MSI confirms launch timeline and prices of its new Intel Lunar Lake-powered Claw gaming handhelds

MSI officially introduced the Claw 8 AI+ and Claw 7 AI+ gaming handhelds earlier this month. However, in that announcement, the company didn't talk about when these Lunar Lake-powered devices will be available. With a separate announcement on X, MSI has now confirmed that the official launch is set for December 26.

It's worth noting that the December 26 launch is applicable for the pre-orders that are placed in the US. The company adds that both the Claw 8 AI+ and Claw 7 AI+ gaming handhelds will hit the shelves on January 15, 2025. Besides this, MSI has also confirmed the prices of the two.

Among the two, the Claw 7 AI+ will go for $799, while the Claw 8 AI+ costs $899. The screen size, battery capacity, and connectivity are the main differences between the two. Interestingly, MSI previously confirmed that both the gaming handhelds will be powered by the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V, but now it hints that a different configuration of the Claw 8 AI+ will be available with the Ultra 7 256V.

This lower-end variant of the gaming handheld could have a more affordable price tag than the other option, as the Core Ultra 7 256V comes with 16 GB of RAM instead of 32 GB. Moreover, the official page of MSI Claw 7 AI+ says that it will be available with "up to Core Ultra 7 258V," suggesting it may also be available with the other Lunar Lake processor.

Regardless, both configurations will be capable of offering better performance than the last-gen MSI Claw, and it will be interesting to see how well the new gaming handhelds perform against the upcoming competitors with the Ryzen Z2 Extreme. Check out our previous coverage if you want to learn more about MSI's new handhelds.