[News] Intel Debuts Core Ultra Series 3 on 18A at CES, Highlights iGPU Gains and Handheld Platform Plans

Intel formally unveiled its long-awaited Panther Lake platform at CES 2026. According to Reuters, Jim Johnson, senior vice president and general manager of Intel’s PC group, shared technical details at the event about the company’s first Panther Lake-based lineup, branded as Intel Core Ultra Series 3.

Johnson said Intel has introduced a separate graphics chiplet that is assembled alongside other chiplets to make a complete processor. The company said that its Core Ultra Series 3 chips deliver up to 60% better performance than Lunar Lake Series 2, as noted by Reuters.

Core Ultra Series 3 Targets Edge and Industrial AI Use Cases

In its press release, Intel notes that, for the first time, Series 3 edge processors are tested and certified for embedded and industrial edge use cases, including robotics, smart cities, automation, and healthcare. Powering more than 200 designs from global partners, Intel says Series 3 represents the most broadly adopted and globally available AI PC platform it has delivered to date.

Its press release also says Core Ultra Series 3 mobile lineup introduces new X9 and X7 tiers, aimed at multitaskers handling demanding workloads such as gaming and content creation. The top SKUs feature up to 16 CPU cores, 12 Xe-cores, and 50 TOPS of NPU performance, delivering up to 60% higher multithreaded performance, over 77% faster gaming, and up to 27 hours of battery life.

Intel Highlights Arc B390 iGPU, Teases Panther Lake Handheld Platform

Tom’s Hardware reports that Intel is highlighting its Arc B390 integrated GPU within the Core Ultra Series 3 lineup at CES, claiming performance of up to 2× faster than AMD in select titles and 73% higher on average. Intel characterizes the Arc B390 as delivering “discrete-class gaming performance” in a laptop.

Notably, according to TechRadar, the new GPU will be the first integrated GPU to support multiframe generation via Intel XeSS 3. Intel says this enables a title such as Battlefield 6 to run at 147 fps at 1080p using its highest “Overkill” graphics settings, the report adds.

Tom’s Hardware also notes that Intel is launching a full handheld gaming platform based on Panther Lake, with additional details expected later this year. This move might put pressure on AMD’s long-standing dominance in handheld APUs, driven by its Ryzen Z-series lineup, as TechRadar points out.

Core Ultra Series 3 Launch Timeline

Intel says that pre-orders for consumer laptops powered by Core Ultra Series 3 will begin on January 6, 2026, with global availability starting January 27, 2026. Additional designs are expected to roll out through the first half of the year, while edge systems based on Series 3 are slated to become available starting in Q2 2026.

Dell is among the OEMs expected to showcase systems powered by Intel’s Core Ultra Series 3 at CES 2026, while Samsung is also set to adopt the chip in its Galaxy Book 6 lineup, according to ETNews and Sammy Fans.

Read more

• [Insights] Intel’s Panther Lake Emerges — Can 18A Drive an Advanced-Process Comeback?
• [News] What to Expect from Intel Panther Lake, Featuring 18A and Reportedly TSMC N3E/N6 Processes

(Photo credit: Intel)