Panther Lake is officially Intel Core Ultra Series 3 — here’s how to understand all the new model names

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Intel always has a big impact at the Consumer Electronics Show, and for good reason – their latest processors will be inside many of the new Windows laptops coming out this year.

These new processors are part of Intel’s Core Ultra Series 3, first shown off at CES 2026. Formerly called “Panther Lake,” they mark a significant improvement for Intel in terms of speed, power efficiency, graphics capabilities, and artificial intelligence performance.

We were already aware of the details surrounding the Intel Core Ultra Series 3, having covered them extensively last year. At CES, Intel is now highlighting the branding and the new laptops being released by its partners. For the latest on those laptops, check Windows Central. This article will focus on everything you need to know about the Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors themselves.

Naming is simplified, but can still be confusing

In 2026, Intel plans for its Core Ultra Series 3 to power a wide range of devices, including laptops, tablets, and mini PCs. This new platform is built to be flexible and adaptable for different needs. Intel is positioning it to compete with similar new processors from AMD (the Ryzen AI 400 series) and Qualcomm (the Snapdragon X2 series).

I won’t go into a lot of detail about Panther Lake and why it’s important for Intel, but the way it’s designed allows Intel to be much more adaptable. Essentially, Panther Lake comes in three main versions: those with fewer cores, those with many cores, and those with many cores plus a strong graphics processor (GPU).

Intel’s adaptable approach also allowed them to streamline their processor naming. The newest Intel Core Ultra Series 2 included the advanced V-series (Lunar Lake), which launched in the first half of the year, and the more familiar H, HX, and U-series (Arrow Lake) which came out later in 2025. By 2026, all processors will be based on the Panther Lake architecture.

As an analyst, I’m tracking Intel’s new Core Ultra Series, and currently, we’ve confirmed 14 different models, or SKUs. Intel will probably release even more options throughout the year. I’ll share some guidance to help you understand their new naming system.

  • Intel Core Ultra Series 3 is still divided into the classic 5, 7, and 9 families, with each family going up in price, performance, and features. For example, the Core Ultra 5 322 would be found in entry-level, value-driven devices, while the Core Ultra 9 386H would be found in high-end laptops that need top-notch performance.
  • Family numbers will be followed by a 300 number, with higher numbers usually notating faster clock speeds, more cache, or other improvements. For example, the Core Ultra 5 325 and Core Ultra 5 335 are both 8-core chips, but the latter is clocked higher.
  • Within each family, you’ll see no suffix or an H suffix, with the H suffix being for SKUs with higher core counts. For example, the Core Ultra 7 365 and Core Ultra 7 366H are very similar overall, but the former has 8 cores while the latter has 16 cores.
  • It’s worth mentioning that Intel has confirmed the HX suffix isn’t dead, and will likely be used with even more powerful configurations for gaming laptops and high-end workstations later this year.
  • Finally, Intel is introducing a new X prefix for its most powerful configurations with the latest 12-core Intel Arc B390 GPU. For example, there’s the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H, which you’ll find in premium devices that don’t have discrete GPUs.

This year’s naming system is much easier to understand than last year’s. For example, the Intel Core Ultra X7 358H is clearly a more powerful processor than the Intel Core Ultra 5 332 – it has a better graphics card and more processing cores.

We’ll have more detailed reports on the Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors soon, particularly once we’ve had a chance to test them in actual laptops.

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2026-01-08 15:09