Yesterday, Intel released its financial results for 2025. Some predictable results include data center and AI growth – up 9% in Q4 and up 5% over the course of the year, while consumer (Client Computer Group) sales fell behind, dropping 3% year-on-year. Regardless, Intel believes it’s in a great spot now following the launch of its Core Ultra Series 3 processor family, otherwise known as Panther Lake. The new mobile chip series was unleashed at CES 2026 and makes even lightweight laptops viable for gaming.

In its report, Intel highlights Panther Lake as the first to use Intel’s new 18A process technology, and expects this series to be “the most broadly adopted and globally available AI PC platform Intel has ever delivered”. We already know that Team Blue has big plans to support handhelds with an “entire handheld gaming platform” on the way, and this report reaffirms that.

Plenty of Panther Lake hardware on the way

Intel Core Ultra Series 3 is expected to power more than 200 designs from leading, global original equipment manufacturers, spanning premium to mainstream laptops, gaming handhelds, robotics, and industrial edge devices. Intel Core Ultra Series 3 is expected to be the most broadly adopted and globally available AI PC platform Intel has ever delivered.

Source: Intel

AMD has clearly helped put a dent in Intel’s consumer sales, particularly in the desktop CPU market, where Ryzen chips continue to dominate among DIY PC builders. A good example towards the end of last year was sales figures showing that Ryzen 7 9800X3D generated 8x the revenue of Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285K, as gamers favor AMD’s X3D design.

In any case, with the launch of Panther Lake, Intel is definitely honing in on more lightweight, efficient devices, and this is where it can make more progress in the handheld market. AMD chips continue to power the most popular handhelds at the moment, including the Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and Legion Go series. As for Intel, the MSI Claw is the biggest player in the field, and we’re still waiting for MSI to announce its next generation; CES 2026 only offered two new colors for the Claw 8 AI+.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.