Don't pay over a grand for a handheld this Prime Day

I don't want to stop you buying expensive handheld PCs this Prime Day, but I will. Plenty of people will see the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ at $1,800, assume other portables are cheap by comparison, and end up spending over a grand — please don't. There are still decent options for less.

Obnoxiously high prices are the big problem as Prime Day deals roll out. Even the Steam Deck OLED now costs a grand for the 1TB version, and I can't imagine paying $1,800 for one of today's best handhelds when it could be outshone in 12 months. The Claw's Intel Arc G3 Extreme should boost fps versus last-gen models, but 32GB of RAM felt unnecessary, and the pricing hasn't helped.

Keeping handheld costs reasonable in 2026 takes some creativity. I avoid feeding tech-price inflation by checking open-box and refurbished stock; second-hand devices aren't as grimy as you'd think because stores grade returns. When retailers list a ROG Xbox Ally with $100 off in "excellent" condition, you can often get the same flagship Ryzen Z2 Extreme handheld for less.

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