- Intel has showcased its Panther Lake processors at Computex 2025
- It's hinted at a focus on power efficiency and 'next-gen iGPU performance' for the mobile processors
- It could spell great news for upcoming handheld gaming PCs and other portable gaming systems
Computex 2025 is underway, and we’re looking forward to seeing new hardware from the likes of Nvidia, AMD, and Intel – and the latter is already making an impression with its upcoming mobile processor lineup.
As reported by our friends at Tom's Hardware, Intel's demos at the big computing expo in Taipei included Panther Lake-powered systems, with Team Blue focusing on the power efficiency and gaming performance of its new mobile processor lineup – ultimately, aiming to match the power efficiency of the previous Lunar Lake lineup.
Intel's teasers and claims at the show add credibility to the rumors, based on leaked specifications, regarding upcoming Panther Lake processors using Cougar Cove P-cores (performance cores) and Darkmont E-cores (efficiency cores). It's also worth noting that the new processors are being built on Intel's new 18A node manufacturing process, which further helps improve performance.
We've previously seen the power efficiency of the Lunar Lake lineup, in particular in the Core Ultra 7 258V used in the MSI Claw 8 AI+. Power efficiency is one of the biggest highlights of the handheld gaming PC – to put it simply, gaming at 17W power consumption still yields great performance results while saving a lot of battery. Efficiency and performance were made even better with Intel's recent drivers, allowing better frame pacing.
Team Blue has also previously hinted at a “next-gen built-in iGPU”, which could prove to be a significant performance enhancer for portable gaming.
While Panther Lake is set primarily for the laptop platform, there's every chance we could see one of these iGPUs in an upcoming gaming handheld.
The battle with AMD in the handheld gaming PC market is truly on
We're still awaiting the launch of a new handheld gaming PC powered by one of AMD's Ryzen Z2 Extreme processors – I'm expecting this to happen at Computex, considering the prototype reveal of the Lenovo Legion Go 2 at CES earlier this year and rumors regarding an Xbox-styled Asus ROG Ally. Until then, Intel is in the lead, in terms of a balance between power efficiency and gaming performance, with its Core Ultra 7 258V.
While the AMD Ryzen 9 AI HX 370 is an absolute powerhouse for gaming, and is used in the OneXPlayer X1 Pro handheld, I doubt that the X1 Pro’s battery life lives up to that of the Core Ultra 7 258V-powered MSI Claw 8 AI+. It's also far more expensive, heading into $1,000-plus territory (depending on the configuration).
Intel's Lunar Lake processor has been the most impressive to me for handheld gaming systems, as it appears to strike the perfect balance between great performance and enabling long gaming sessions thanks to its power efficiency.
If its Panther Lake processors take power efficiency and performance a step further, and AMD's Medusa Point struggles to match them in that department, I can only see Team Blue dominating the mobile processor market in the coming years, as handheld manufacturers won’t be forced to compromise on battery life.
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