These new Windows handhelds might actually get more than 2 hours of gameplay

The handheld market is still heating up, and now there are two more devices to choose from. Following up on the MSI Claw we first tested at CES 2024, the Claw 8 AI+ and Claw 7 AI+ have been officially announced in a blog post on the MSI website.

These are the first handhelds to feature Intel’s Lunar Lake CPUs. The Core Ultra 7 258V with Arc 140V graphics is designed to offer better energy efficiency, with MSI noting that the 17W power draw offers “113% higher peak FPS and an average 20% higher FPS under identical power conditions” when compared to unnamed competitors, presumably the ASUS ROG Ally and Steam Deck.

These are also the first handhelds to support Microsoft’s Copilot Plus, although our experience with the AI companion has been mixed at best. Still, combined with two Thunderbolt 4 ports and 32GB of RAM, they could serve as capable all-purpose handheld PCs when connected to an external monitor.

MSI also includes an exclusive App Player, which will allow you to install and run Android apps and games. Since Microsoft is ending support for Windows Subsystem for Android next year, this might be an easier solution than installing a separate Android emulator on PC.

The MSI Claw 8 AI+ and Claw 7 AI+ share the same processor, but they have different screens: the former is an 8-inch IPS panel, and the latter is 7 inches. The Claw 8 AI+ also has a larger 80Wh battery, compared to 54.5Wh on the Claw 8 AI+.

The company didn’t list official pricing in the blog post, but the MSI Claw 8 AI+ is listed on Amazon for $899 and the Claw 7 AI+ for $799. Both are expected to ship before the end of the year.