TheMSI Claw gaming handheldhas finally launched in a limited form, primarily as an exclusive to MSI’s store. To be specific, the higher-end Core Ultra 7 models aren’t available from MSI or other vendors and are labeled as a March 15th pre-order when viewed on Newegg. This means that if you want to buy an MSI Claw today, you’ll be going with the Core Ultra 5 model.
The handheld uses a 7-inch 1080p, 120 Hz, IPS display akin to that of ROG Ally but with no apparent support for Variable Refresh Rate. The triggers and (RGB) joysticks are both confirmed to be hall-effect, which should improve their long-term reliability, and the built-in back handles look pretty ergonomic.
Regarding overall form factor and expansion, the MSI Claw doesn’t seem radically different from any of the other AMD-powered PC handhelds we’ve looked at lately, particularly ones also using 7-inch, 120 Hz displays. Internally, things get more interesting since this competition for the Steam Deck’s handheld PC throne adopts full Intel internals rather than relying on the same AMD APU designs that power current-generation consoles.
Below, we have listed the three core versions of the MSI Claw. Note that all models have 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM running at 6400 MT/s.
Unfortunately, we don’t have anybenchmarksto properly compare the Core Ultra 5 to the Core Ultra 7 in total performance. However, considering the shared number of Arc graphics cores across the Core Ultra 5 and Core Ultra 7, it seems most likely that the performance difference introduced across these differing handhelds will be more CPU-bound than iGPU-bound.
This new architecture can deliver surprisingly competitive results based onprior testingof the Core Ultra 7 155H and its graphics against AMD’s best. However,early previews of the MSI Clawshow Intel’s latest to somewhat underperform in low-TDP handhelds compared to AMD, which likely only worsens with direct performance comparisons. We recommend waiting for some proper benchmarking of the release-MSI Claw before considering it over established options likeDeck OLEDorROG Ally,.
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Christopher Harper has been a successful freelance tech writer specializing in PC hardware and gaming since 2015, and ghostwrote for various B2B clients in High School before that. Outside of work, Christopher is best known to friends and rivals as an active competitive player in various eSports (particularly fighting games and arena shooters) and a purveyor of music ranging from Jimi Hendrix to Killer Mike to the Sonic Adventure 2 soundtrack.
