Best PC Gaming Handhelds Compared: MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ vs ROG Xbox Ally X vs Legion Go 2 and More

Raw performance: Intel finally lands a punch

This is the first round-up where the fastest handheld isn't an AMD device. The MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ is reported to run up to 55% ahead of the Legion Go 2, which is a gap no amount of tuning closes, and it's enough to make native 1200p at medium-to-high settings genuinely playable rather than theoretical.

The closest challengers are the two Ryzen AI Max+ 395 machines. The GPD Win 5 lands graphics performance within roughly 15% of an RTX 4060 and a Cinebench R23 score around 30,495, which is laptop-class and makes it the clear pick of the group if you want one device for games and for real work. The AYANEO Next 2 uses the same 16-core silicon and 40-CU Radeon 8060S, and backs it with an 85W sustained TDP, dual fans and a vapour chamber.

The Ryzen Z2 Extreme trio - Legion Go 2, ROG Xbox Ally X and MSI Claw A8 BZ2EM - all share a Radeon 890M and sit a clear tier below. The Ally X is the most disappointing on paper, with only a modest 10-15% gain over the previous ROG Ally X. Below them, the Legion Go S's Ryzen Z2 Go is the weakest of the AMD chips here, and the Steam Deck OLED's Zen 2 / RDNA 2 APU is a 6nm design being asked to compete with Zen 5 in 2026.

Displays: OLED versus everything else

Screen quality splits this group cleanly. The Legion Go 2 has what our reviewer called the best screen in the category - an 8.8-inch 144Hz OLED clearing 1,100 cd/m² - and the AYANEO Next 2 goes bigger and sharper still at 9.06 inches, 2400x1504 and up to 165Hz with a claimed 1,155 nits. If the panel is what you care about, those two are the shortlist.

Everything fast is otherwise IPS. The Claw 8 EX AI+ ships in a single configuration with no OLED option, so the quickest handheld here has visibly worse image quality than the device it beats by 55%. The Claw A8 at least matches the Claw 8 EX's 8-inch 1920x1200 120Hz format for far less money, and both MSI panels comfortably out-size the Ally X's 7-inch IPS, which feels dated and whose brightness reportedly undersells its spec. The GPD Win 5 pairs flagship silicon with the most modest screen of the premium set: 7 inches, 1080p, 120Hz.

The Steam Deck OLED is the odd one out - a genuinely excellent 7.4-inch HDR OLED, but at 1280x800 and up to 90Hz it's the lowest-resolution, slowest-refresh display in the comparison. It's the cheapest route to OLED here, and the Legion Go S at $599 doesn't offer one at all.

Software and ergonomics: where Asus and Valve win

Spec sheets don't decide this category; the first thirty seconds after power-on do. SteamOS remains the most polished handheld PC experience, and it's the single biggest reason the Legion Go S SteamOS Edition feels like a clear upgrade over the Windows version of identical hardware. The Steam Deck OLED gets the same advantage.

On the Windows side, the ROG Xbox Ally X is the one that has closed most of the gap: the Xbox Full Screen Experience largely removes the usual friction and folds in the Steam, EA and Ubisoft launchers so the desktop becomes optional. Notably, the Claw A8 ships with the same Xbox Full Screen Experience and still finds the Windows 11 touch experience clunky, while the Legion Go 2 is left wrestling with plain Windows 11, which remains a poor fit for a handheld.

Comfort follows a similar pattern. The Ally X's contoured Xbox-style grips are the standout for long sessions, and the Legion Go S is both comfortable and lighter than the original Legion Go. At the other end, the AYANEO Next 2's 1.4kg is a lot to hold, the Claw 8 EX AI+ is noticeably heavy for its class, and the GPD Win 5 runs at around 70-80°C under sustained load. The Legion Go 2 counters with hardware flexibility nothing else here matches: detachable controllers, a kickstand and a touchpad.

Battery life and value

Battery results are where the premium Windows devices separate. The Claw 8 EX AI+ is surprisingly efficient at lower wattages, with close to four hours in Cyberpunk 2077 using frame generation, and the Claw A8 turns its 80Wh cell into genuinely good runtime that reportedly beats the ROG Xbox Ally X. Both Lenovos are the weak links: the Legion Go 2's battery is a flaw reviewers disagreed only on the severity of, and the Legion Go S's short runtime - plus noisy fans - is consistent across reviews. The GPD Win 5 sidesteps the argument entirely with a detachable, hot-swappable 80Wh pack, the only device here that lets you carry a spare.

On value, the Legion Go S at $599 is the cheapest in this comparison and the easiest recommendation for a first handheld, even after the sting of a $499 announcement becoming a $599 launch. The Ally X at $999 asks a lot but buys the best software and ergonomics package. The Claw A8 at £850 is the value play among Z2 Extreme machines, though a plastic chassis and an OLED rival sitting just above it both undercut the argument.

The Steam Deck OLED is the hardest sell: a 43-46% price rise for unchanged hardware leaves it at $789 with the oldest silicon here and roughly $190 above the $599 base ROG Xbox Ally. And at the top, the Claw 8 EX AI+ and AYANEO Next 2 tie at $1,799 while the Win 5's widely quoted ~$1,722 actually refers to the slower 8-core Max+ 388 - real 16-core configurations climb well past $2,700, into territory where the AYANEO's $4,299 ceiling openly overlaps capable gaming laptops.

Verdict: which handheld should you buy?

Best all-round buy: the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X. It isn't the fastest, the brightest or the cheapest, but it's the only Windows handheld here that gets software and comfort right at once, and $999 undercuts every machine above it in this group.

Best for outright frame rates: the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+. A reported 55% lead over the Legion Go 2, plus near-four-hour efficiency at low wattage, justifies the $1,799 - provided you accept an IPS panel and real heft.

Best screen: the Lenovo Legion Go 2 for its 1,100-nit 144Hz OLED and detachable-controller versatility; the AYANEO Next 2 if you want a bigger, sharper 165Hz OLED and flagship silicon and can tolerate 1.4kg.

Best for work and play: the GPD Win 5, whose near-RTX 4060 graphics and strong multi-threaded scores make it the most laptop-like device here - just watch the heat and the misleading entry price.

Best value / best for beginners: the Lenovo Legion Go S SteamOS Edition at $599, which delivers SteamOS polish for less than anything else in this comparison. Best mid-price Windows machine: the MSI Claw A8 BZ2EM, for a big bright 120Hz panel and the better battery life of the Z2 Extreme pair.

Hardest to recommend: the Steam Deck OLED. Its software and OLED panel are still lovely, but post-increase pricing on ageing hardware makes it the lowest-rated device here.