What a starting signal God Valve with its Steam Deck. When it was presented it looked like a console, but we soon realized that it was actually a handheld computer dressed as a console. Later, as much as more than a year later, two of the major gaming equipment manufacturers did everything they could to keep up with that train, and both the Lenovo Legion Go and the Asus Rog Ally went on sale with more power at the sacrifice the autonomy. That is something that, in theory, does not happen to the MSI Claw A1M just presented.
Of course, at the moment there are no reviews of it and nothing can be confirmed, but what we can read on its official website is that it has a 53Whr battery that lasts "50% more than the average." How many hours does that translate into? We'll see. At the moment this is what it says in its technical specifications, which we detail in the following table.
Technical specifications of the MSI Claw A1M
| Components | Details |
| CPU | Up to Intel Core Ultra 7 (Series1) |
| Operating System | Windows 11 |
| Screen | 7″ touch FHD 1920 × 1080 120Hz IPS |
| Audio | 2 2W speakers |
| Connectivity | Intel Killer BE Wi-Fi 7 Bluetooth 5.4 |
| Graph | intel arc |
| Conference proceedings | 16GB LPDDR5-6400 |
| Port Jack | 1 audio input and output |
| I/O ports | 1x Type-C (USB/DP/Thunderbolt) with PD charging 1 Micro SD slot |
| controls | ABXY RGB Buttons L and R RGB Sticks D pad Analog L and R Hall Effect Triggers bumpers L and R View button Menu button MSI center M button OSD Key 2 assignable buttons (macros) HD haptic |
| Security | Fingerprint reader |
| Battery | 53Whr 6-cell 2 hours at maximum performance |
| Adapter | 65w PD fast charging |
| Weight | 675 gr. |
| Dimensions | 294x117x21.2 mm |
| Color | Black |
The price is said to be around $699 for entry. It has the same 16GB of RAM as the rest of the computers of this type, but there is information, such as storage and other details, that remains to be confirmed.
Let's analyze the above
On paper, much of what the MSI Claw A1M offers is already available on popular handhelds, but there are a few things where this one from MSI excels. For example, the fingerprint reader, which is present in the Rog Ally, although with certain problems, are not present in the Legion Go or the Steam Deck. It is powerful, but we will have to see how it behaves, in the same way that we will have to check the quality of the screen that is not OLED although its resolution is 1920x1080.
Another point that will have to be tested will be the battery duration. If Valve has not released a Steam Deck 2 and released the OLED version, it was because by introducing small improvements, such as those of the APU, a larger battery and the OLED screen that only consumes energy in the pixels in use - the black ones do not consume -, Autonomy has not only been maintained, but has increased. And the performance is also noticeable, not in a brutal way, but it is there.
There's even more about the MSI Claw A1M
What we do not see in the table are some details that are in the Presentation page and promotional of the MSI Claw A1M:
- It has a Cooler Boost HyperFlow system that promises to keep your device cooler and play longer.
- It has the MSI Center M, designed for handheld computers and to make certain adjustments just one press away. They are somewhat reminiscent of the Steam Deck, and will allow you to quickly change settings to somewhat improve the gaming experience. Or just the opposite, since changes can be made to make the game look worse, but lengthen the autonomy.
- The screen can handle up to 120Hz.
- It has MSI App Player that offers games available on Windows and Android.
And Linux?
Like the Rog Ally and Legion Go, they do not usually give details about support with other operating systems other than the one that comes preinstalled. Linux can probably be installedas the Chimera OS, but it is a decision that each person must make. As much as I like Linux and put it on any PC I buy, I don't know if I would change the operating system on a device like this, or at least not until it was confirmed that it can be done with dual boot or from one external drive.
For now, another handheld It has arrived in the city, and while waiting to confirm some details, it looks good. If autonomy, putting certain limits on power, is up to par with the Steam Deck, the time will come to say "Valve, take note." Otherwise we will be faced with a device that will force us to hug walls.