MSI Claw A8 Unveiled: AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme Powers New Handheld PC

MSI Enters AMD Handheld Arena with the Claw A8 BZ2EM

After a less-than-stellar entrance into the handheld PC market in 2024 with its Intel Meteor Lake processor, MSI has been busy. It already released refined iterations with Intel Lunar Lake processors, and now it is completing its lineup by introducing its first AMD-based device into the fold: the MSI Claw A8 (model BZ2EM).

This new handheld is also bringing some big AMD guns to the fight, sporting the potent Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor.

What Makes the Ryzen Z2 Extreme So Special

AMD announced the Z2 Extreme earlier this year as their top-of-the-line chip for handheld gaming PCs. It features the same powerful integrated graphics – 16 RDNA 3.5 GPU cores – of the behemoth Ryzen AI HX 370 Strix Point processor. But to make it gaming-focused, the Z2 Extreme doesn't include the bespoke Ryzen AI NPU on AMD's laptop processors. CPU-wise, while the Ryzen AI HX 370 is a 12-core, 24-thread affair, the Z2 Extreme opts for an 8-core, 16-thread one (3 Zen 5 cores and 5 Zen 5c cores).

Diving into the MSI Claw A8 Specs

So, what's in this new Claw. It looks like MSI is aiming for a premium experience:

• Display: A vibrant 8-inch IPS LCD touchscreen with a sharp 1920 x 1200 resolution and a smooth 120 Hz refresh rate. It also offers up to 500 nits of brightness.
• Memory: Snappy performance with up to 24GB of LPDDR5-8000 RAM.
• Storage: You have a user-replaceable M.2 2280 slot for a PCIe Gen 4 x4 SSD and a microSD card reader for expansion.
• Connectivity: You get two full-function USB4 Type-C ports (40 Gbps data, charging, and video output), a 3.5mm audio jack, and stereo speakers.
• Wireless: WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 keep you connected.
• Battery: A large 80 Wh battery gives you decent playtime.
• Security: There's a fingerprint sensor for secure and quick logins.

Beating Rivals to the Punch

The Claw A8 BZ2EM debuts roughly six months after MSI's Intel Lunar Lake handhelds hit the shelves. Unexpectedly, however, rather than a new 7-inch model some speculated about, MSI took everyone by surprise when they revealed this 8-inch AMD monster at Computex 2025 in Taipei, alongside a "Polar Tempest Edition" of their existing Claw 8 AI+.

There have been whispers of an AMD-powered MSI handheld since January. With this launch, MSI seems to be one of the first to market with a product based on AMD's Ryzen Z2 Extreme, even beating out the presumed Asus ROG Ally 2. The design of the Claw A8 has also been revised, with some noting it now resembles even more closely the ROG Ally.

While MSI hasn't let the cat out of the bag in terms of pricing or an exact release date just yet, the specs certainly look promising. Here's the lowdown:

It's a good time for handheld gaming PCs, and MSI's Claw A8 is one to watch out for.