UPDATE – 5/20: Added more images from Computex
In case you weren’t aware, Computex 2025 actually kicked off last night in Taipei, starting with a Keynote presentation from NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang. Imagine our surprise when we saw that there actually were announcements made besides just an army of new GPUs from various OEMs. In fact, the MSI Claw A8 and MSI Claw 8 AI+ Polar Tempest Edition were both announced (via GamesRadar).
Starting off with the latter, this is practically identical to the MSI Claw 8 AI+ that is seemingly impossible to actually buy here in the States. It features the same 8″ IPS display, complete with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 1920 x 1200 resolution.
The Polar Tempest Edition is also powered by Intel’s Core Ultra 7-258V, paired with 32GB of RAM and an M.2 NVMe SSD. So really, the only difference is the color, as we now have a white shell to go with the pearlescent green ABXY buttons.
MSI Claw 8 AI+ Polar Tempest Edition
- Display: 8″ IPS, 1920 x 1200, 120Hz, VRR
- Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7-258V
- RAM: 32GBGB LPDDR5X
- GPU: Intel Arc 140V
- Storage: NVMe M.2
- Battery: 80Whr
- Ports: 2x Thunderbolt 4, 1x microSD Card, 1x 3.5mm Audio Combo Jack
- Audio: 2x 2W speakers, DTS Audio Processing, Hi-Res Audio ready
- Extras: Fingerprint reader, 6-Axis IMU Vibration Motor
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4
- Dimensions: 299 x 126 x 24mm
- Weight: 795 grams
MSI Claw A8 (BZ2EM)
- Display: 8″ IPS, 1920 x 1200, 120Hz, VRR
- Processor: AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme
- RAM: Up to 24GB LPDDR5X
- GPU: AMD Radeon 880M
- Storage: NVMe M.2 2280
- Battery: 80Whr
- Ports: 2x USB-4 Type-C (Thunderbolt 4 Compatible), 1x microSD Card, 1x 3.5mm Audio Combo Jack
- Audio: 2x 2W speakers, DTS Audio Processing, Hi-Res Audio ready
- Extras: Fingerprint reader, 6-Axis IMU Vibration Motor
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
- Dimensions: 299.5 x 126.2 x 24mm
- Weight: 765 grams
The real story is the MSI Claw A8, which shares some of the same DNA, but is hiding something under the redesigned chassis. Instead of sticking with Intel for its latest handheld, MSI is switching camps as the Claw A8 will feature the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme.
This marks the second handheld to be announced with this chip, following the Lenovo Legion Go 2, which was announced at CES 2025. Meanwhile, we’ve seen a few leaks of the ROG Ally 2, but ASUS has yet to make any formal announcement. That being said, I wouldn’t be surprised if ASUS comes out of left field, much like it did with its April Fool’s Day teaser last month.
Other specs for the Claw A8 include up to 24GB of RAM, an 80Whr battery, dual USB-4 ports, and to join the new design are two new colors. Sadly, MSI stopped short of revealing how much the Claw A8 will cost, but if the Claw 8 AI+ is anything to go by, we’re probably looking at north of $1,000.
Thanks to a member of the RH Discord, we now know MSI has made more than just two color options for its upcoming Claw A8:
Personally, I think I would still prefer the Green one.
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