On the MSI stand at Computex, we were able to discover a Claw range that continues to expand. Remember, we tested the Claw 8 AI+ and its Intel Lunar Lake SoC. MSI has no intention of abandoning it, but is adding an AMD version alongside. This new reference in the MSI console family shares a common DNA with the top-of-the-range Claw 8 AI+. It features the same 8-inch diagonal IPS panel for FHD+ definition (1920 x 1200 pixels), as well as the same 6-cell, 80 Wh battery. The chassis of this new version is again identical, with the same dimensions of 299.5 x 126.2 x 24 millimetres, a weight of around 765 grams and, of course, the same button positioning. Finally, two USB-4 Type-C ports provide the essential connectivity.
Unlike the Intel version, however, you’ll have to say good-bye to Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, dropping back down to Wi-Fi 6E with Bluetooth 5.3. Finally, the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme offers 24GB of LPDRR5X-8000 RAM (compared with 32GB on the Intel-equipped AI+). As a reminder, the AMD chip integrates 8 AMD Zen 5 cores and a Radeon 890M graphics chip (16 RDNA 3.5 cores).
A new AMD version “below” the top-of-the-range Intel-based Claw 8 AI+.
Will this version be more powerful than the Claw 8 AI+ and its Intel Lunar Lake SoC, which remains in the catalog? We can’t wait to test it out, all bets are off from our point of view. On its stand we were also able to discover the evolution of this Intel version christened MSI Claw 8 AI Plus Polar Tempest, equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor and a 2TB NVMe SSD.
For the moment, MSI has not revealed a release date or price for these two models, but it’s possible that the Claw 8 AI Plus Polar Tempest will be positioned above the Claw 8 “AMD” price.
