Power vs Efficiency: Intel’s Latest Flagship Challenges Expectations

The flagship Intel Core Ultra X9 388H processor of the upcoming Panther Lake line has appeared in a benchmark for the first time. Despite being a line focused on energy efficiency, in Geekbench, this processor performed on par with the 55-watt Core Ultra 9 275HX with a much higher core count.

The new model scores 3057 and 17,687 points in single-threaded and multi-threaded modes, respectively. The current flagship scores around 2850 and 18,000 points. Notably, the new processor has four large cores, eight small cores, and four LP cores, whereas the current Core Ultra 9 includes eight large and 16 small cores. This ratio shows a promising upgrade for the new model. Additionally, it can be noted that this is roughly at the level of the 16-core Ryzen AI Max+ 395.

Of course, in real-world tasks, performance may differ significantly, but at a minimum, the groundwork can already be assessed. The new line will be presented at CES 2026 in early January.

Recent reports suggest that Intel is incorporating advanced AI capabilities in the Panther Lake series, aiming to enhance real-time data processing efficiency, setting new standards in developing smart assistants and complex computational tasks. The upcoming presentation is highly anticipated in the tech community for shedding more light on this potential game-changer.