Buckle up, MSI – the Lenovo Legion Go 2 looks set to outperform the Claw A8, based on new benchmarks

• The Lenovo Legion Go 2 prototype outperforms the MSI Claw A8 in new benchmark video
• The MSI Claw A8 featured in the video has 16GB of RAM, while the Legion Go 2 has 24GB
• The Legion Go 2 prototype is available on second-hand markets in China, but is yet to launch officially

As we approach the latter stages of 2025, several new contenders are about to enter the handheld gaming PC market – and one of them in particular, the Lenovo Legion Go 2, looks like it will make a big impression.

As highlighted by Notebookcheck, the Lenovo Legion Go 2 outperforms the MSI Claw A8, according to a new benchmark by Lines Tech on YouTube. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the MSI Claw A8 hit an average of 44 fps, while the Lenovo Legion Go 2 had an average of 49 fps, the latter producing 10% better performance.

The Lenovo Legion Go 2 is still in its prototype phase, but is already available on second-hand markets in China. Both the Legion Go 2 and the MSI Claw A8 utilize AMD's Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor, so it may be a bit confusing to see the former managing better performance.

However, it more likely comes down to the amount of RAM available; the MSI Claw A8 has 16GB of RAM, while the Legion Go 2 has 24GB, which is 8GB more. It's also worth noting that the Legion Go 2 appears to have a placeholder CPU name, but we know it has the iGPU that's in the Ryzen Z2 Extreme, which is the Radeon 890M.

For the MSI Claw A8, there has strangely been been little to no mention of other configurations featuring less RAM than the marketed 24GB (according to the specifications on its website), which should specify 'up to 24GB', but that's beside the point.

Ultimately, based on these benchmarks, the Lenovo Legion Go 2's top configuration (featuring 32GB of RAM) should outperform the MSI Claw A8, which will be limited to a maximum of 24GB of RAM. We'll need to see both handhelds and their 24GB configurations go toe-to-toe, and if Lenovo's handheld still comes out as the victor, it could simply be due to better cooling.

Analysis: None of this will matter if availability and pricing are an issue...

Having seen the performance benchmarks of the MSI Claw A8 and personally used its similar counterpart, the MSI Claw 8 AI+, I've already written off a purchase of both handhelds. While the performance leap from AMD's Ryzen Z1 Extreme is evident, it's not enough to warrant such a huge expense, but that's slightly different with the Lenovo Legion Go 2.

If the Lenovo Legion Go 2 doesn't come with an unreasonable price tag above $1,000, I could see it being a big hit considering all the benefits. It has an 8.8-inch OLED screen powered by the Ryzen Z2 Extreme, and if it wasn't clear already, the OLED display is what gives it an extra edge.

However, I'm worried that potential buyers will be thrown off by pricing – or worse, a lack of availability. Even if I had decided that I wanted to buy an MSI Claw 8 AI+, the stock would disappear before I could even come to a decision.

Fortunately, that's gradually changing with better availability at Currys in the UK, but I could easily see the same stock woes happening with the Claw A8 and the Lenovo Legion Go 2 when it eventually goes on sale.

Tariffs on Taiwan are certainly part of availability issues, as it's where both Lenovo and MSI manufacture these handhelds. Let's just hope it doesn't get out of hand...

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