This week, MSI revealed a special Polar Tempest Edition of its powerful MSI Claw 8 AI+ PC gaming handheld, but that's not the only MSI handheld news — a new (non-AI) Claw 7 A2HM has seemingly leaked (thanks VideoCardz).
I personally wrote an MSI Claw 8 AI+ review and can attest to its amazing Intel Core Ultra gaming performance that outdoes the AMD Z1 Extreme-toting ASUS ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go.
From what I can glean from the official specs page, the main differences are that this edition has a white and black color scheme instead of the usual Sandstorm coloring, and it also has a larger 2TB NVMe M.2 SSD.
I love this white and black design more than the Sandstorm option, but the problem is, the normal MSI Claw 8 AI+ is already hard enough to get a hold of. As such, it's probably going to be insanely hard to get your hands on the Polar Tempest Edition.
As hard as finding a polar bear in a snow storm
Little is known about the leaked Claw 7 A2HM spotted by @94G8LA on X (formerly Twitter). But the "7" in the title and lack of "AI" tell us that, if it is real, it will have a 7-inch screen and won't use an AI processor.
As such, this could mean this rumored device is more powerful than the original Claw A1M, but less powerful than the Claw 7 AI+.
Meanwhile, MSI hasn't listed a price for the Claw 8 AI+ Polar Tempest Edition, but it's easy to say that it will cost more than $1,000 if it ever gets to the US.
• Display: 8-inch IPS, 16:10 aspect ratio, FHD+ (1,920 x 1,200) resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) support, multi-touch support
• CPU: Up to Intel Core Ultra 7 processor(Series 2)
• NPU: Intel AI Boost (Up to 47 TOPS)
• GPU: Intel Arc 140V (8 cores)
• RAM: 32GB LPDDR5x
• Storage: 2TB M.2 2230 NVMe PCIe Gen4 SSD
• Connection: Wi-Fi 7 + Bluetooth 5.4
• Battery: 80Whr, 65W Thunderbolt 4 Type-C charger
• Dimensions: 299 x 126 x 24mm (11.77 x 4.96 x 0.94in)
• Weight: 795g (1.75lbs)
Due to the current tariff situation, I've specifically been keeping an eye gaming handheld prices in the US to see if they go up from their initial MSRP.
Unfortunately, the MSI Claw 8 AI+ is one of the devices that has seen a $100 increase. It started at $899.99 MSRP, but is now up to a staggering $999.99 at Best Buy.
As such, the Polar Tempest MSI Claw 8 AI+ with a higher 2TB SSD, will definitely cost more than $999.99 if it ever finds its way to the US. At the time of writing, the MSI website doesn't list any US retailers for the Polar Tempest Edition.
But the pricing isn't going to be the thing that keeps the MSI Claw 8 AI+ Polar Tempest Edition out of people's hands. No, it's going to be availability issues.
Even though I'm quick to sing the MSI Claw 8 AI+'s praises when it comes to performance, the gaming handheld's launch was messy.
The MSI Claw 8 AI+ officially launched in the US on January 15, 2025, but many US retailers only received limited units, while others didn't receive any. Some stores still have the handheld marked as "Coming Soon."
So, really, only a lucky few have been able to get their hands on the base Sandstorm device. It will likely be even harder to get hold of the special Polar Tempest Edition.
Still, I wish good luck to those who try.
