Intel Core Ultra 300 Panther Lake: What to Expect Ahead of CES 2026

Upcoming Intel Core Ultra 300 devices generate anticipation as CES 2026 approaches amid limited handheld announcements and sparse early leaks.

Hardware by Nakiro on Dec 10, 2025

As CES 2026 approaches, people are getting excited about the upcoming Intel Core Ultra 300 (Panther Lake) generation. In the past, early leaks and handheld confirmations came out months before the gadgets were released. This year, though, there hasn't been much information about devices that use the new technology.

With only a few confirmed laptop launches and a handful of handheld leaks surfacing, the landscape looks very different from the lead-up to CES 2025.

Intel, Core Ultra 300 Panther Lake, What to Expect, Ahead of CES 2026, NoobFeed

Early Announcements and Limited Pre-CES Information

So, something we've been wanting to talk about a bit over the past few days is Intel's Core Ultra 300, or Panther Lake, which we've been talking about here for quite a few months. It's been interestingly quiet coming up to CES 2026.

By now, last year, we were already preparing to pre-order MSI Claw 8 AI Plus with the Intel Core Ultra 200. We had been getting leaks about it for a month or two, and we kind of knew a lot about it.

And this year, there hasn't been very much information at all about handhelds potentially using the new Intel Core Ultra 300 or MSI, particularly with their Claw device, which we do find pretty interesting because we would love to see another iteration of that Claw 8 AI Plus with the newer chip, and to be able to test that out.

But nothing from them yet, even though they do have laptops on the way. Asus is launching some of the first Core Ultra 300 or Panther Lake laptops on January 6, when CES takes place. More recently, MSI's first laptops powered by Core Ultra 300 Panther Lake have also surfaced, and they will appear in a ton of laptops.

Early Performance Leaks and First Confirmed Handheld

We've been very excited to see what they'll do with this chip in terms of efficiency and performance compared to the Core Ultra 200. But doing that with a laptop versus a handheld is different when it comes to cooling and TDP, since laptops typically draw more power. So we really want to see this in a handheld.

A notable development is the 1X Player X1 leak, which confirms the first gaming handheld powered by the Panther Lake Core Ultra 5338H processor. This marks one of the first leaks about a handheld incorporating the chip. It's very different from the past two years, when this segment was dominated by MSI.

We've also seen some 36W FurMark testing come out, apparently from the same leak. While we take these with a grain of salt, it's clear that 1X Player is moving ahead with Core Ultra 300, and we expect to see not just the Ultra 5 but likely Ultra 7 as well.

Intel, Core Ultra 300 Panther Lake, What to Expect, Ahead of CES 2026, NoobFeed

Unusual Silence From Major Handheld Brands

Despite this leak, we haven't found anything else from MSI or any other mainstream handheld manufacturer that suggests the Core Ultra 300 will appear in new handheld models. This is surprising, given MSI's strong partnership with Intel at CES 2024 and CES 2025.

We wonder whether they will announce something as CES 2026 approaches. It would be a late reveal for MSI, which usually shares information early. However, since it's only early December, there is still time.

Looking Back at Intel's Recent Progress in Handheld APUs

We're typically much more AMD-leaning. In over 30 years of building PCs, we have usually relied on AMD CPUs, even during the rough FX and Bulldozer days. Nvidia dominated most GPU decisions after the Voodoo era, but our CPU loyalty leaned toward AMD. Still, competition matters, and we've wanted to see Intel return strongly to the APU space after losing ground over the past several years.

When Intel returned with the original Core Ultra 7 and Core Ultra 5 in the 2024 MSI Claw, our evaluation wasn't very good. The processor was designed for laptops with higher TDP and better cooling; however, it didn't work well in a portable chassis.

It got hotter, throttled a lot, and struggled to keep up performance. MSI did a lot of work to fix it along the way, but the silicon simply wasn't designed for handhelds.

Fast forward to 2025, and the MSI Claw 8 AI Plus and 7 AI Plus are using the Core Ultra 200 series. This was a massive improvement. The efficiency was much better with the 8-core CPU and upgraded GPU architecture. We've loved using the Claw 8 AI Plus. It was a complete turnaround and showcased Intel's rapid progress in small-form-factor APUs.

Intel, Core Ultra 300 Panther Lake, What to Expect, Ahead of CES 2026, NoobFeed

Why Competition Matters Going Into 2026

We've been excited to see what the Core Ultra 300 can offer. Laptops are fine, but handheld performance is the real test. Competition helps, especially as prices rise and RAM availability challenges continue.

We would love to see MSI continue its partnership with Intel and hope companies like Asus, Lenovo, and others offer users both AMD and Intel options if Intel keeps improving.

We're keeping an eye on CES to see who else might reveal handhelds with the Core Ultra 300. If none of the mainstream brands announce anything, we may try to get our hands on one of the 1X Player models just to properly test the chip in handheld form.

Even though we still tend to lean toward AMD, we really like seeing Intel push back into the space, and we hope the Core Ultra 300 continues that momentum.

A lot of people still prefer AMD handhelds, and that's fine. But Intel has come a long way. We are quite keen to see how the Core Ultra 300 does and if it can compete with other handheld gaming systems in 2026.

Also, check our other Intel chips articles:

Masaru Hoshino

Editor, NoobFeed

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