MSI Claw to receive Intel Lunar Lake upgrades with Thunderbolt 4 and new larger display

MSI is reportedly preparing to launch a second generation MSI Claw, which it launched earlier this year with Intel Meteor Lake processors. In short, the current MSI Claw fails to match the performance levels of its AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme counterparts, even in its Core Ultra 7 155H trim (curr. $749 on Amazon). Based on sleuthing by @momomo_us, MSI is hoping that its next gaming handheld will rectify this shortcoming, among other changes.

Supposedly, MSI is developing a next-generation model as the 'Claw 8 AI Plus', which it will base around Intel's Lunar Lake processors. For reference, Intel will present its new architecture this week at Computex 2024 in Taipei, full coverage of which we will provide separately. Based on current expectations, Lunar Lake processors will run more efficiently than their Meteor Lake counterparts while also featuring Xe2 iGPUs that could be up to 50% faster than the equivalent inside something like the Core Ultra 7 165U.

Moreover, the MSI Claw 8 AI Plus will benefit from an NPU that will peak at 45 TOPS of theoretical AI performance. On top of that, MSI is said to be equipping the device with an 8-inch display that will output at 1080p, as well as a larger battery capacity and improved buttons. Like the ROG Ally X before it, the MSI Claw 8 AI Plus should land with a Thunderbolt 4-compatible USB Type-C port too, that would make it compatible with eGPUs. Incidentally, it seems that MSI is preparing a special edition model of the existing MSI Claw, full details of which we have covered separately.