The new model packs an AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme CPU and Radeon 890M graphics under the bonnet, with up to 24GB of RAM. It lands just six months after MSI’s Claw made its debut using silicon from the ever-struggling Chipzilla.

MSI seems keen to keep its options open, and this handheld is clearly gunning for Valve’s Steam Deck and Asus’s ROG Ally.

The Claw A8 BZ2EM sports an 8-inch 1080p display with 120Hz refresh rate, VRR support and 500 nits of brightness. You get an M.2 2280 SSD slot for speedy storage, plus a microSD card reader. That alone puts it a cut above most handhelds doing the rounds right now.

But what really makes this beast interesting is its oversized 80Wh battery. That’s nearly double the original Steam Deck’s 40Wh cell, and comfortably more than the OLED model’s 50Wh. If MSI has sorted out efficiency, this could be a game-changer for handheld longevity.

The dimensions clock in at 299.5 x 126.2 x 24mm, and it tips the scales at 765g. It runs Windows 11 Home, which is either a blessing or a curse depending on how much you like wrestling with driver updates and bloatware.

MSI hasn’t coughed up any details about price or release timing. But given how competitive this hardware spec is, you can bet the industry will be interested  especially with AMD trying to claw back relevance in mobile gaming silicon. Until then, the Claw A8 BZ2EM might just be the most promising handheld no one can buy yet.

MSI Claw A8 BZ2EM Specifications

• Processor: AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme
• GPU: AMD Radeon 890M
• RAM: Up to 24GB
• Display: 8-inch, 1080p, 120Hz, VRR, 500 nits brightness
• Storage: 1x M.2 2280 (PCIe 4.0 x4), 1x microSD card reader
• Battery: 80Wh
• Operating System: Windows 11 Home
• Dimensions: 299.5 x 126.2 x 24mm
• Weight: 765g
• Wireless Connectivity: Not specified