CES 2026: Intel Unveils Panther Lake, AMD Adjusts Strix Halo Prices & Reintroduces Socketed Mobile CPUs

At CES 2026, Intel unveiled its Panther Lake processors, emphasizing integrated graphics performance and efficiency for laptops and handhelds. Concurrently, AMD detailed expected price reductions for systems featuring its Strix Halo silicon and announced the reintroduction of socketed mobile processors. The event also highlighted a competitive landscape with various manufacturers vying for market share in the AI PC and handheld gaming segments.

CES 2026 Overview

The Consumer Electronics Show 2026 featured a predominant focus on artificial intelligence applications. There were relatively few new announcements for gamers, including limited introductions of new handheld devices or desktop GPUs from major manufacturers like Nvidia, Intel, or AMD. AMD's keynote specifically addressed AI applications.

Intel's Panther Lake Processors

Intel introduced its Panther Lake processors, designed to compete in integrated graphics performance with both discrete GPUs and AMD's Strix Point and Gorgon Point processors, while operating within lower power budgets.

Specifications and Architecture

The Core Ultra X9 388H configuration of Panther Lake features 16 cores, comprising four Performance (P) cores, eight Efficiency (E) cores, and eight low-power E-cores. It includes a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) rated for 50 TOPs, in addition to the integrated graphics' 120 TOPs. The Arc B390 GPU, based on the Xe3 (Celestial) architecture, is integrated into Panther Lake, with the top-end model containing 12 Xe cores.

Performance Claims and Benchmarks

Intel claims performance leads of up to 77 percent over Lunar Lake and 82 percentage points over AMD's Strix Point-based Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 with Radeon 890M graphics.

Preliminary benchmarks conducted at CES 2026 demonstrated Panther Lake's capabilities:

In Cyberpunk 2077 at native 1080p on ultra settings with RT reflections and shadows enabled, Panther Lake achieved 29.05 frames per second (fps) at a CPU package consumption of 58W to 64W. This was reported as an 85.5 percent improvement over a Strix Point mini-PC configured to 65W, which delivered 15.66 fps, and comparable to AMD's Radeon RX 6600, which scored 29.03 fps in the same test.

When XeSS balanced mode was activated, Panther Lake's average increased to 55.96 fps, a 92.6 percent boost. Testing on an Asus Zenbook Duo laptop equipped with the Core Ultra X9 388H showed the chip surpassing AMD's highest-end Strix Point chip in most tests and exceeding Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake-H examples.

In application testing, Panther Lake slightly outperformed an Apple MacBook Pro in 4K video export using Adobe Premiere Pro and exhibited comparable performance in Adobe Lightroom Classic when editing 50-megapixel RAW files.

Graphics and AI Features

Panther Lake integrates XeSS Super Resolution and multi-frame generation technology. Intel's multi-frame generation feature allows for 2x, 3x, and 4x frame generation, which Intel states can result in fluid gameplay at frame rates above 120fps in titles like Battlefield 6.

Extended Battery Life

Panther Lake-powered laptops demonstrated extended battery life.

A Zenbook Duo with two high-resolution OLED displays lasted over 14 hours in rundown tests and supported a nine-hour workday of dual-screen multitasking. Another system achieved 22 hours during 4K video playback and nearly 14 hours during simulated office work.

Manufacturing and Market Context

Panther Lake utilizes the Intel 18A manufacturing process for its compute tile, which incorporates backside power delivery technology. While yields for this process are scaling up, Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan indicated they align with internal plans but have room for growth. Potential market share gains may face challenges if manufacturing capacity is reallocated to server CPUs like Clearwater Forest and Diamond Rapids, which will also use the Intel 18A process later in the year.

AMD's Strix Halo and Mobile Processor Announcements

AMD's CES 2026 presence, while largely focused on artificial intelligence, included announcements regarding its Strix Halo silicon and socketed mobile processors.

Strix Halo Price Adjustments

AMD introduced two new versions of Strix Halo, the Ryzen AI Max Plus 388 and 392, which retain full graphics capabilities. Systems featuring AMD's Strix Halo processors previously had price points around $2,000.

AMD anticipates these new chips will lead to Strix Halo system prices falling below $2,000. Jason Banta, who manages AMD's engagements with OEMs, confirmed these expectations, noting that gaming companies had requested such components.

Reintroduction of Socketed Mobile Processors

AMD is reintroducing socketed Ryzen AI 400 mobile processors. These chips, designed for potential future upgrades due to their replaceable nature, are expected to be integrated into desktops beginning in Q2 of the current year. They are intended to facilitate gaming and productivity designs across various form factors, from 1-liter to 30-liter systems, and can be paired with desktop GPUs for gaming. While primarily targeted at AI PCs, the socketed design adds thickness, potentially limiting their adoption in upgradable laptops, with mini PCs considered a significant market. AMD has not committed to selling these processors at retail for DIY upgrades.

Competitive Landscape

The CES 2026 announcements highlighted a competitive environment in the processor market, particularly for handheld gaming and laptops.

• Intel stated its intention to maintain its market position in the laptop segment with Panther Lake and enhance its presence in handheld gaming, challenging AMD's position in this area. Intel also announced plans for a new "entire handheld gaming platform" and criticized AMD for "selling ancient silicon."
• AMD client chip boss Rahul Tikoo stated that AMD's Strix Halo / Ryzen AI Max chip is expected to outperform Panther Lake, citing its discrete-level graphics performance, and suggested Intel's gaming-grade Panther Lake chips might be more expensive than anticipated. AMD did not announce a successor to its Z2 and Z2 Extreme chips for handheld gaming PCs.
• Qualcomm teased its own handheld devices for a potential March reveal, adding another competitor to the market.
• AMD's current higher-end integrated graphics products, based on RDNA 3.5, currently lack machine learning-based upscalers or frame generation, with FSR Redstone being limited to RDNA 4 and newer architectures. Intel's multi-frame generation is noted to be ahead of AMD’s Redstone in this regard.

The broader PC market is projected to contract by up to 8.9% in 2026 due to rising memory chip prices and overall supply constraints affecting manufacturers.