MSI reportedly plans to release the "Claw" handheld featuring AMD's Ryzen Z2 AI Extreme APU, potentially shifting away from Intel to prioritize high-end performance.
MSI's Next Claw Handheld Will Likely Feature A Massive Boost In Generational Performance, Courtesy of AMD's Ryzen Z2 Lineup
With Intel's Lunar Lake "Core Ultra 200V" processors, there weren't many handhelds adopting the lineup, but the one product that did stand out was the MSI Claw 8 AI+ device, which was not only the company's first handheld device, but it was basically one of the first "Core Ultra" gaming handhelds as well. However, according to @Haze2K1, it is claimed that MSI plans to switch towards Team Red for a future handheld release in the Claw lineup, potentially adopting the Ryzen Z2 lineup and ending the exclusivity with Intel's processors.
MSI will release Claw handheld utilizing AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme
— Haze (@Haze2K1) April 11, 2025
This isn't the first time we have seen the news of MSI adopting AMD's APUs for their handhelds, since back at CES 2025, @CodeCommando_ reported that that manufacturer was preparing for a device around the Ryzen Z2 APUs. However, we are unaware of whether MSI will entirely shift to AMD, similar to its competitors like ASUS, or will have a lineup offering both Intel/AMD options, but the latter seems highly unlikely since integrators need to be in an "exclusive" agreement with either of the CPU manufacturers.
It is claimed that MSI will utilize the flagship Ryzen Z2 AI Extreme model, an APU that was recently disclosed in a leak. This particular model is said to feature a dedicated NPU engine but is said to be of similar specifications to the Ryzen Z2 Extreme, which comes in a total of 8 cores and 16 threads configuration, maximum boost clock of 5.0 GHz, and a 16-core RDNA 3.5 iGPU. Compared to the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V, the Ryzen Z2 AI Extreme is expected to dominate gaming workloads, which might be one of the reasons why MSI has decided to switch vendors.
For now, nothing is official, but the rumor does show that AMD has managed to attract most of the manufacturers in the handheld segment and has created a dominant market share.
About the author: Muhammad Zuhair is a hardware and technology reporter for Wccftech, specializing in the semiconductor industry and the complex interplay between technology, manufacturing, and geopolitics. His coverage focuses on the corporate strategies and technological roadmaps of industry giants like TSMC, NVIDIA, Samsung, and Intel. Zuhair's expertise lies in deconstructing complex topics such as fabrication nodes (e.g., 2nm process), the economic impact of policies like the CHIPS Act, and the strategic development of AI infrastructure from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel.
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