The Claw 8 EX is a beastly handheld that has pushed mobile PC gaming performance to new highs. It just sucks that the price basically makes it off limits to most folks, unless you have seriously deep pockets.
We can’t argue with the performance of the Claw 8 EX AI+, but $1,799 is quite the stretch when it doesn’t even include an OLED display.
If nothing else, this is a strong proof of concept that Intel is ready to compete with the gaming chip juggernauts of Nvidia and AMD. My only hope is that more people can enjoy the fruits of its labour when the smoke clears from this turbulent era of sky-high component prices.
It’s exciting to know that we’ll start to see Intel’s G3 series processors appearing in more PC handhelds in the years to come. While the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ is merely the first device to incorporate it, more are on the way in as early as Fall 2026. As such, if and whenever you do decide to take the plunge into the PC handheld scene, I can’t recommend enough that you get one that is powered by Intel.
I can’t deny that the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ is the best PC gaming handheld I’ve tested - a phenomenally performant and power efficient system that absolutely cooks AMD. But the sky high price means it’s one I can only recommend to the enthusiasts. For the rest of you, I’d wait for a sale.
