Intel introduces first Lunar Lake laptop CPUs

Intel has officially unveiled its first Lunar Lake laptop CPUs, introducing the Core Ultra 200V series. Intel asserts that this new lineup can outperform Qualcomm and AMD in nearly every aspect. When the initial batch of laptops featuring these chips launches on September 24th, Intel promises they will boast "the fastest CPU core," "the world's best integrated GPU," and "the best AI performance."

The company emphasizes that while the competition between Qualcomm and AMD often boils down to a trade-off between battery life and graphical prowess, Intel's new chips aim to excel in all areas.

How will it perform against Qualcomm and AMD chips?

In a comparison provided by Intel, an Asus Zenbook S 14 equipped with one of these new chips is said to last several hours longer on office tasks than an Asus Zenbook S 16 powered by an AMD processor, despite the latter having a slightly larger 78Wh battery pack.

The Intel-powered machine has a 72Wh battery, whereas the Qualcomm counterpart comes with a 70Wh pack. This suggests a significant leap in power efficiency for Intel's new architecture.

When it comes to gaming performance, Intel claims to have finally surpassed AMD and is significantly outpacing Qualcomm. The flagship Core Ultra 9 288V reportedly delivers an average of 68% higher frame rates compared to Qualcomm's top-tier X1E-84-100 in a Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge and 16% better frame rates than AMD's HX 370 chip in the Asus Zenbook S 16.

Intel further highlights that its integrated GPU can handle ray-traced games with respectable performance, achieving 45fps in Cyberpunk 2077, 57fps in Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, and 66fps in Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

Lunar Lake AI features

In terms of AI capabilities, Intel asserts that the new chips offer significantly faster performance than Qualcomm's, particularly when using AI-powered features in Adobe Premiere and Lightroom.

However, potential buyers should note some limitations before rushing to preorder a Lunar Lake laptop. These CPUs are designed specifically for thin and light laptops, supporting a maximum of 32GB of RAM with no option for future upgrades. Intel achieved some of its efficiency gains by integrating memory directly into the CPU package, eliminating the need for separate memory sticks or chips.

Additionally, the Lunar Lake chips have eight CPU cores and eight threads, with up to eight GPU cores, and do not support hyperthreading, a feature that allows CPU cores to handle more than one thread simultaneously.

While Intel claims that its eight-thread Lunar Lake chips can outperform the 14-thread or 22-thread Meteor Lake chips at lower power consumption, it’s important to note that older Intel processors and AMD’s HX 370 can still pull ahead when operating at higher wattages.