MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ Review: The Best Display & Battery in Its Class, with One Major Catch

Every generation of mobile hardware brags about how much more powerful this version is compared to the last one. No matter how incremental those changes may be in frame rates, screen quality, or battery life, the handheld PC space is evolving at breakneck speed.

When MSI first launched the original Claw, it was (as a polite Canadian like myself would put it), a bit of a miss. But instead of throwing in the towel, MSI went back to the drawing board, locked arms with Intel, and engineered a complete turnaround with the new MSI Claw 8 EX AI+.

And I'm so glad they did.

Ahead of a recent Geeking Out national TV segment on travel tech, I put this unit through a trial by fire. I took it on a flight down to Las Vegas to see Kenny Chesney at the Sphere (and then a few weeks later Backstreet Boys), gamed in my hotel room, and kept testing on a follow-up trip to Toronto for broadcast prep. After logging serious hours button-mashing on this unit across flights, hotel desks, and summer heatwaves, I'm ready to dig into what makes (and breaks) this as a top pick for portable PC gaming.

Pros & Cons

Grip It, Rip It, and Sunlight Reality: Design and Comfort

Instantly, you can feel that the grip on this new model is fantastic. MSI implemented a flared grip design heavily inspired by the classic Xbox controller, making it feel totally natural in the hands.

Combined with a laser-etched dot texture on the fins, the unit feels locked in and secure. Even during extended play sessions, the grip's ergonomics prevented my hands from feeling sweaty or fatigue-prone. The A/B/X/Y buttons feature rounded edges for extra comfort, and the D-pad now uses a metal dome for a nice, clicky actuation.

The screen is an absolute beauty. It's a large 8-inch FHD+ (1920x1200) IPS touch display with a 120Hz Variable Refresh Rate (VRR).

To see how it held up outside, I took it out onto my deck in the middle of a summer heatwave with temperatures pushing past 30°C in bright sunshine. Even as the shade shifted to direct light, the display remained crisp and legible. Better yet, despite the ambient heat, the internal cooling fans stayed surprisingly quiet while keeping thermal throttling in check.

My only real physical gripe with the display is universal: like almost every touch-based handheld PC, it smudges easily under thumb use.

I really wish a manufacturer would figure out an oleophobic solution (I recently learned this phrase, it means repels oils and other substances from sticking) for handheld PC screens, but it remains a minor nuisance here.

It was especially noticeable when I was gaming outside and slathered on a generous amount of sunscreen. Sure you can scroll through menus with the built-in controls, but I can't resist the speed and control of tapping the touch screen.

Real-World Travel & The Backpack Reality Check

Before leaving for Vegas to see Kenyy at the Spheret, my biggest worry was battery anxiety. To play it safe, I tossed a heavy Belkin laptop portable charger into my carry-on.

That turned out to be completely unnecessary.

Between 30 minutes of gaming at the gate and roughly 90 minutes of active play during the flights, the Claw 8 barely broke a sweat. I didn't even need to unwrap the external power bank.

The MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ is a wide, substantial machine. It just barely fit into my usual travel backpack. More annoyingly, because the thumbsticks sit a bit tall, sliding the bare console in and out of tight bag compartments caused the sticks to constantly catch on the internal fabric and pockets.

I struggled to find a standard case big enough to hold it comfortably. In the end, I ended up using a Belkin Travel Bag originally designed for the Switch 2 (not an ad, just the only gear I had on hand during testing that actually fit this giant). If you plan on commuting with this device, buying a dedicated, spacious hard-shell case is an absolute necessity to protect those tall sticks.

Funny enough, that Belkin case was also part of my Travel Tech TV segment, so it actually worked out great since I had to bring both of those things to Toronto anyway.

Deep Dive: What's Under the Hood with the Intel Processor?

Let's dive deep into the brain of this beast. The MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ runs on the brand-new Intel Arc G3 Extreme processor (built on the Xe3 architecture).

What's Improved?

Unlike desktop chips forced into portable bodies, this is purpose-built for handhelds. Intel optimized the core layout down to 2 Performance cores, 8 Efficiency cores, and 4 Low-Power Efficiency cores.

It also debuts Intelligent Bias Control (IBC) v3.5. At lower power levels (14W and below), it actually parks those 2 P-cores entirely, running the system strictly on hyper-efficient E-cores to save battery while preserving game framerates.

Why It's Optimal for Gaming on the Go

The GPU tile boasts 12 Xe-cores and 96 XMX AI Engines. In testing, this chip pushes 44% faster peak performance over the previous-gen Intel chip and operates up to 42% faster than rival handheld chips like the AMD Z2 Extreme at 35W. Even better? At just 17W, it matches the performance of competitor chips running at a full 35W, giving you double the power efficiency.

Back in April, I traveled to Brazil to see Intel Extreme Masters, and while there, I chatted with some Intel execs who talked at length about the way Intel approaches gaming from a gamer-first perspective, then tweaks the chips and hardware to match. It was cool to see the talk was backed up when I finally got to try this new Intel-powered handheld.

Unique Capabilities & Connectivity

AI and gaming is a hot button topic but when easier-to-digest use case can be achieved with the new Intel Arc G Series processors:

• XeSS 3 & Multi-Frame Generation: Using dedicated AI engines, XeSS 3 introduces Multi-Frame Generation (XeSS-MFG). Instead of rendering every frame manually, AI interpolates up to 3 frames for every 1 rendered frame. In heavy games like Cyberpunk 2077, frame rates jump from 52 FPS up to a buttery-smooth 199 FPS.
• Precompiled Shaders: Say goodbye to launch-day stutters. Intel downloads pre-optimized shader files directly from the cloud, resulting in over 3x faster game load times.
• Rock-Solid Wi-Fi & Hotspotting: When testing competing devices like the ROG Ally and Ally X, I frequently ran into frustrating Wi-Fi dropouts when trying to update games or sync cloud saves in hotels. The MSI Claw had zero connectivity issues on identical networks. I even tethered it briefly to a Rogers 5G mobile hotspot while on the move, and it downloaded patches effortlessly.
• Endurance Gaming: For lighter games or traveling, driver-level limits tune dynamic power down, delivering up to 11 hours of gameplay on a single charge.

Expandable Storage: The Micro SD Express Reality

On the top edge, you'll find a high-speed Micro SD Express Card Reader.

Having to buy specific Micro SD Express cards (rather than reusing the stack of cheap, standard UHS-I Micro SD cards you have sitting in a drawer) might feel like a minor "gotcha" expense at first. But in practice, it's actually worth it. Games loaded directly off an Express card boot instantly, eliminating the dreadful load times and asset pop-in that plague older card formats on handhelds.

If you prefer expanding internal storage, MSI made it super simple. Pop off the 6 Phillips head screws on the rear cover, and you have direct access to a standard M.2 2280 SSD slot to drop in a massive drive of your choice.

Need a workstation or living room console? Thanks to dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, you can plug the Claw into a high-quality dock hooked to an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse. It easily doubles as a fully capable home PC gaming rig or daily workstation.

Software, UI, and Tweakability

While you can run the standard Xbox app interface on Windows 11, MSI's revamped MSI Center M hub is genuinely awesome. It brings all your titles across Steam, Xbox Game Pass, Epic, and GOG into one cohesive, slick library layout.

Pushing the dedicated Quick Settings button pulls up a seamless translucent overlay over your game. From here, you can instantly adjust power limits (PL1/PL2), switch control profiles, or trigger performance tweaks on the fly.

Out-of-the-Box Baseline: If you're brand new to PC handhelds, don't stress! The default AI Engine Mode sits at a perfect 25W baseline, dynamically balancing performance and thermal needs automatically. It gives newcomers a fantastic plug-and-play experience straight out of the box before they ever feel the need to start tweaking settings manually.

Spec Table: MSI Claw 8 EX AI+

The Verdict

The MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ goes from a doubtful underdog to a top-tier handheld contender. With class-leading ergonomics, massive performance gains from Intel's Arc G3 Extreme chip, and intelligent features like XeSS 3, it offers an incredible mobile gaming experience.

Geeking Out Shop

MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ 8" 1200p Touchscreen Gaming Console

Handheld Gaming Console

This handheld gaming console pairs an Intel Arc G3 Extreme processor with 32GB of LPDDR5x RAM and a 1TB NVMe SSD to drive demanding Windows 11 AAA games on its 8-inch 1200p 120Hz IPS display. An updated thermal design and high-capacity 80Wh battery address earlier cooling and power limitations, delivering sustained frame rates during extended play sessions. While performance gains are substantial across modern titles, the premium overall price point and heavier chassis remain key considerations for prospective buyers.

• $2,049.99 at Best Buy

It is big, it is heavy, and it demands a proper travel case to protect its tall thumbsticks on flights. But if you're looking for a powerful, flexible handheld PC that eliminates battery anxiety and doubles as a home desktop rig, this Claw has finally earned its mark.

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