MSI has finally introduced its first-ever handheld and the world's first design to use Intel's Core Ultra CPUs, the CLAW.
MSI Intros Its First & The World's First Intel Core Ultra CPU-Powered Handheld, The CLAW
The company had already been teasing its latest handheld gaming device a few days back and now things are official. The MSI CLAW is here in its first iteration labeled the "A1M" and is the start of the company's journey as it competes with the likes of ASUS's ROG Ally and Valve's Steam Deck. This is the world's first handheld announcement to feature an Intel Core Ultra CPU whereas the majority of other devices are powered by AMD Ryzen APUs.
Looking at the specifications, MSI is equipping the CLAW A1M handheld with up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H CPU which has a standard TDP of 28W. This chip offers 16 cores and 22 threads, 24 MB of cache, and runs at up to 4.8 GHz clock speeds. It looks like MSI had waited for Intel to get its graphics performance competitive enough with AMD to release its handheld. Now equipped with Intel's Arc Xe-LPG iGPU with 8 Xe-Cores and up to 2.25 GHz clocks, this device should offer very nice gaming performance.
- Up to Intel Core Ultra 7 processor 155H
- Windows 11 Home
- Ergonomic design for an optimal gaming experience.
- 7" FHD (1920 x 1080), 120 Hz Refresh Rate, Touch Screen, 100% sRGB (Typical), 500nits (Typical), IPS-Level panel.
- Hall Effect triggers and joysticks are built to last with microscopic precision.
- Best-in-class 53Whr battery capacity.
- Revolutionary Cooler Boost HyperFlow technology redirects airflow to cool internal components.
- Exclusive Macro Keys cast your ult with just one click.
- Swift transfers and extensive connectivity with Thunderbolt 4.
- MSI Center M provides a dedicated interface designed for handheld devices with easy-to-use settings.
- MSI AI Engine adjusts various system settings automatically that best fit your needs.
Other specifications include a 7" FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS display with a 120 Hz refresh rate, a 53Whr battery capacity which should be good enough for up to 2 hours of continuous full-load gaming (as per MSI's claims), support for Thunderbolt 4, an optimized cooling solution with HyperFlow tech that utilizes dual cooling fans and several cooling heat pipes, all encased within a plastic shell which comes with RGB lighting.
The MSI CLAW A1M also features a dual 2W speaker for a great audio experience. The full list of I/O on the A1M includes a MicroSD card reader, an audio jack, a volume button, two bumper pads, two Macro buttons, and two triggers. MSI is expecting to launch the CLAW A1M handheld at the earliest around the end of Q1 2024. The console will be priced at $699 US for the Core Ultra 5 125U (16 GB + 512 GB) variant and $799 US for the Core Ultra 7 155H (16 GB + 1 TB) variant.
Handheld Gaming Console Lineup:
| Name | ASUS ROG Ally X | MSI CLAW AM1 | Steam Deck OLED | Lenovo Legion Go | ASUS ROG ALLY | Ayaneo Air 1S | AYANEO 2S | AOKZOE A1 Pro | AOKZOE A2 | GPD Win Max 2 | GPD Win 4 (2023) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU Name | AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme | Intel Core Ultra Series 1 | AMD Sephiroth | AMD Ryzen Z1 Series | AMD Ryzen Z1 Series | AMD Ryzen 7 7840U | AMD Ryzen 7 7840U | AMD Ryzen 7 7840U | AMD Ryzen 7 7840U | AMD Ryzen 7 7840U | AMD Ryzen 7 7840U AMD Ryzen 5 7640U |
| CPU / GPU Architecture | 4nm Zen 4 / RDNA 3 | Meteor Lake / Arc Xe-LPG | 6nm Zen 2 / RDNA 2 | 4nm Zen 4 / RDNA 3 | 4nm Zen 4 / RDNA 3 | 4nm Zen 4 / RDNA 3 | 4nm Zen 4 / RDNA 3 | 4nm Zen 4 / RDNA 3 | 4nm Zen 4 / RDNA 3 | 4nm Zen 4 / RDNA 3 | 4nm Zen 4 / RDNA 3 |
| CPU Cores / Threads | 8 / 16 @ 5.1 GHz | 16 / 22 @ 4.8 GHz 14 / 20 @ 4.5 GHz | 4 / 8 @ 3.5 GHz | 8 / 16 @ 5.1 GHz | 8 / 16 @ 5.1 GHz | 8 / 16 @ 5.1 GHz | 8 / 16 @ 5.1 GHz | 8 / 16 @ 5.1 GHz | 8 / 16 @ 5.1 GHz | 8 / 16 @ 5.1 GHz | 8 / 16 @ 5.1 GHz 6 / 12 @ 4.9 GHz |
| GPU Cores | 12 CU @ 2.8 GHz | 8 Xe @ 2.25 GHz 7 Xe @ 2.20 GHz | 8 CU @ 1.6 GHz | 12 CU @ 2.8 GHz | 12 CU @ 2.8 GHz | 12 CU @ 2.7 GHz | 12 CU @ 2.8 GHz | 12 CU @ 2.7 GHz | 12 CU @ 2.7 GHz | 12 CU @ 2.7 GHz | 12 CU @ 2.7 GHz 8 CU @ 2.6 GHz |
| Memory | 24 GB LPDDR5X-7500 | 16 GB LPDDR5-6400 | 16 GB LPDDR5-6400 | 16 GB LPDDR5-7500 | 16 GB LPDDR5-6400 | 32-64 GB LPDDR5x | 16 GB LPDDR5x-7500 | 32-64 GB LPDDR5x | 32-64 GB LPDDR5x | 16 GB LPDDR5x-7500 | 16-64 GB LPDDR5x-7500 |
| Storage | 1 TB (M.2) Micro-SD UHS-H | 512 GB / 1 TB (M.2) | 512 GB / 1 TB (M.2) | 512 GB- 2 TB (M.2) | 512 GB (M.2) + Micro-SD UHS-H | 512 GB - 2 TB (M.2) | 512 GB - 2 TB (M.2) | 512 GB- 2 TB (M.2) | 512 GB - 4 TB (M.2) | 512 GB - 2 TB (M.2) | 512 GB - 4 TB |
| Display Resolution | 1920x1080 @ 120Hz | 1920x1080 @ 120Hz | 1280x800 @90Hz | 2560x1600 @ 144Hz | 1920x1080 @ 120Hz | 1920x1080 @ 60Hz | 1920x1200 | 1920x1200 @ 60Hz | 1920x1200 | 1920x1200 | 1920x1200 @60Hz |
| Screen Type | 7-Inch | 7-Inch IPS | 7.4" OLED | 8.8-Inch Full IPS | 7-Inch | 5.5-Inch Amoled | 7-Inch Full IPS | 8-Inch Full IPS | 7-Inch Laminated IPS | 10.1-Inch Full IPS | 6-Inch Full IPS |
| WiFi Option | WIFI 6E + BT 5.2 | TBD | WIFI 6E + BT 5.3 | WIFI 6E + BT 5.2 | WIFI 6E + BT 5.2 | WIFI 6E + BT 5.2 | WIFI 6.0 + BT 5.0 | WIFI 6E + BT 5.2 | WIFI 6E + BT 5.2 | WIFI 6.0 + BT 5.0 | WIFI 6.0 + BT 5.0 |
| Battery Size | 80Wh | 53Wh | 50.0Wh | 49.2Wh | 40Wh | 38Wh | 50.25Wh | 65Wh | 48Wh | 67Wh | 45.62Wh |
| Weight | 678g | 675g | 640g | 845g | 608g | 405g | TBD | 729g | 649g | 1005g | 598g |
| Form Factor | 280.2x114x36.9mm | 294x117x21mm | 298x117x49mm | 299x131x41mm | 28.0 x 11.3 x 3.9mm | 224x89.5x21.6mm | TBD | 28.5 x 12.5 x 2.1mm | 265x105x22 | 227 × 160 × 23 mm | 220 × 92 × 28 mm |
| Operating System | Windows 11 | Windows 11 | Steam OS/Windows 11 | Windows 11 | Windows 11 | Windows 11 | Windows 11 | Windows 11 | Windows 11 | Windows 11 | Windows 11 |
| Release Date | July 2024 | 1H 2024 | November 2023 | November 2023 | May 2023 | 2023 | May 2023 | May 2023 | December 2023 | May 2023 | August, 2023 |
| Price | $799 US | $699 (125H + 16 GB + 512 GB) $799 (155H + 16 GB + 1 TB) | $549 (16 GB + 512 GB) $649 (16 GB + 1 TB) | $649 (16 GB + 512 GB) $749 (16 GB + 1 TB) $799 (16 GB + 2 TB) | $699 (Z1 Extreme) $599 (Z1 Standard) | $799 (16 GB + 512 GB) | TBD | $799 US (32 GB +512 GB) | $699 US (32 GB + 512 GB) | 730 EUR (7640U+16+1) 959 EUR (7840U+32+2) | TBD |
About the author: A Software Engineer by training and a PC enthusiast by passion, Hassan Mujtaba serves as Wccftech's Senior Editor for hardware section. With years of experience in the industry, he specializes in deep-dive technical analysis of next-generation CPU and GPU architectures, motherboards, and cooling solutions. His work involves not only breaking news on upcoming technologies but also extensive hands-on reviews and benchmarking.
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