake chip is efficient and capable, the 8-inch 120Hz screen is spacious, and the 80Wh battery is among the largest in any handheld. It runs the full PC library and emulates beautifully thanks to x86 power. It is heavy and expensive, and Intel's handheld software is still maturing, but it is now a genuine alternative to the AMD crowd.