MSI’s Claw A8 BZ2EM arrives amid a crowded field of high-end PC handhelds powered by AMD’s Z2 Extreme, with Asus ROG Xbox Ally X and Lenovo Legion Go 2 leading the charge. The Claw aims to sit between those rivals on price while leveraging a larger 8-inch panel, extended battery life, and the Xbox Full Screen Experience to stand out. In MSI’s lineup, it positions itself as the best value option among the big Z2 Extreme handhelds, but how far does it push the needle beyond its competition?
The Claw A8 BZ2EM borrows a number of design cues from its Intel-powered predecessor, but it also introduces a handful of changes. The review unit arrived in white, with a lime green model also available. The chassis is plastic throughout, and while the form is sharp and angular, it remains relatively slim for a device of its class. The back features prominent ridges along the sides to improve grip, and the shoulder buttons and triggers are compact. In day-to-day use, the Claw felt comfortable, though it sits heavier than a Switch or Switch 2 when carried for long sessions. The new Hall Effect sticks and triggers are a meaningful upgrade over potentiometer-based inputs, offering longer lifespan and more precise feel. RGB lighting circles the joysticks, which can be configured or disabled, and two rear buttons add extra input options. The speakers and display are generally strong for handheld gaming, contributing to immersion when the device is held close. Connectivity includes Bluetooth, a 3.5mm jack, and two USB-C ports on top (Thunderbolt 4). The ports are adjacent, meaning very wide USB-C dongles can block the other port; MSI’s approach remains workable, but some rivals split ports across top and bottom for easier hub use. A fingerprint reader sits in the power button for Windows login, a small but convenient touch. Storage is flexible: a larger 2280 NVMe slot supports full-size desktop SSDs, in addition to a 1TB default and a microSD slot. RAM sits at 24GB, matching the other Z2 Extreme handhelds but behind the 32GB offered by some competitors. Overall, the A8 BZ2EM retains the Claw’s familiar silhouette while pushing some practical upgrades in the areas of input longevity and storage expandability.
MSI Claw A8 BZ2EM – Display
The Claw A8 is equipped with an eight-inch 1920 × 1200 IPS display, a panel that’s noticeably taller than the 16:9 competition (notably the ROG Xbox Ally X) thanks to its 16:10 aspect ratio. The extra vertical real estate is modest for most games and media, but it does provide more reading space for menus and a more comfortable library browse. The resolution contribution does come with a caveat: frame-rates in GPU-limited scenes can sit around 90 percent of what an identical device running a 1920 × 1080 panel would deliver, simply due to the extra pixels. The display supports a 120 Hz refresh rate and VRR, which helps smooth out uneven frame pacing without the traditional input-lag penalties of v-sync. Peak brightness sits around 500 nits, which is more than enough for typical indoor use and mixed outdoor lighting, though it won’t match the brightest OLED or flagship IPS panels. Pixel response times aren’t class-leading, but they are serviceable for handheld gaming where ultra-fast pixel cadence is less critical than overall image stability. The panel’s size and the VRR feature add value for fast-paced shooters and action titles, delivering a more fluid experience when combined with the device’s power envelope. In practice, this makes the Claw feel lively in titles that rely on timing and reflexes, while still feeling adequate for cinematic sequences and narrative moments when docked or sitting in a bright room.
MSI Claw A8 BZ2EM – Software
The Claw’s software story follows the same path as other Ryzen Z2 Extreme devices, with support for the Xbox Full Screen Experience (FSE). The option to boot directly into a full-screen Xbox app and access games from Steam, GOG, Ubisoft Connect, and other services through a unified launcher is a central feature, with the usual Windows desktop available in a snap. In practice, the Windows environment can be booted quickly, but routine reboots to reclaim peak performance after switching back from the Xbox interface can be necessary. The “intelligent gaming” prompts that appear during frequent transitions can be intrusive, sometimes masking menus or full-screen sections in the middle of a session. MSI Center M provides launcher-like access to power limits, fan curves, and game-start shortcuts, but its integration isn’t as smooth as Armoury Crate on rival devices, occasionally overlapping the Xbox interface on boot unless disabled. The software makes it possible to tailor performance, but users who prefer a seamless, SteamOS-like workflow may still find SteamOS (via Bazzite) a compelling option on this handheld. While the latest Windows version is improved for handheld gaming, there remains room for refinement in the ecosystem, particularly when balancing background tasks and foreground gaming in a compact, mixed-use device.
MSI Claw A8 BZ2EM – Performance
Powered by AMD’s Ryzen Z2 Extreme, the Claw A8 BZ2EM sits in the same family as the ROG Xbox Ally X and Lenovo Legion Go 2, but performance varies with power limits, cooling, and resolution. In synthetic testing at 1080p, the Steel Nomad DX12 ray tracing test returns 597 points for the Claw, placing it between the Ally X (606) and Legion Go 2 (588). Time Spy results show the Claw at 3711, trailing the Legion Go 2 (3936) and the Ally X (4098). Night Raid scores align with the same order: Claw around 29.8K, Legion Go 2 around 31.7K, and Ally X around 33.8K. In real-world gaming, these margins translate to a noticeable but not crippling gap: in Black Ops 6 with FSE, the Claw averages 37fps, behind the Legion Go 2 (39fps) and the Ally X (41fps). The differences are expected given the display’s resolution and the power envelope, and the results suggest the Claw holds its own for a handheld in this class while not quite matching the top-performing rivals.
Moving to Cyberpunk 2077 with high settings and FSR quality upscaling, the Claw averages 34fps, compared with 37fps on the Legion Go 2 and a more comfortable 44fps on the Ally X. In Forza, the Claw reaches 65fps, with the Ally X at 77fps, indicating the Ally X has a definite edge in sustained, GPU-bound scenarios. On Windows desktop, the Claw sits at 59fps in similar configurations, and with maximum power, it can push to around 72fps when using the Full Screen Experience. These results illustrate a clear performance delta among the trio, with the Claw offering good, capable results but not leading in raw frame-rate head-to-head against its two closest Z2 Extreme rivals.
MSI Claw A8 BZ2EM – Battery Life
Battery life remains a strong suit for the Claw A8 BZ2EM. PCMark10’s battery test records a marathon 11 hours and 31 minutes, a figure that bests the Ally X (9 hours 48 minutes) and the Legion Go 2 (10 hours 52 minutes). The thermal solution stays comfortable under testing, with the device remaining cool enough to hold without excessive heat buildup. In more demanding, real-world gaming scenarios, Cyberpunk 2077 with longer play sessions yields a battery life of about 2 hours and 48 minutes before depletion, a solid outing for a high-refresh handheld on demanding titles. By comparison, the Ally X manages around 2 hours 34 minutes and the Legion Go 2 around 2 hours 17 minutes. The Claw A8 thus sits at the top of the pack for endurance among these premium X2 Extreme handhelds, offering enough uptime for a lengthy session or two between charges.
MSI Claw A8 BZ2EM – Price
In the UK, the Claw A8 BZ2EM is priced at £850, roughly £50 more than the £800 ROG Xbox Ally X, and notably cheaper than the Lenovo Legion Go 2 at £1,100. With similar hardware at heart, including the Z2 Extreme processor, the price hike on the MSI model is largely attributable to the larger eight-inch panel and the overall design language. For buyers weighing raw performance against portability, the price is a meaningful factor: you’re paying a premium for the bigger screen, longer battery life, and the Xbox Full Screen Experience, but you’re not getting a performance crown. In that sense, the Claw A8 BZ2EM sits in a tight market niche—offering compelling value among premium handhelds while acknowledging it does not outpace its closest competitors on the most demanding tasks.
MSI Claw A8 BZ2EM — Verdict
The Claw A8 BZ2EM presents a persuasive package for fans of the Z2 Extreme ecosystem who want a larger screen and longer endurance without leaping to the most expensive option. Its eight-inch display, VRR-capable panel, and robust battery life position it well for extended handheld sessions, while the inclusion of a 2280 NVMe slot and 1TB default storage provides practical upgradability for growing game libraries. On the software front, the Xbox Full Screen Experience remains a central feature, enabling a unified launcher that can streamline access to games across multiple storefronts. However, the Claw’s performance sits behind the top two rivals in several real-world benchmarks, and the overall package carries a premium relative to some alternatives. The proximity in price to the Ally X and the more expensive Legion Go 2 means prospective buyers should weigh the desire for a larger screen and longer battery against the need for maximum framerate headroom, especially in competitive titles. For players who prioritize endurance and a sizable display in a high-end handheld with a Windows-centric approach, the MSI Claw A8 BZ2EM is a compelling option that earns its place in the top tier, even if it doesn’t claim outright superiority in gaming performance.