Intel claims the future of laptops is Project Athena at IFA 2019

(Image credit: Dell)

At IFA 2019, the huge tech show happening in Berlin, Germany, Intel has been talking up its vision of the future of laptops, and has brought along devices from big names such as Dell and HP.

Crucially, it revealed more about its Project Athena innovation program, which is designed to shape the next generation of laptops, and will focus on improved performance, instant-on boot times, boosted connectivity and long battery lives.

Throughout the week that IFA runs (September 6 – September 11), Intel and its partners will be showing off new Project Athena laptops, and we’ll be there to try them out. Intel has been promising big things with Project Athena – perhaps spooked by growing competition from AMD and Qualcomm – so we want to see if these new laptops can live up to the hype.

“Project Athena-based laptops will deliver what our members desire with improved performance, instant on, intelligence, great battery life and improved connectivity all in new, beautiful, sleek form factors. We’re excited to partner with Intel to be at the forefront of PC innovation,” said Jon Bubitz, general manager for PC Business at Costco.

Joining the Project Athena gang

While Intel hasn’t disclosed what Project Athena laptops it’ll be unveiling, these new laptops will be joining the following devices that have already been confirmed to be part of Project Athena:

  • Dell Inspiron 14 5000
  • Dell Latitude 7400 2-in-1
  • Dell XPS 13 2-in-1
  • HP EliteBook x360 1040
  • HP EliteBook x360 1030 G4
  • HP EliteBook x360 830
  • Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon

“With the Project Athena program, Intel and key brand partners are focused on delivering the most innovative devices for our customers,” said Matthew Higginson, head of Category Computing, Windows & Chrome at Dixons Carphone. "We’re excited to feature Project Athena-based laptops at Currys PC World as a great solution for our customers.”

Both already-announced Project Athena laptops, and the ones Intel will be revealing throughout the week at IFA, should start appearing in stores towards the end of 2019.

Laptops powered by 10th generation Intel Core processors

Intel is also going to be showing off laptops that run on its latest 10th generation Intel Core processors, with Acer, Asus, Lenovo, MSI and Razer all announcing new laptops.

Again, we’ll try to get our hands on as many of these laptops as we can as they are announced to give an early verdict on this new generation.

Make sure you keep an eye on TechRadar throughout IFA 2019 for the very latest laptop news and reviews.

  • IFA 2019 is Europe's biggest tech show. The TechRadar team is in Berlin to bring you all the breaking news and hands-on first impressions of new TV, watches and other tech as they're announced.
Matt Hanson
Managing Editor, Core Tech


Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. Ever since he got an Amiga A500+ for Christmas in 1991, he's loved using (and playing on) computers, and will talk endlessly about how The Secret of Monkey Island is the best game ever made.