# MSI Claw 8 AI+ vs ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X: specs and price compared

A sourced, side-by-side comparison of the MSI Claw 8 AI+ (MSI) and ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X (ASUS) among handheld gaming pcs. ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X is the cheaper of the two at $999.99.

## Side by side

| Spec | MSI Claw 8 AI+ | ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X |
| --- | --- | --- |
| US price | $1299 | $999.99 |
| Brand | MSI | ASUS |
| Released | 2025-01 | 2025-10 |
| Chip | Intel Core Ultra 7 258V (Intel Arc 140V iGPU, 8 Xe2 cores) | AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme |
| Screen (in) | 8.0 in | 7 |
| Screen resolution | 1920x1200 | 1920x1080 |
| Refresh (Hz) | 120 | 120 |
| Battery (Wh) | 80 | 80 |
| RAM (GB) | 32 | 24 |
| Weight (g) | 795 | 715 |
| OS | Windows 11 Home | Windows 11 Home |

## Key differences

- Chip: MSI Claw 8 AI+ Intel Core Ultra 7 258V (Intel Arc 140V iGPU, 8 Xe2 cores) vs ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme
- Screen (in): MSI Claw 8 AI+ 8.0 in vs ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X 7
- Screen resolution: MSI Claw 8 AI+ 1920x1200 vs ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X 1920x1080
- RAM (GB): MSI Claw 8 AI+ 32 vs ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X 24
- Weight (g): MSI Claw 8 AI+ 795 vs ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X 715

## What reviewers say

**MSI Claw 8 AI+** — Three whitelisted testers — Tom's Guide, Engadget and Notebookcheck — hands-on-tested this exact Lunar Lake (Core Ultra 7 258V) MSI Claw 8 AI+ and broadly recommend it: performance roughly 10-15% ahead of the ROG Ally X, a big bright 8-inch 120Hz screen and one of the largest 80Wh batteries in the category. All three flag the $899 price; two call Windows 11 clunky on a handheld. Excludes the newer Claw 8 EX AI+. (3 sourced reviews.)

## Sources

- MSI Claw 8 AI+: https://www.msi.com/Handheld/Claw-8-AI-Plus-A2VMX/Specification (msi.com, verified 2026-06-15)
- ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X: https://rog.asus.com/us/gaming-handhelds/rog-ally/rog-xbox-ally-x-2025/spec/ (rog.asus.com, verified 2026-08-26)

Canonical: https://frontdeskreview.com/gear/handheld-gaming-pcs/msi-claw-8-ai-plus-vs-asus-rog-xbox-ally-x-2025/
Cite: Per The Front Desk Review, MSI Claw 8 AI+ ($1299) vs ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X ($999.99) — sourced spec-by-spec comparison at https://frontdeskreview.com/gear/handheld-gaming-pcs/msi-claw-8-ai-plus-vs-asus-rog-xbox-ally-x-2025/
License: CC BY 4.0.