AYN opened orders for the Odin 3 Portal on October 23, 2026, with the base model at a $399 launch price. Eight days earlier, ASUS put the ROG XBOX Ally X20 on sale at $1,299. MSI’s Claw 8 EX AI+ sits above both at about $1,799. That is a $1,400 spread between the cheapest and priciest handheld in this class, and it raises a fair question: what does the extra money actually buy?
This comparison puts the three newest premium handhelds side by side. The Odin 3 Portal runs Android 15 on a Qualcomm chip. The other two run Windows 11, one on AMD silicon and one on Intel’s new Arc G3 Extreme. We already put the ROG Xbox Ally X20 against the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ in a Windows-only matchup, so this piece adds the question that matchup could not answer: is a $399 to $669 Android handheld a smarter buy than a $1,299 to $1,799 Windows machine?
One caution up front. The Portal only started taking orders today and ships in early November, so no independent lab results exist yet. The X20 and Claw have been reviewed by Tom’s Guide, T3 and Rock Paper Shotgun, and we use their numbers below. Where the Portal lacks data, we say so instead of guessing.
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The Short Answer: Which Handheld Fits Which Player
Pick the Odin 3 Portal if your library lives on Android, in emulators or in a cloud streaming app. Pick the ROG XBOX Ally X20 if you want the best screen and the most comfortable grip among Windows handhelds and can live with last year’s silicon. Pick the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ if raw frame rates and battery endurance matter more than anything else and you can absorb the price.
The data backs a clear split. In Tom’s Guide lab runs, the Claw posted 63.8 FPS in Red Dead Redemption 2 at 1080p Medium and 35W, while the X20 managed about 23 FPS. The same outlet clocked a gaming battery rundown of 4 hours 10 minutes for the Claw against 2 hours 47 minutes for the X20. T3 found the X20 has no real jump in power over last year’s Ally X, but praised the OLED panel. The Portal has no published results yet, but its Dragonwing Q8 chip shares its CPU and GPU layout with the Snapdragon 8 Elite, according to Inven Global.
| If you want… | Buy this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest entry price | Odin 3 Portal Base | $399 launch price, 7-inch 120Hz OLED, 12GB RAM |
| Best screen and ergonomics | ROG XBOX Ally X20 | 7.4-inch OLED, TMR sticks, rubberized grips |
| Fastest AAA frame rates | MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ | Arc G3 Extreme, 32GB RAM, 2.8x the X20 in RDR2 at 35W |
| Longest gaming battery in tested Windows units | MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ | 4:10 vs 2:47 in the Tom’s Guide rundown |
| Lightest build | Odin 3 Portal | About 450g vs 785g for the Claw |
| Native Steam, Game Pass and Xbox app access | X20 or Claw | Both run Windows 11, the Portal does not |
Why These Three Handhelds Belong in One Comparison
Handheld buyers used to choose between Valve’s Steam Deck and a Windows rival. In October 2026, the field looks different. Three launches landed within about a week of each other, and each one stakes out a distinct price tier. Our broader gaming hardware coverage tracks the wider market, but these three show the new shape of it: an Android handheld at roughly a third of the Windows price, a mid-premium OLED Windows unit, and a top-end Intel machine.
The three share more than their launch month. All three ship with 120Hz screens, fan cooling, Hall-effect or TMR thumbsticks, and a USB-C port that outputs video to a TV or monitor. They differ in what sits behind those shared features. Android gives you Play Store titles, emulation and streaming apps. Windows gives you Steam, the Xbox app, Game Pass and every PC launcher, at the cost of a clunkier handheld interface and a far higher bill.
The October 2026 launch timeline
| Date | Event | Source type |
|---|---|---|
| Not listed | MSI unveils the Claw 8 EX AI+ at COMPUTEX as the first handheld with Intel Arc G3 Extreme | MSI press release |
| October 13, 2026 | AYN teases the Odin 3 Portal without specs or pricing | Time Extension |
| October 15, 2026 | ASUS puts the ROG XBOX Ally X20 on sale at $1,299, with a $2,499 bundle | ASUS press release |
| October 20, 2026 | AYN adds a 16GB/1TB Max tier to the Portal range | Time Extension, Notebookcheck |
| October 23, 2026 | Odin 3 Portal orders open, shipping set for early November | Time Extension, PC Guide |
MSI described the Claw 8 EX AI+ in its COMPUTEX 2026 announcement as the world’s first gaming handheld powered by Intel Arc G3 Extreme. It is also a Copilot+ PC, which is Microsoft’s label for Windows machines with an on-device AI engine. Rock Paper Shotgun says the Claw went on sale about four months before its October 21 review.
Where the original Ally X and Odin 3 fit
Two older models matter for context. ASUS says the original ROG XBOX Ally at $599 and the ROG XBOX Ally X at $999 both remain on sale, so the X20 joins the lineup rather than replacing anything. On AYN’s side, the Odin 3 launched in 2025 with a 6-inch screen, and the Odin 2 Portal sits below the new model, listed at a discounted $259 on AYN’s store as of October 20, according to Inven Global. Both stay relevant if the new Portal’s price is more than you want to spend.
Specs Table: Odin 3 Portal vs ROG XBOX Ally X20 vs MSI Claw 8 EX AI+
The table below uses manufacturer figures and the spec sheets published by PC Guide, Notebookcheck, Tom’s Guide and Rock Paper Shotgun. Where a number came from a single reviewer’s own measurement instead of the maker, the row says so.
| Spec | AYN Odin 3 Portal | ROG XBOX Ally X20 | MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Android 15 | Windows 11 Home | Windows 11 (Copilot+ PC) |
| Processor | Qualcomm Dragonwing Q8 (3nm) | AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme | Intel Arc G3 Extreme |
| CPU layout | Not listed | Not broken out in sources | 14 cores (2 P, 8 E, 4 LP-E), up to 4.7GHz |
| Graphics | Adreno 830 | Integrated Radeon | Integrated Arc (B390 per Rock Paper Shotgun) |
| RAM | 12GB or 16GB | 24GB LPDDR5X-8000 | 32GB LPDDR5X |
| Storage | 128GB to 1TB UFS 3.1, microSD slot | 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD | 1TB NVMe SSD, microSD Express |
| Display | 7-inch OLED, 1920×1080, 120Hz | 7.4-inch OLED, 1080p, 120Hz | 8-inch IPS, 1920×1200, 48-120Hz VRR |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0 | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4 | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 |
| Video-out ports | 1x USB-C (DisplayPort 4K 60Hz) | USB4 Type-C (Thunderbolt 4 compatible, DP 2.1) plus USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C | 2x Thunderbolt 4 (DisplayPort, PD 3.0) |
| Thumbsticks | Full-size Hall effect, replaceable caps | TMR magnetic sensors, 3% dead zone | Hall effect (per Rock Paper Shotgun) |
| Battery | 9,000mAh, 60W wired charging | Not broken out in sources | Not broken out in sources |
| Weight | About 450g | 1.67 lb (about 757g) | 785g (1.7 lb) |
| Launch price (US) | $399 to $669 intro, $419 to $699 regular | $1,299 ($2,499 bundle) | About $1,799 |
| Availability | Orders open, ships early November | On sale since October 15 | On sale, regional stock varies |
Three details in that table deserve a second look. First, the X20 is the only one of the three with an AMD chip, and T3 points out that it is the same Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme found in the 2025 Ally X. Second, the Claw carries 32GB of RAM, which Rock Paper Shotgun suggests is a major reason for its price. Third, the Portal’s Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0 support beat the X20 on paper, which matters for cloud gaming and wireless audio. MSI also highlights Wi-Fi 7 on its own pages, citing peak speeds of 5.8Gbps and 2ms latency for cloud gaming. For another view of the premium Windows tier, our Predator Atlas 8, Claw 8 and Ally X20 head-to-head adds a third Windows contender.
Display and Controls: OLED Wins, but Not Everywhere
Screens are where the three handhelds look most alike on paper and most different in person. Two use OLED, one uses IPS, and the gap in size is only 1 inch from smallest to largest. The pixel counts are also close, since the Portal and X20 both run 1080p and the Claw runs 1920×1200.
OLED panels on the Portal and X20
The X20 gets ROG’s Nebula HDR OLED, which ASUS rates for VESA DisplayHDR True Black 1400 with peak brightness of 1,400 nits and a Corning anti-reflective coating on its Indonesian product page. Tom’s Guide called it one of the best OLED screens ever placed in a handheld and said it makes games pop with color. T3 agreed that adding OLED was the upgrade reviewers wanted from the first Ally X.
The Portal’s panel is a 7-inch OLED at 120Hz and 1920×1080. AYN has not published a brightness figure in the sources we reviewed, so we cannot place it against the X20’s HDR claims. The Gadgeteer notes that not every Android game can use the full 120Hz, a limit that does not apply to the same degree on Windows where graphics settings are user-controlled.
The Claw’s larger IPS panel
MSI went with an 8-inch IPS panel. It covers 100% sRGB in MSI’s specification, runs 48 to 120Hz with variable refresh and lists 500 nits typical brightness. Those are specification figures rather than measured results, so treat them as the maker’s claims.
| Display metric | Odin 3 Portal | ROG XBOX Ally X20 | MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size and type | 7-inch OLED | 7.4-inch OLED | 8-inch IPS |
| Resolution | 1920×1080 | 1080p | 1920×1200 |
| Refresh rate | 120Hz | 120Hz | 48-120Hz VRR |
| Stated peak brightness | Not published in sources | 1,400 nits (ASUS Indonesia page) | 500 nits typical (MSI) |
| Measured brightness | None yet | None in sources | Not listed |
| HDR | Not stated | VESA DisplayHDR True Black 1400 | No HDR (Tom’s Guide) |
Sticks, D-pads and grip design
ASUS spent real effort on feel. The X20 uses TMR sticks that ASUS says cut power draw by 75% compared with conventional sticks and cap the dead zone at 3%. Its D-pad rotates between 4-way and 8-way input with no tools, which fighting game players will appreciate. The face buttons sit flush when pressed, the grips are rubberized, and the impulse triggers add haptic feedback. Tom’s Guide called it the most comfortable handheld it has used.
AYN focused on the Portal’s grips and sticks too. Its full-size Hall-effect sticks have textured, replaceable caps, the shoulder buttons are textured, and the face buttons are double-shot molded with quieter clicks. A dome D-pad, two back buttons and RGB rings around the sticks round out the layout. The Claw also uses Hall-effect sticks, per Rock Paper Shotgun, and its gamepad-style sculpting is more comfortable than the previous Claw, though the reviewer still calls it an unpocketable slab at 785g and nearly an inch wider than its predecessor.
Performance Benchmarks: Dragonwing Q8, Z2 Extreme and Arc G3 Extreme
Raw speed is the one category where the price ladder holds up cleanly. We draw on three independent sources for the Windows machines, plus MSI’s own marketing numbers, and then explain what we can and cannot say about the Portal. The most direct data comes from Tom’s Guide, which ran both Windows handhelds through the same four games at 35W and ran the Claw at 17W too.
| Game and settings (Tom’s Guide lab) | ROG XBOX Ally X20 (35W) | MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ (35W) | MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ (17W) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Myth: Wukong, 1080p Cinematic | 11 FPS | 14 FPS | 10 FPS |
| Cyberpunk 2077, 720p High | 11.87 FPS | 27.01 FPS | 11.27 FPS |
| Red Dead Redemption 2, 1080p Medium | 23 FPS | 63.8 FPS | 48.8 FPS |
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider, 1080p High | 31 FPS | 66 FPS | 31 FPS |
The Claw wins every row at 35W. The gap runs from 1.3x in Black Myth: Wukong, which punishes both chips, to 2.8x in Red Dead Redemption 2. Even at 17W the Claw beats the X20’s 35W result in Red Dead Redemption 2 by more than double. Tom’s Guide credits Intel’s XeSS upscaling and multi-frame generation. With XeSS and 4x frame generation switched on, the outlet reports the Claw reached 171.5 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077, while the X20 sat near 11.8 FPS native in the same game. Those are generated frames, so input latency does not improve in step with the number on screen.
Rock Paper Shotgun’s real-game results on the Claw
Rock Paper Shotgun’s review backs up the lab numbers with playable-settings results. Resident Evil Requiem averaged 57 FPS on Low with FSR Quality. Elden Ring held above 50 FPS on Medium at native 1200p. Subnautica 2 averaged 56 FPS on Low with TSR Quality, with some stutter. Big Walk averaged 50 FPS on High, and Forza Horizon 5 scored 81 FPS at native High, which beat the ROG Xbox Ally X and Lenovo’s Legion Go 2 even though those two ran on Low. The reviewer called the Claw more than twice as fast as a Steam Deck OLED in some games. If you want to see how the generation before it stacked up, our Claw 8 AI+ versus EX AI+ comparison covers the step up.
MSI’s own claims and the X20’s weak spot
MSI’s engineering blog says the Claw delivered well over 120 FPS at 1200p across multiple AAA titles, using medium settings with Frame Generation or Multi-Frame Generation enabled and preliminary Intel drivers. Treat that as a best case, since generated frames inflate the count. It lines up with what independent testers saw, though.
For the X20, T3 reached a blunt conclusion: the internals match last year’s Ally X, there is no real jump in performance, and Intel’s Panther Lake-era silicon has since arrived. In other words, ASUS spent its budget on the screen, the shell and the controls. If your games are indies, older titles or anything that runs well at 720p to 1080p on a Z2 Extreme, the X20 is plenty fast. If you want Cyberpunk 2077 or Red Dead Redemption 2 at playable frame rates without heavy upscaling, the Claw is in a different class.
What we know about the Portal’s speed
Honest answer: very little that is measured. Inven Global reports the Dragonwing Q8 is an IoT variant of the Snapdragon 8 Elite without the cellular modem, built on 3nm, with an 8-core Oryon CPU at up to 4.32GHz and an Adreno 830 GPU. That is the same CPU and GPU configuration as the flagship phone chip, and it skips the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 entirely compared with the Odin 2 Portal’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. PC Guide says AYN has shown the Portal running games in a gameplay demo. The Gadgeteer says the chip handles demanding Android games and compatible emulation well, with a fan to hold clocks up over long sessions.
That is a strong foundation for Android titles, but it is not a Windows PC GPU. Native PC games do not run on the Portal at all. Comparing its frame rates to the Claw’s would mix two different software worlds, so we will wait for shipping units in November before we publish any head-to-head numbers.
Battery Life, Weight and Cooling
Battery endurance often matters more than peak FPS for anyone who plays away from an outlet. Here, the Claw leads the Windows pair, and the Portal arrives with the largest published capacity of the three. Tom’s Guide ran a gaming battery rundown on both Windows units, and Rock Paper Shotgun compared the Claw to Valve’s Steam Deck OLED.
| Battery test | Result | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ROG XBOX Ally X20, gaming rundown | 2 hours 47 minutes | Tom’s Guide |
| MSI Claw 8 EX AI+, gaming rundown | 4 hours 10 minutes | Tom’s Guide |
| MSI Claw 8 EX AI+, Portal 2 | 3 hours 37 minutes | Rock Paper Shotgun |
| Steam Deck OLED, Portal 2 | 5 hours 48 minutes | Rock Paper Shotgun |
| MSI Claw 8 EX AI+, Elden Ring | 2 hours 29 minutes | Rock Paper Shotgun |
| Steam Deck OLED, Elden Ring | 2 hours 14 minutes | Rock Paper Shotgun |
| Odin 3 Portal | 9,000mAh cell, no runtime test yet | AYN specifications |
The Claw beats the X20 by 83 minutes in Tom’s Guide’s test, a 50% longer session. Against Valve’s handheld, the Claw loses badly in a light game like Portal 2 but edges ahead in the heavy Elden Ring run. That tells you the Claw’s efficiency advantage shows up when the load is high. The Portal’s 9,000mAh battery is 1,000mAh larger than the Odin 2 Portal’s, but The Gadgeteer cautions that capacity alone does not predict runtime, since demanding games and a 120Hz panel will drain any cell quickly.
Weight and cooling
All three use fans. MSI says its Cooler Boost HyperFlow design delivers 9% more airflow and 5W more cooling capacity than the previous generation, and Rock Paper Shotgun found the fan hushed instead of loud. ASUS highlights upgraded ROG Intelligent Cooling on the X20 and shows the fans through its translucent shell. AYN’s video called out bigger battery and better cooling for the Portal, along with quiet operation.
Software and Game Libraries: Android 15 vs Windows 11
Hardware gets the headlines, but the operating system decides what you can actually play. This is the sharpest divide in the comparison, and it explains most of the price gap.
What Windows 11 gives the X20 and Claw
Both Windows handhelds run Steam, the Xbox app, Epic, GOG and any other PC launcher. That means your existing PC library comes along, along with Game Pass if you subscribe. The ASUS and Xbox partnership shows in the Xbox Full Screen Experience, a controller-friendly shell. Xbox’s April 30, 2026 update post listed docking improvements, an Auto SR preview, a collective game library and enhanced vibration, and said the original Ally handhelds had launched in 45 countries six months earlier. ASUS added its own layer on the X20, with a redesigned Armoury Crate interface, customizable buttons and a new Travel Mode.
Windows still has rough edges on a handheld. Rock Paper Shotgun hit several bugs on the Claw even inside Xbox Full Screen Experience: Steam notifications appeared in the middle of the screen, Cyberpunk 2077 lost the ability to run fullscreen, and the Xbox shell lagged on startup, leaving the controls dead for a few seconds. T3 likewise said the Xbox software is still not perfect on the X20. Our guide to setting up the X20 walks through the settings that smooth most of this out.
What Android 15 gives the Portal
The Portal ships with Android 15, so you get Google Play titles, emulators, and streaming clients for services like GeForce NOW and Xbox Cloud Gaming. Games are not preinstalled, and AYN’s box includes only a USB cable, per Notebookcheck. Android handles sleep and wake the way a phone does, and it treats the touchscreen as a first-class input. The trade-off is the lack of a native PC game library. Steam titles reach the Portal only through streaming from a home PC or a cloud service, which depends on your network.
| Software factor | Odin 3 Portal | ROG XBOX Ally X20 | MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Android 15 | Windows 11 Home | Windows 11 |
| Native PC games (Steam, Epic, GOG) | No, streaming only | Yes | Yes |
| Native Android games | Yes | Needs an emulator layer | Needs an emulator layer |
| Controller-first shell | Android launcher | Xbox Full Screen Experience, ROG Armoury Crate | Xbox Full Screen Experience |
| Shipping status | Early November | On sale since October 15 | On sale, stock varies |
| Update burden | Light | Windows Update, drivers | Windows Update, Intel drivers |
Pricing: What Each Handheld Costs on October 23, 2026
Price is where the Portal changes the conversation. AYN sells four configurations, with introductory discounts of $20 on Base and Pro, and $30 on Max. Time Extension lists matching euro prices, and the company says every model carries a one-year warranty. The ASUS and MSI prices below are US figures from the makers and from Tom’s Guide.
| Odin 3 Portal tier | RAM / storage | Regular price | Intro price | Euro intro price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base | 12GB / 128GB | $419 | $399 | EUR 355 |
| Pro | 12GB / 256GB | $499 | $479 | EUR 426 |
| Max | 16GB / 512GB | $579 | $549 | EUR 489 |
| Max | 16GB / 1TB | $699 | $669 | EUR 597 |
The regular prices are what you will pay once the promotion ends, so do not treat $419 or $699 as the checkout price today. AYN also sells official accessories, per Notebookcheck: a $5 screen protector, a $15 TPU grip, a $3 set of ABXY buttons in the Nintendo Switch layout and a $12 carrying case. Notebookcheck points out that the 1TB tier costs about 34% more than a Switch 2, which it priced at $499 on Amazon.
| Windows handheld | US price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| ROG XBOX Ally | $599 | Original model, still on sale per ASUS |
| ROG XBOX Ally X | $999 | 2025 model, Z2 Extreme, LCD, still on sale |
| ROG XBOX Ally X20 | $1,299 | OLED, TMR sticks, translucent shell, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD |
| ROG XBOX Ally X20 bundle | $2,499 | X20 plus ROG XREAL R1 Edition 20 glasses, dbrand Killswitch case, Pelican case, 68W adapter |
| MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ | About $1,799 | Arc G3 Extreme, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD, 8-inch IPS |
The X20 is priced at US$1,299, while the original Ally X stays at US$999.99. Our look at the $300 OLED premium on the X20 digs into whether that markup is fair. The Claw is harder to price outside the US. MSI’s regional stores reportedly list it at €1,599.00 in Italy and €1,799.90 in France, but the French listing showed as unavailable on October 20, so confirm stock before you plan around it.
Value math: what each dollar buys
Raw prices hide the real trade. The table below runs simple ratios on the launch figures above, using Tom’s Guide’s 35W Red Dead Redemption 2 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider results for the Windows units. Portal numbers use the introductory prices.
| Ratio | Odin 3 Portal | ROG XBOX Ally X20 | MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price vs Portal Base ($399) | 1.0x | 3.3x | 4.5x |
| Cost per GB of storage (1TB tier) | Not listed | $1.30 ($1,299) | Not listed |
| RDR2 FPS per $1,000 (35W) | No data | Not listed | Not listed |
| Tomb Raider FPS per $1,000 (35W) | No data | Not listed | Not listed |
| Gaming battery minutes per $1,000 | No data | 129 | Not listed |
The Portal wins on storage cost. The 1TB Max is $669 at the launch promotional price, normally $699, while the X20 costs $1,299. What the X20 adds is the OLED screen and the build.
Real-World Examples: Six Ways Players Will Use These Handhelds
Spec sheets only go so far. These six scenarios map the published test data and product features onto how people actually play.
1. The frequent flyer. Tom’s Guide tested both Windows units while traveling around the world and concluded the Claw’s extra 83 minutes of gaming battery can decide whether your session survives a long flight. The X20’s 2 hours 47 minutes is fine for a commute and short hops. The Portal’s weight advantage (450g against 785g) helps in a cramped economy seat, though its runtime is unproven until reviews land.
2. The fighting game player. The X20’s rotatable D-pad switches between 4-way and 8-way input without tools, and its 3% dead zone TMR sticks suit precision inputs. No other handheld in this comparison offers that hardware feature, so a player who spends evenings in Street Fighter or Tekken lobbies has a clear pick.
3. The emulation collector. AYN’s Odin line built its reputation on Android emulation, and The Gadgeteer describes the Portal as a fit for Android games, compatible emulators and streaming. A microSD slot, 16GB of RAM on the Max tiers and a 1TB option mean a large library fits on the device. Our emulation handheld picks already rank the Odin 2 Portal highly, and the new model is the obvious upgrade path. Windows handhelds can emulate too, but they cost more than three times as much.
4. The Steam and Game Pass owner. If you already own hundreds of PC games, the Portal cannot play them natively. The Claw’s Forza Horizon 5 result of 81 FPS at native High, and Elden Ring above 50 FPS at Medium and 1200p, show what a Windows handheld delivers without upscaling tricks. The X20 handles lighter games well but struggles in the heaviest titles, based on its Tom’s Guide numbers.
5. The living-room docker. The Claw carries two Thunderbolt 4 ports, and MSI’s own blog pitches it as a home-console or mini-PC replacement alongside its handheld role. The X20 offers USB4 with DisplayPort 2.1, and ASUS lists HDMI 2.1 output at up to 4K 144Hz on its dock page. The Portal outputs 4K 60Hz over USB-C. For a TV-first setup the Windows units have the clear edge.
6. The cloud gaming commuter. If most of your play is streamed, local horsepower matters less. The Portal’s Wi-Fi 7 radio, 7-inch OLED and 450g weight fit that style, and so does its price. The Claw also offers Wi-Fi 7, while the X20 tops out at Wi-Fi 6E. Spending $1,799 to stream games would be hard to justify.
Use-Case Recommendations: Which One to Buy
Different players need different machines, so a single winner would mislead. The table maps seven common profiles to a pick, based on the specs, the independent test results and the pricing above.
| Player profile | Best pick | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Retro and emulation fan on a budget | Odin 3 Portal Pro ($479 intro) | Fast Android chip, microSD slot, 256GB, no Windows overhead |
| Large Steam or Game Pass library | MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ | Native PC games and the highest frame rates in tested units |
| Screen-first player who mostly runs indies and older games | ROG XBOX Ally X20 | OLED with HDR, best grips, $500 cheaper than the Claw |
| Fighting game competitor | ROG XBOX Ally X20 | Rotating 4-way/8-way D-pad and 3% dead zone TMR sticks |
| Cloud and remote play commuter | Odin 3 Portal Base ($399 intro) | Wi-Fi 7, OLED, 450g, lowest price |
| Handheld plus desktop replacement | MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ | Two Thunderbolt 4 ports, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD |
| Gift for a younger player | Odin 3 Portal Base | One-third the cost of the X20, light enough for small hands |
Buyers still comparing broader Windows options should read our Legion Go 2, Xbox Ally X and MSI Claw matchup, which adds Lenovo’s larger-screen design to the mix. If your first pick is Windows, ask yourself one question before you spend $1,299 or more: will you use the extra headroom? A player who mostly runs Hades-class indies and older titles gains little from the Claw’s raw speed. A player who wants Cyberpunk 2077 on a plane gains a lot.
Pros and Cons of Each Handheld
AYN Odin 3 Portal
- Pro: Lowest entry price at $399 intro, with a one-year warranty on every model.
- Pro: 7-inch 120Hz OLED, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0 and a 9,000mAh battery with 60W charging.
- Pro: At 450g it is the lightest of the three by a wide margin.
- Pro: A 1TB tier plus a microSD slot give it the best storage value.
- Con: No independent benchmarks or battery tests yet, and it ships in early November.
- Con: No native Windows PC games, so Steam and Game Pass need streaming.
- Con: The box includes only a USB cable, per Notebookcheck.
ROG XBOX Ally X20
- Pro: The best display of the three, with HDR and a stated 1,400 nits peak.
- Pro: Best ergonomics, rotating D-pad and TMR sticks.
- Pro: Runs the full Windows library, including Game Pass through the Xbox app.
- Pro: $500 less than the Claw, and available now.
- Con: Same Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme as the 2025 Ally X, so T3 saw no real performance jump.
- Con: The shortest tested gaming battery life of the Windows pair at 2 hours 47 minutes.
- Con: A $300 premium over the Ally X that buys mostly looks and feel.
MSI Claw 8 EX AI+
- Pro: The fastest tested handheld PC, with up to 2.8x the X20 in Red Dead Redemption 2.
- Pro: 4 hours 10 minutes of gaming battery in Tom’s Guide’s test.
- Pro: 32GB RAM, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, Wi-Fi 7 and an 8-inch screen.
- Con: The highest price at about $1,799, and the heaviest at 785g.
- Con: The IPS panel measured duller than the cheaper previous model, per Rock Paper Shotgun.
- Con: Windows 11 bugs in the handheld shell, and patchy regional stock.
Migration Guide: Moving Your Library to a New Handheld
Switching devices costs time as well as money. These steps cover the three most common moves: from a phone or older Android handheld to the Portal, from a Steam Deck or PC to a Windows handheld, and from an older Ally to the X20.
Moving to the Odin 3 Portal from another Android device
- Back up your emulator configs and save states on the old device before orders arrive, since the Portal ships in early November.
- Copy your own game files and saves to the Portal’s internal storage or a microSD card. Use only games and firmware you dumped from hardware you own.
- Sign in to Google Play and reinstall your games. Cloud saves for supported titles sync after sign-in.
- Install your emulator front-end and point it at the new library folder.
- Pair a controller or headset using the Bluetooth 6.0 radio and test Wi-Fi 7 streaming before your first trip.
If both devices have USB debugging enabled, a computer can bridge the copy with Android’s adb tool.
adb devices
adb pull /sdcard/Emulation ./emulation-backup
adb push ./emulation-backup/. /sdcard/Emulation/Moving to the X20 or Claw from a Steam Deck or desktop PC
- Install Windows updates and the maker’s driver package first. On the Claw, this includes the Intel graphics driver, since MSI’s own FPS figures used preliminary drivers.
- Sign in to Steam and let Steam Cloud pull supported saves, then install your most-played games to the 1TB SSD.
- Sign in to the Xbox app, check Game Pass, and enable Xbox Full Screen Experience for a controller-friendly start screen.
- Set a power limit per game. Tom’s Guide tested both units at 35W, and the Claw also at 17W, so start there.
- Test upscalers per game. XeSS suits the Claw, while FSR is the AMD-native option on the X20.
Upgrading from an original Ally or Ally X
ASUS says the Ally X at $999 remains available, so the upgrade is optional. The X20 keeps the same Z2 Extreme chip, which means your Windows setup, drivers and Armoury Crate profiles carry over cleanly if you restore from a backup. Weigh the OLED panel and the new D-pad against the $300 premium, and sell the old unit while demand holds. Windows owners who want a real speed leap should look at the Claw instead, because only that move changes the chip.
Availability, Stock and Buying Risks
Three different supply situations apply, and each carries its own risk. The Portal has taken orders since October 23, but AYN points to early November for first shipments, so any delivery date is still a promise. Its introductory discounts are limited-time, and the 1TB tier launched only after the first three tiers were announced, which shows the lineup may still shift. With no independent reviews in the wild, early buyers carry the risk of unknown thermals and battery life.
The X20 is on sale now, but T3 noted that its predecessor went in and out of stock at launch and would not be surprised by a repeat. ASUS has described the X20 as a 20th anniversary model, and one report calls it a limited run, so treat availability as uncertain. The Claw has the messiest picture. MSI lists it in many regions, yet several European and Hong Kong store pages showed it as unavailable or backordered in mid-October. Notebookcheck also reported on September 26 that MSI released a cheaper China-market Claw using a standard Arc G3 chip instead of the Extreme version, so check the exact model name before you buy from an importer.
Pricing pressure is unlikely to ease soon. Both Tom’s Guide and Rock Paper Shotgun tie these prices to a memory shortage driven by data center demand, and the Claw’s 32GB of RAM is a direct cost driver. If you want a sense of how far Windows handheld pricing can climb, our price tiers for the most powerful handheld PCs show the top end of the market. For most players the Portal’s price tier is the only one that looks like a bargain by comparison.
Verdict: Odin 3 Portal vs Ally X20 vs Claw 8 EX AI+
The three handhelds do not compete head to head so much as they split the market by operating system and budget. Our editorial scores below weigh the evidence from the tests and specs in this article. The Portal’s performance and battery scores are provisional because no independent data exists yet.
| Category (editorial score out of 10) | Odin 3 Portal | ROG XBOX Ally X20 | MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price and value | 9 | 6 | 5 |
| Display | 8 | 9 | 6 |
| Performance (provisional for Portal) | 7 | 6 | 9 |
| Battery (provisional for Portal) | 7 | 6 | 8 |
| Ergonomics and weight | 8 | 9 | 6 |
| Game library breadth | 6 | 9 | 9 |
| Software polish | 8 | 6 | 5 |
| Total | Not listed | 51 | 48 |
Here is the clear call. If your games live on Android, in emulators or in a cloud service, buy the Odin 3 Portal Pro at $479, once early reviews confirm thermals and battery. You get a modern OLED handheld for roughly a third of what ASUS charges. If you need Windows and care most about frames per dollar, buy the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+, since it delivered twice the Red Dead Redemption 2 frame rate per dollar of the X20 and the longest tested battery life. If you need Windows and care most about the screen and the grip, buy the ROG XBOX Ally X20, but go in knowing T3 saw no real performance jump over last year’s model.
One more option deserves a mention for readers who find all three too expensive or too restrictive. Our comparison of the X20, Steam Deck and Legion Go 2 covers cheaper Windows and SteamOS alternatives. We will revisit this article with measured Portal numbers when units ship in November, and update the scores if the data demands it.
FAQ: Odin 3 Portal, ROG XBOX Ally X20 and MSI Claw 8 EX AI+
When does the AYN Odin 3 Portal ship?
Orders opened on October 23, 2026, and AYN’s product page says shipping starts in early November 2026. No customer deliveries have been confirmed yet.
How much does the Odin 3 Portal cost?
Introductory prices are $399 for Base (12GB/128GB), $479 for Pro (12GB/256GB), $549 for Max (16GB/512GB) and $669 for the 16GB/1TB Max. Regular prices are $419, $499, $579 and $699 once the promotion ends.
Can the Odin 3 Portal play Steam games?
Not natively. It runs Android 15, so Steam games need to stream from a PC or a cloud service. Native Windows games run on the X20 and the Claw.
Is the ROG XBOX Ally X20 faster than the original Ally X?
No. It uses the same AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme chip, according to T3 and Tom’s Guide. The $300 price increase pays for the OLED screen, translucent shell, TMR sticks and revised controls.
Is the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ worth $500 more than the X20?
Only if you play demanding games. Tom’s Guide measured the Claw at 63.8 FPS in Red Dead Redemption 2 versus about 23 FPS for the X20, plus 83 more minutes of battery. If you play indies and older titles, the X20’s screen and ergonomics may matter more.
Does the original Ally X still exist?
Yes. ASUS says the ROG XBOX Ally at $599 and the ROG XBOX Ally X at $999 both remain on sale at their original prices, alongside the new X20.
Which handheld has the best battery life?
Among tested units, the Claw lasted 4 hours 10 minutes in Tom’s Guide’s gaming rundown against 2 hours 47 minutes for the X20. The Portal carries a 9,000mAh battery, but no runtime tests exist yet.
Should I wait for Portal reviews before buying?
If you can wait a few weeks, yes. The introductory prices are limited-time, but independent thermal, battery and emulation tests will arrive once units ship, and they will show whether the spec sheet holds up in practice.
