Please forgive the cheese, but the MSI Claw 8 AI+ feels as triumphant as Gandalf’s return as a white wizard in The Two Towers. It almost looks the same as the original, but it shines bright with renewed Intel magic that helps the handheld finally take on its Ryzen-based foes. Second time is certainly a charm for this portable PC, and it’s doing more to kick-start the new generation of Steam Deck rivals than other newcomers in 2025.
If the new Claw 8 AI+ is indeed a reincarnated white wizard, then that probably makes the original MSI Claw Gandalf the Grey. I could get even more unbearably metaphorical by saying it died battling the Balrog (an industry filled with fierce Ryzen Z1 Extreme rivals) so that the latest revision could enter the scene with a bang. It’s simply a more refined version that packs the right punch and wears a new 8-inch display, and that helps better justify its $900 / £899 price tag.
