The MSI Claw 8 AI+ gaming handheld's hardware is good, but its software still needs some fine-tuning
When MSI launched the first generation of the Claw gaming handheld last year, its choice of processor was particularly surprising. In contrast to almost all other manufacturers, it used a Meteor Lake processor from Intel, which is known to require more power than AMD chips in order to work as well. In the fastest mode, the processor was allowed to consume 43 watts continuously. This is of course an impressive amount of power for the cooling unit to take care of inside such a compact device, but this isn't really the point of a device whose aim is to be as efficient as possible. In addition, the fans were almost always active and got pretty loud when gaming.
MSI has stuck with Intel processors for its new Claw 8 AI+—but it now uses a Lunar Lake processor, which is designed for maximum efficiency. Although the processor performance itself is somewhat lower in absolute terms, the iGPU delivers very good performance values even with low power limits and its overall gaming performance is simply very good. With power limits of 37/30 watts, the new Claw 8 AI+ was 25% faster in our gaming tests than the original Claw with 45/43 watts, for example. Its gaming performance is also around 10% better than the ROG Ally X with the older AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme (Zen 4). The GPD Pocket 4 with the current Zen 5 SoC is slightly faster, but its price is significantly higher and it isn't a classic gaming handheld.
As a result of its improved efficiency, its higher performance doesn't come at the expense of the fan's noise emissions, which have actually decreased overall. However, we noticed during our test that the fan speed regularly fluctuates between two values despite the constant TDP, which is a little annoying. These fluctuations also occur in the slower AI mode, just at a slightly lower level. However, this brings us to the next point, as the device's energy profiles are a bit confusing and the AI engine produced significantly weaker results during our test. There are three TDP settings in manual mode (8, 17 and 30 watts), so there isn't really a true manual mode at all. Its basic software is good overall, but there were still some lags and its range of functions can no longer keep up with Asus' Armoury Crate SE software. MSI needs to improve on this and also optimize the fan's behavior.
Apart from its processor, the device's new case including its larger screen of course makes a massive difference. Especially in comparison with the ROG Ally X, you can clearly see that the handheld is significantly larger overall and also around 100 grams heavier. Nevertheless, it still feels good to hold, especially if you are already used to devices like the ROG Ally X—and its 8-inch screen is noticeably bigger. You'll simply have to decide for yourself whether you prefer a larger screen or a more compact case. The screen itself is still an IPS panel with a 500-nit brightness, 120 Hz and VRR, and it works well for gaming—even if its response times are slightly worse than on the old model.
The compact M.2 2230 SSD can be easily replaced and MSI has additionally installed a significantly larger 80 Wh battery (previously 53 Wh), which enables very long runtimes. When gaming, it naturally depends on which performance mode you use. In the fastest mode, our test ended after around 01:45 hours, but with using the AI engine (17 watts), for example, 3.5 hours were made possible.
Another sticking point is its price of $899.99. Although this is justified in our eyes for the hardware on offer, it is likely to act as a deterrent for many potential buyers. The Steam Deck is successful not only because of its ease of use thanks to Steam OS, but also because of its comparatively low price—and the first generation of the ROG Ally is still selling well. Whether the new Claw 8 AI+ will be successful despite its good performance is therefore not yet certain. All further information and benchmark results for the MSI Claw 8 AI+ are available in our detailed review.
