MSI Claw A1M Handheld Starts at $699; Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) Support Confirmed
Jan. 30, 2024MSI has already confirmed it will be working on future successors as part of the company’s roadmap for future handhelds! Even Asus confirmed they are working on a second-generation Ally (Source:Techlusive). It is quite exciting to see so many new gaming handhelds on the horizon!
MSI Claw A1M: Specifications & Prices
Speaking of common features, MSI Claw handheld (Core Ultra 5 or 7) features a 7-inchFull HD (1920×1080) IPS-level displaywith up to 120 Hz refresh rate. The screen supports touch input and has 99% sRGB coverage with up to 500 nits of brightness.
All models feature 16GB of LPDDR5 4800MHz RAM. For wireless connectivity, MSI Claw has Intel Killer Wi-Fi 7 support with Bluetooth v5.4 and the handheld charges via a 65W power delivery adapter. By the way, the on-board Core Ultra processor also features Intel’s Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for AI processing.
Intel Core Ultra, with new Arc graphics, is expected to be performant enough for the latest games despite being an integrated-style GPU. The battery capacity on MSI’s handheld is53Whr. The handheld also features the company’s ‘Cooler Boost HyperFlow’ technology for cooling, along with MSI’s AI Engine that reportedly adjusts the user’s system settings on the fly as needed.
The controllers on the handheld haveHall-effect triggers & joysticks, which are better than traditional designs and give the user higher precision when playing. In terms of audio, the MSI Claw features dual 2W speakers. The controllers also have MSI RGB Mystic Light support. The Type-C port on the handheld also hasThunderbolt 4support.
MSI Claw’s 120Hz 7-inch Full HD display will support Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) within the Windows 11 settings. As per a recent post byThe Verge, this has been confirmed with the company marketing team.
In myROG Ally review, I experienced the screen dynamically adjusting the display refresh rate based on gameplay. This is a very integral technology, especially for handhelds, and I am surprised the Steam Deck does not feature it. Lower FPS (at least 48+) on a VRR screen looks better than a non-VRR screen having even 55 FPS, for example.Image Courtesy: MSI
Everything looks much smoother with the inclusion of VRR on displays. The graphics card chipmakers AMD and Nvidia also have their exclusiveFreeSync and GSynctechnologies that do the same thing.
How do you like the brand-new MSI Claw gaming handheld powered by Intel Core Ultra processors? Let us know in the comments below.
Highly passionate about technology. Major expertise in PC hardware, the VR industry, esports-centric gear, and other gadgets. In my spare time, I’m usually researching exciting hardware breakthroughs or playing competitive games.
