MSI refreshes Claw 8 AI+ with new Polar Tempest Edition mere months after initial release
The MSI Claw 8 AI+ has been out for a few months now, having debuted at the back-end of last year alongside the smaller Claw 7 AI+. With that being said, it took MSI until mid-February to begin shipping its first 8-inch gaming handheld in many markets like Europe and the UK.
Regardless, the company has decided to quietly refresh the Claw 8 AI+ with a second SKU called the Polar Tempest Edition. Shipping July 15, the new variant swaps in white panels for the retro-inspired equivalents on the original Claw 8 AI+. On top of that, MSI has upgraded storage from 1 TB to 2 TB, for which it charges a $100 surcharge to total $999 before taxes.
The Claw 8 AI+ Polar Tempest Edition retains an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor and 32 GB of RAM, though. As a result, the device should outperform Ryzen Z1 Extreme gaming handhelds including the ROG Ally X. However, the Polar Tempest Edition will simultaneously fall short of Ryzen AI 9 HX 370-powered alternatives like the GPD Pocket 4 and OneXFly F1 Pro (curr. $1,439 on Amazon).
As far as we can tell, MSI has restricted the new Polar Tempest Edition to the US for the time being. Unfortunately, the company has not indicated whether this new variant will be available in other markets at some stage. If the road to release for the original Claw 8 AI+ is anything to go by, then it could be a few months before the Polar Tempest Edition receives a global release.
Source(s)
Excaliber PC & MSI via r/MSIClaw
