Intel has officially brought the Core Ultra Series 3 processors to Malaysia, and you can already spot them in a wide range of laptops from the big players.
Known by the code-name Panther Lake, this new family includes everything from the Ultra 5 to the flagship X9. They are primarily aimed at the next generation of thin and light laptops, promising a lot more punch and longer battery life without making your bag any heavier.
These chips are built using the cutting-edge Intel 18A process, which translates to some pretty impressive real-world benefits. According to the official figures, we are looking at up to 27 hours of battery life, which should comfortably get most people through a couple of workdays.
Performance has seen a massive hike too, with the CPU running 60% faster and graphics getting a 77% boost over the previous generation. For those who tinker with AI, the Core Ultra Series 3 processors are also up to 2 times faster than the previous Intel Core Ultra Series 2.
On the connectivity front, Panther Lake is staying ahead of the curve by introducing Wi-Fi 7 (R2) and Bluetooth 6.0. For those who need maximum bandwidth for peripherals, Thunderbolt 5 is also supported on certain Core Ultra 7 and Ultra 9 models.
The biggest talking point is likely the new Xe3 graphics architecture, part of the Arc Battlemage family. Intel is now using an X in the product name to highlight the chips with the beefiest integrated graphics.
The top-of-the-line X9 is a bit of a beast, apparently capable of hitting nearly 60fps in Battlefield 6 without needing to rely on upscaling or frame generation.
You can find these new processors right now in local retail units from brands like Asus, Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and MSI.
Intel also announced the Core Series 3 chips recently for people who prefer more affordable laptops without sacrificing much performance and battery life.