This week, MSI revealed a special Polar Tempest Edition of its powerful MSI Claw 8 AI+ PC gaming handheld, and a new Claw 7 A2HM has seemingly leaked (thanks VideoCardz).
I personally wrote an MSI Claw 8 AI+ review and can attest to its amazing gaming performance that outdoes the 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
While MSI hasn’t listed a price for this Polar Tempest Edition, it’s easy to say that it will cost more than $1,000 in the US.
MSI Claw 8 AI+ Polar Tempest Edition specs
• 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 MSI Claw 8 AI+ with a higher 2TB SSD, will definitely cost more than $999.99 in the US.
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, 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 this device. It will likely be even harder to get ahold of the special Polar Tempest Edition.
