MSI Claw vs MSI Claw 7 AI+: Which is better?

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  MSI Claw 7 AI+
  

  With a new, more powerful Intel chip increasing performance and Copilot+ capabilities alongside a suite of IO and an ergonomic design, MSI’s Claw 7 AI+ is the brand’s best gaming handheld yet. Give this a look if you want to game on the go.

  Pros

  • Improved performance
  • AI tech
  • Bigger battery

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  MSI Claw
  

  $530 $650 Save
  $120

  MSI’s Claw is the first gaming handheld out there to sport a powerful Intel Core Ultra CPU on top of Intel Arc graphics, making it a fierce competitor to the likes of the Steam Deck and ROG Ally. Plus, the Claw is quite affordable for a handheld.

  Pros

  • Intel chip
  • Affordable
  • Sleek design

  Cons

  • Outperformed by other handhelds

When you want to game out in the world, a gaming laptop is a reliable choice, as well as a top-tier tablet, but more and more, the go-to pick is becoming a gaming handheld. MSI’s Claw was the first Intel-powered handheld, while the Claw 7 AI+ looks to bring some key improvements over the original. But are these improvements worth the extra cash?

Read on for the ultimate comparison between the Claw and the Claw 7 AI+ gaming handhelds.

Price, availability, and specs

Preorder your 7 AI+ now

The Claw 7 AI+ isn’t available yet, but you can preorder yours now. The new Claw retails for $800, and there’s just the one model so far. Of course, you can opt for the larger Claw 8 AI+, but that will cost you an extra $100 thanks to its bigger display.

You can pick up an original Claw at your retailer of choice, and sales are quite easy to come by, dropping prices to around $530 at the time of writing. There are a few models to choose from, though, that differ in terms of their chip as well as either 512GB or 1TB of storage.

• 	MSI Claw 7 AI+	MSI Claw
  Dimensions	11.57 x 4.61 x 0.83 inches	11.57 x 4.61 x 0.83 inches
  Weight	1.49 lbs	1.49 lbs
  Chipset	Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 processor 258V	Intel Core Ultra 5-135H or Core Ultra 7-155H
  RAM	32GB LPDDR5x-8533	16GB 6400MHz LPDDR5
  Storage	512GB PCIe Gen4x4 M.2 2230 w/o DRAM	Up to 2TB Gen 4 NVMe SSD
  Wireless Connectivity	Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211	Killer Wi-Fi 7 BE1750, Bluetooth 5.4
  Display	7” FHD (1920×1080), 120Hz, IPS-Level Touchscreen	7-inch FHD (1920×1080) 120Hz 100% sRGB IPS Touch Screen
  Graphics	Intel® Arc™ Graphics	Intel Arc Graphics 8 Xᵉ-Cores
  Ports	2 USB-C/Thunderbolt, 1 SD card reader, 1 3.5mm audio jack	1 USB-C/Thunderbolt 4, 1 SD card reader, 1 3.5mm audio jack
  Battery	6-Cell 53 Battery (Whr)	6 cell (53Whr) Li-Ion

Related

MSI’s new Claw gaming handhelds add powerful Arc graphics thanks to Lunar Lake

The MSI Claw can now upscale your games, giving you more FPS for less.

Related

MSI’s original Claw handheld slated to get Intel Lunar Lake upgrade

A revised model with Intel’s Lunar Lake is in the work but there’s no word yet on when it will release.

Design and display

Mirror-image exteriors

With design, these two machines are a match. Both have relatively standard setups with joysticks on either side, face buttons on the right, and a D-pad on the left. The Claw’s look has always been stylish, especially with RGB on the sticks and colored buttons. The original Claw and the Claw 7 AI+ are also identical in terms of dimensions and weight. These aren’t exceptionally thin and light machines, but they’re certainly compact enough to remain quite portable.

Once again, the displays are a match. You’re looking at 7-inch 1080p IPS touchscreens on both. 1080p isn’t the highest resolution we’ve ever seen on a handheld, but it’s a good fit for a smaller screen. Plus, both support 120Hz refresh rates, which is always nice to have, even if you won’t be able to hit a stable 120 FPS in every game. Of course, IPS tech doesn’t compare to something more advanced like OLED, but it can definitely look good and get the job done.

The upgrades on the Claw 7 AI+ are internal, so there isn’t much to differentiate between the two when it comes to design and display. That said, neither handheld is a disappointment in either area.

Winner: Tie

Hardware and performance

New chip, more FPS

Source: MSI

The big change on the Claw 7 AI+ is in its processor.

You can get up to an Intel Core Ultra 155H on the original, while the 7 AI+ features a next-gen Intel Core Ultra 258V alongside Intel’s upscaling XeSS technology. According to MSI, the Claw 7 AI+ boasts “113% higher peak FPS and an average 20% higher FPS under identical power conditions” compared to its competitors. However, the 258V vs 155H comparison gets a little complicated.

The 155H has more cores, but most games won’t take advantage of the full 16 cores on offer, and while single-core performance is similar, Intel’s XeSS upscaling is likely to take frame rates on the 7 AI+ to the next level. What’s clear-cut is efficiency: the 155H is a 28W chip, while the 258V is a 17W chip, so you’re definitely going to be sucking up a lot less power with the 7 AI+.

The original Claw had up to 1TB of storage, while that has been limited to the Claw 8 AI+, leaving the 7 AI+ with just 512GB. That aside, the 7 AI+ comes with an extra USB-C port, Copilot+ support, and redesigned D-pad, sticks, buttons, and triggers that MSI promises are smoother, more comfortable, and more accurate. The 7 AI+ also sports double the RAM of the original Claw.

Thanks to a more efficient chip, upscaling tech, more RAM, and some AI power, the Claw 7 AI+ takes the lead in terms of hardware, but if you really need a full TB of storage or really want the most cores you can get, you may prefer the original Claw.

Winner: MSI Claw 7 AI+

Battery life

The review will tell the full story

Source: MSI

Battery life is one of those things we can’t get a sense of without going hands-on and testing it for ourselves. That said, there are some takeaways worth keeping in mind.

The battery sizes here match; the bigger battery is going to the Claw 8 AI+. However, as mentioned above, the 258V inside the new Claw is a much more efficient chip that requires less power, so we expect that to improve battery life over the original. However, it remains to be seen by how much. However, we wouldn’t expect anything like day-long battery life for a handheld.

Stay tuned for our full review, but for now, it seems like the Claw 7 AI+ has the edge.

Winner: MSI Claw 7 AI+

Overall winner: MSI Claw 7 AI+

Upgrades make for a better handheld

While the new Claw isn’t exactly a night-and-day upgrade over the original, with a new chip, upscaling tech, AI features, more RAM, and what looks to be better battery life, the Claw 7 AI+ is our overall winner. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a reason to consider the original.

For one, you can pick up the original Claw for significantly less than the new version, and the original has up to 1TB of storage, whereas you’ll have to move up to the 8 AI+ to get a TB of storage. If you’d rather save money, the original Claw isn’t a bad buy by any means.

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Winner

MSI Claw 7 AI+

With a new, more powerful Intel chip increasing performance and Copilot+ capabilities alongside a suite of IO and an ergonomic design, MSI’s Claw 7 AI+ is the brand’s best gaming handheld yet. Give this a look if you want to game on the go.

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Runner-up

MSI Claw

$530 $650 Save
$120

MSI’s Claw is the first gaming handheld out there to sport a powerful Intel Core Ultra CPU on top of Intel Arc graphics, making it a fierce competitor to the likes of the Steam Deck and ROG Ally. Plus, the Claw is quite affordable for a handheld.