MSI Claw A8: These are the differences to the MSI Claw 8 AI+.
MSI unveiled the Claw A8 at Computex 2025. This is the company’s first handheld device to feature an AMD processor. Until now, MSI has relied on Intel hardware for its gaming handhelds.
However, that’s not the only difference from the MSI Claw 8 AI+, which is very similar to the new handheld. Here are the most important differences.
Intel vs. AMD – what kind of performance can you expect?
The MSI Claw A8 features the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip, which will also be installed in the Lenovo Legion Go in the future. It is not yet possible to say with certainty how the gaming performance of the new handheld will compare to the MSI Claw 8 AI+ with Intel processor, but we can make some initial predictions.
The Ryzen Z2 Extreme is similar to the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX370. Both are AMD Strix Point APUs that use the Radeon 890M as their GPU. However, the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 has 4 more cores and 8 more threads than the Z2 Extreme.
In some gaming benchmarks by Chinese YouTuber Geekerwan, the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V shows better gaming performance at 30 watts TDP than the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370.
We will find out how fast the Ryzen Z2 Extreme will be in practice as soon as the first handhelds with this processor are available.
32 GB RAM vs. 24 GB RAM
The new MSI Claw A8 has 24 GB RAM, which is 8 GB less than the MSI Claw 8 AI+. It is not known why there has been a downgrade here, but space could be a factor.
The Intel Core Ultra 7 258V has the RAM on the chip, which saves space in the case, whereas the Ryzen Z2 Extreme does not. Dedicated RAM modules (LPDDR5x, 8,000 MT/s) must be accommodated here.
RAM is particularly important in handheld devices, as it also has to serve as video memory. The MSI Claw 8 AI+ has the edge here. However, the 24 GB of the MSI Claw A8 should still be sufficient in most cases. Even with 8 GB of VRAM for the GPU, the rest of the system would still have 16 GB of RAM available.
Otherwise, there are only a few differences
Operating system: The MSI Claw A8 comes with Windows 11 Home. If you’re looking for a handheld with a Linux operating system, you’ll find what you’re looking for at Valve, Lenovo, and soon Zotac.
Screen: Unfortunately, there is no OLED screen here either. According to the data sheet, the MSI Claw A8 will have the same screen. Specifically, this means:
- 8-inch screen diagonal
- 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution (FHD+)
- 16:10 aspect ratio
- 120 Hz with VRR
- Touchscreen
- 500 nits brightness
Battery: The battery has the same large battery capacity as the MSI Claw 8 AI+ with 80 Wh. In our test, the MSI Claw 8 AI+ scored points with its long battery life. As with many other handhelds, a charging speed of 65 watts is supported.
Storage: An M.2 2280 NVMe SSD is installed. This format is widely used and usually cheaper than the smaller SSDs found in the Steam Deck or Lenovo Legion Go, for example. You can also expand the storage with a microSD card.
Controller and operation: Unfortunately, the MSI Claw A8 does not have a trackpad. We spoke with MSI and, according to the manufacturer, it was omitted from the Claw 8 AI+ for space reasons and in favor of the large battery. Other controller features are familiar from the first handheld:
- Hall effect analog sticks
- Hall effect triggers
- Two macro buttons
- 6-axis gyroscope
Connectivity and ports: Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 are on board. As with the Claw 8 AI+, there are two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4. These can be used to connect fast SSDs or external graphics cards.
Dimensions and weight: The design is a little more angular than the Intel model, but the dimensions and weight are only slightly different.
- MSI Claw A8: 300 x 126 x 24 millimeters, 765 grams (pre-production)
- MSI Claw 8 AI+: 299 x 126 x 24 millimeters, 795 grams
There will also be different color variations for the MSI Claw A8:
More MSI Claw A8 BZ2EM (Z2 Extreme) Colors! ✨
byu/Payaso13th inMSIClaw
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Price and availability: MSI has announced that the MSI Claw A8 is planned for release this summer. No information on pricing is available yet.
The MSI Claw 8 AI+ currently costs $1,000 in the standard version with 1 TB of storage. The new Polar Tempest Edition with 2 TB of storage costs €1,100. If this handheld falls short of the Claw 8 AI+ in terms of performance, a price in the three-digit range would be conceivable and reasonable. MSI will share more details about the MSI Claw A8 in the coming weeks.
