The two most powerful Windows handhelds you can buy right now are built on rival chips, and ETA Prime has put them side by side. In one corner is the ROG Xbox Ally X20 with AMD's Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme; in the other, MSI's Claw 8 EX with Intel's Arc G3 Extreme. His video's title doesn't hide the result, and his numbers back it up: in his testing, the Intel machine is much faster, especially at higher power. But the full picture is a closer call than the headline suggests.
The hardware
According to ETA Prime, the Claw 8 EX pairs Intel's 14-core Arc G3 Extreme with 32GB of LPDDR5X memory, while the ROG Xbox Ally X20 uses AMD's eight-core, 16-thread Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme with 24GB. Both carry an 80Wh battery. The biggest physical difference is the screen: the X20 has a 7.4-inch OLED, and ETA Prime says he prefers both its look and its display to the Claw's.
Price matters here too. Xbox and ASUS list the X20 at $1,299.99, as Xarmo reported when preorders opened. ETA Prime puts the Claw 8 EX at $1,799.99.
Performance: a clear win for Intel
ETA Prime tests both handhelds at 35, 25 and 17 watts, and the Claw leads in every game he runs. At 35W, he measures a 3DMark Time Spy score of 7,139 for the Claw against 4,178 for the X20. In games at 1080p, the gap is similar: in his runs, Cyberpunk 2077 averages 53fps on the Claw and 33 on the X20, and Red Dead Redemption 2 67 against 44.
His summary figures show how the gap changes with power. Across his test games, he finds the Claw 51% faster at 35W, 33% faster at 25W and 24% faster at 17W. In other words, Intel's chip pulls furthest ahead when it is allowed to draw the most power, and the lead narrows as you go down toward battery-friendly settings.
The CPU picture is more mixed. In Geekbench at 35W, he finds the X20 about 16% ahead in single-core work, while the Claw is about 18% ahead in multi-core.
Battery: a draw
This is where the comparison evens out. With the same 80Wh battery, ETA Prime finds nearly identical battery life on both handhelds in demanding games at 17W and 25W. He makes a practical point about efficiency, though: because the Claw is faster at the same wattage, you can run it at a lower power setting to match the X20's performance and get more battery life that way.
Which one makes sense?
ETA Prime's own verdict is blunt on price: he considers both handhelds overpriced. Within that, the choice comes down to what you value.
- If you want the most performance, his numbers point clearly to the Claw 8 EX, and its lead is largest at higher power.
- If you care most about the screen, the X20's OLED is the one he prefers, and it costs $500 less.
- If battery life is the priority, his testing shows little between them at the same settings, with the Claw able to stretch further at lower power.
These are one reviewer's benchmarks on his own units, so treat the exact frame rates as a guide, not a guarantee.
What viewers said
Price dominated the comments. The most-liked replies said the Claw's price undercuts an otherwise very solid chip, and summed the choice up as a $1,300 handheld against an $1,800 one. Several owners said they had chosen the Claw for performance over the OLED screen, while others were still tempted by the X20's display. A popular comment hoped for a follow-up once AMD's next FSR upscaling update arrives.
From the creators
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