//# sourceMappingURL=newsletterForm.js.map window.sliceComponents.newsletterForm = newsletterForm; var triggerHydrate = function() { window.sliceComponents.newsletterForm.hydrate(data, componentContainer); } if (window.lazyObserveElement) { window.lazyObserveElement(componentContainer, triggerHydrate); } else { triggerHydrate(); } } }).catch(err => console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','Hydration Script has failed for newsletterForm-exitIntent Slice', err)); }).catch(err => console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','Externals script failed to load', err));

Intel had the most exciting product launch at CES 2026 and I absolutely wasn't expecting that

News
By published

Intel's Panther Lake had zero competition, but it's still genuinely exciting.

An Intel Core Ultra Series 3 gaming laptop benchmarked on various games
(Image credit: Future)

Go back a year to 18 months, and there's absolutely no way you'd have picked Intel as the top candidate for the most exciting product launch at CES from the big tech players. But here we are, CES in January 2026, and Intel's new Panther Lake chip isn't just the most exciting launch. It's virtually the only launch.

Nvidia is obviously utterly consumed by all things AI, plus maybe a touch of memory crisis management. So, there were no new GPUs from Team Green. And AMD had nothing but respins of existing products.

Article continues below

An Intel Core Ultra Series 3 gaming laptop benchmarked on various games What to read next

Then there's the whole Intel 18A thing. Panther Lake is the first chip on Intel's new node. 18A silicon still has plenty to prove. But this is surely a promising early viewing.

CES 2026

The CES logo on display at the show.

(Image credit: Future)

Catch up with CES 2026: We're on the ground in sunny Las Vegas covering all the latest announcements from some of the biggest names in tech, including Nvidia, AMD, Intel, Asus, Razer, MSI and more.

Indeed, Panther Lake is without any doubt the most promising new Intel chip since at least the Alder Lake architecture in 2021, and I'd argue probably longer still. Most of all, it has the makings of a really nifty chip for gaming handhelds, a subsection of the PC market that is itself an awful lot of fun.

Of course, a single chip doesn't make a golden summer of PC technology. Intel still has it all to prove. And it's hard to know what to make of the future of Intel Arc GPUs, including iGPUs, what with the Nvidia deal that's specifically about pairing Intel CPUs with Nvidia GPU chiplets.

But Panther Lake is clearly a step in the right direction. And it's definitely the most interesting PC chip at CES. And that's some result for Intel.

Razer Blade 16 gaming laptop
Best gaming laptop 2026

1. Best overall:
Razer Blade 16 (2025)

2. Best budget:
Lenovo LOQ 15 Gen 10

3. Best 14-inch:
Razer Blade 14 (2025)

4. Best mid-range:
MSI Vector 16 HX AI

5. Best high-performance:
Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 10

6. Best 18-inch:
Alienware 18 Area-51


👉Check out our full gaming laptop guide👈

TOPICS

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.