ASUS is not the only one that has a new gaming handheld: MSI previewed at its COMPUTEX 2024 booth the Claw 8 AI+, which is the successor to last year’s Claw. While we could not get our hands on the unit–it’s pcaled inside a glass case at MSI’s COMPUTEX 2024 booth, we got to see some of the exterior changes and a few internal upgrades for the Claw 8 AI+.
As the name implies, the Claw 8 AI+ swaps the Meteor Lake chips used by its predecessor for Intel’s upcoming Lunar Lake chips. There are little details we know about Lunar Lake, but Intel did mention in its presentation that they will have RAM integrated into the CPU–similar to Apple’s approach to its M series chips, along with as much as 50% better GPU performance than Meteor Lake.
The Claw 8 AI+ is beefier than its predecessor because of the larger 8-inch 120hz display and an 80wHr battery to rival the ROG Ally X. Just like what ASUS did to the ROG Ally X, you’re getting two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports on the Claw 8 AI+. For SSDs, the Claw 8 AI+ will be using M.2 2280 slot, which means upgrades should be easier.
MSI said that the Claw 8 AI+ will be available to the public in September.
