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MSI Claw 8 AI+ gaming handheld is 20% faster than ROG Ally X as per official slides

The MSI Claw 8 AI+ boasts a 8-inch 1080p 120 Hz display. (Image source: MSI)
The MSI Claw 8 AI+ boasts a 8-inch 1080p 120 Hz display. (Image source: MSI)
The Lunar Lake-powered MSI Claw 8 AI+, along with the Claw 7 AI+ bring impressive improvements to the table when compared to the previous-gen MSI Claw. Unsurprisingly, the Arc 140V iGPU allows the new Claw handhelds to pull ahead of the ROG Ally X by as much as 113%.

In the fiercely competitive arena of gaming handhelds, MSI learned the hard way that not every gamble pays off. The previous-gen Claw handheld was a misstep, garnering scathing reviews and struggling to keep up with rivals like the ROG Ally. With the recently announced Lunar Lake-equipped Claw 8 AI+ and Claw 7 AI+, however, things appear to have taken an interesting turn.

According to official slides shared by ETA Prime, the numbers look promising for MSI. The slides reveal that the Claw 8 is around 20% faster than the Ryzen Z1 Extreme-powered ROG Ally X at 17 watts with low graphics and XeSS/FSR enabled. This is to be expected, considering that the Arc 140V iGPU is indeed significantly faster than the aging Radeon 780M found in the Ryzen Z1 Extreme. However, the Ryzen Z2 Extreme is widely expected to arrive at CES 2025, so MSI's victory might be short-lived after all, considering that the Claw 7 AI+ and the Claw 8 AI+ are not expected to arrive until the end of this month.

Moreover, the Claw 8 AI+ also boasts a few more notable improvements over the ROG Ally X, including a larger 8-inch 1080p screen, faster Wi-Fi 7, up to 32 GB of LPDDR5X-8533 memory, and dual Thunderbolt 4 ports. The Core Ultra 7 258V variant is priced at $899, which is $100 more than the Ally X. Now, of course, all eyes are on Asus to see if it can rise to the occasion with an updated version of the ROG Ally X, and with CES 2025 just around the corner, we won't have to wait long to find out.

On the prowl for an external GPU dock? Check out the Minisforum DEG1 with a minimalist design and OCuLink support on Amazon, currently available for $105 at the time of writing.

MSI Claw 8 AI+ pulls well ahead of the ROG Ally X in gaming performance. (Image source: ETA Prime via YouTube)
MSI Claw 8 AI+ pulls well ahead of the ROG Ally X in gaming performance. (Image source: ETA Prime via YouTube)
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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2024 12 > MSI Claw 8 AI+ gaming handheld is 20% faster than ROG Ally X as per official slides
Sambit Saha, 2024-12-10 (Update: 2024-12-10)