March 29, 2024

Hands on MSI Claw: compact, light, sturdy, Intel Meteor Lake, 53Whr battery, Wi-Fi 7

MSI Claw is the first handheld PC model to own the Intel Meteor Lake platform introduced since CES 2024. The version in this article is still a sales sample, not an official version, so it is not a complete firmware. However, this is a promising handheld gaming model, as the Intel Meteor Lake platform with Intel Arc GPU is expected to be a serious competitor to the AMD Ryzen Z1 series, along with battery life that MSI is confident is better. it’s better.

Claw is not the first handheld PC model to use Intel’s platform, AYANEO already has many such models, but MSI is one of the first with Intel Meteor Lake. MSI Claw is similar to many other models, a familiar design, embellished with company features such as RGB Mystic Light LED, Dragon logo and wallpaper, MSI Center M interface. MSI Claw is not a model.

The device is light, that was my first observation when holding the Claw in my hand , the weight of 675g is quite a large number compared to ROG Ally (608g) but is nothing compared to Legion Go (854g). To be exact, the MSI Claw will be a bit heavier than the Steam Deck (both OLED and LCD versions). The overall dimensions of MSI Claw, ROG Ally, Lenovo Legion Go and Steam Deck are:

  • MSI Claw: 294 x 117 x 21.2 mm.
  • ROG Ally: 280 x 111 x 21.2 mm.
  • Legion Go: 298.83 x 131 x 40.7mm.

Weight is very important for a handheld gaming device, its nature is very different from a laptop, a model that is too heavy when held in the hand to play games for a long time will not be comfortable, Legion Go is a typical example. picture for this.

Finished with a completely plastic outer shell, that’s not something to worry about, the matte black paint layer increases grip which is what I like, it will be less dirty and look old after a while, unlike ROG Ally with The white paint layer looks very nice, but after a while, stains will accumulate that are difficult to clean.

Regarding the buttons, the two joysticks have a Hall Effect design to help prevent drifting, the ABXY buttons are slightly pointed in the center, the RGB LEDs go through the characters and this button cluster is beautified by MSI, the D-pad is made into 1 cluster. As for the joystick on the right, it is placed a bit low.

When you put two thumbs up, you immediately see a slight tension. When playing, you have to bend your thumb more than with ROG Ally or Legion Go and Steam Deck. I’m not sure if it’s comfortable for people with smaller or larger hands. My hands aren’t too big, they’re small but I find them a bit uncomfortable. 

Two speakers placed on both sides, 2x2W capacity and Hi-Res Audio certification. Another experience I have with Claw’s speaker system is that when I turn on the speaker to play games or listen to music, the entire body of the device vibrates like a massage machine with light mode on. If I use it for a long time, my hands will go numb. Hopefully this is only a problem with the test version. The USB-C Thunderbolt 4 port is MSI Claw’s selling point, at least in terms of specifications, because it owns an Intel platform, of course it is Thunderbolt 4, next to it is the microSD card slot, right above the heat sink, no It’s clear what the durability will be like. 

The power button comes with a fingerprint sensor to unlock. MSI Claw’s screen is 7-inch in size, FHD resolution, 500 nits brightness, 100% sRGB coverage and maximum refresh rate of 120Hz. For playing games, this screen is completely fine, no problems, and is also a strong point compared to the Steam Deck. 

The protective glass layer is glossy glass, there is no anti-glare layer, but MSI sells a separate screen protector or you can find a separate anti-glare sticker if you want. I think the configuration of MSI Claw will have many options, but the highest configuration will be Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, 16GB RAM. Core Ultra 7 155H with Intel Arc graphics platform and new architecture hopes to help Claw and Intel achieve breakthroughs in gaming capabilities. I can’t make any comments until I experience the official commercial version, but in about 45 minutes of trying to play Sons of the Forest with ultra low configuration, 1600 x 900 resolution, it only takes about 15% battery.

The MSI Claw’s battery only has a capacity of 53Whr. If the MSI Claw’s battery life is indeed more impressive than current handheld PC models, then Intel has a huge plus. The Claw’s battery is also larger than the ROG Ally (40Whr), Ayaneo 2S (50.25Whr) or Legion Go (49Whr), while the body is thinner than the Lenovo model.

While main competitors are still equipped with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1, Claw already supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. Regarding heat dissipation, MSI uses 2 radiator fans with two heat sinks above. The back has a very airy design and has MSI’s familiar technology: CoolerBoost HyperFlow, which optimizes airflow to keep the device cool even when working. Are you sitting or lying down to play games? MSI Center M is the control and performance management software on the Claw, integrated into the button on the side of the screen, this layout is similar to ROG Ally or Lenovo Legion Go. 

I think the interface is a bit blurry and doesn’t have a clear layout. It’s understandable that this is just a sample version, but MSI said that Center M is a control software that has optimized the interface and design specifically for Claw. and MSI’s future handheld devices, let’s wait for the final version. The main interface will look like this. I like this interface because it is beautiful and intuitive, integrating popular platforms such as Steam, Xbox, Origin, EA… quickly open the game right from Center M. I know the software It’s not 100% complete yet, so there may be changes when the commercial version is sold. MSI also said that with the integrated App Player, Claw not only includes a library for Windows games but also mobile games (Android).

Currently MSI Claw is running the latest version of Windows 11, Windows 11 will be optimized for games, but the touch screen on Windows in general is still not good. With Center M, just like the MSI laptop version, we can choose many performance modes, the simplest is to choose AI Engine and leave everything to the machine. Looking from this angle, Claw naturally looks so beautiful 😁 . I’m waiting for the commercial version to test its performance more closely. I don’t know when the commercial version will be available 😀 . Looking broadly at the current handheld gaming market, MSI Claw compared to its competitors, the most prominent feature comes from the latest Intel Meteor Lake platform. To be more precise, users still cannot clearly imagine Intel. How will Meteor Lake play AAA games, will it be able to compete with models using the AMD platform, which have more powerful iGPUs, and especially will the battery life be good? Big names like ASUS and Lenovo have entered this market, but MSI doesn’t seem to want to stay out of the game.

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