Recently, Intel unveiled the Panther Lake architecture at ITT (Intel Technology Tour) 2025. Xiaolei attended its launch events in the United States and China in full and also conducted in-depth analysis. In that article, Xiaolei provided a forward-looking interpretation of Panther Lake’s GPU, but since Intel offered limited data at that time, there is still room for further exploration in our analysis.

As the release date of Panther Lake approaches, more relevant information has begun to emerge, allowing us to gain a deeper understanding of Intel’s plans.

First, in terms of naming conventions, although the official PPT shows only two specifications, there are actually four models: B390, B380, B370, and B360. From a hardware perspective, the core differences lie mainly in the number of execution units and main frequency.

Among them, both the B390 and B380 feature a 12EU configuration. The former has a higher frequency, making it clearly a flagship solution for high-performance thin-and-light laptops and some gaming laptops. The latter appropriately reduces frequency, adopting a more stable power consumption curve to adapt to handheld devices—a portable form factor with tight heat dissipation and battery constraints. The B370 and B360, on the other hand, come with a 10EU configuration. Their positioning is essentially the same as the previous two models but at a lower price point, targeting mid-to-low-end products.

The change in naming convention reveals Intel’s ambition: to create a new iGPU that can lead in gaming and AI. This generation of Arc B300 series is not a simple continuation of the old architecture but instead adopts the Xe3 core based on the Battlemage IP. The high-end version offers up to 12 Xe3 units, which in terms of parameters alone can directly compete with current mainstream RDNA3 iGPUs. Furthermore, the Xe3 core boasts a more aggressive multimedia engine and AI unit, making more preparations for future PC needs.

Addressing the iGPU Shortcoming to Target the Handheld Market

For the mature mobile PC market, handheld consoles may be the only category still experiencing rapid growth. However, this segment is currently mostly built on AMD processors. While Intel dominates the laptop market, it has barely made its presence felt in the PC handheld market, with only a few manufacturers launching experimental products.

In Lei Technology’s view, Intel is clearly dissatisfied with its current situation. Half of the four newly exposed iGPUs are obviously aimed at PC handhelds, indicating that the company has long had its sights set on this market. Moreover, the parameter layout shows that Intel is going for a “head-on confrontation,” directly targeting the currently best-selling Ryzen Z1 Extreme. This AMD processor, specifically designed for handhelds, features an 8-core Zen4 CPU paired with a 12CU RDNA3 iGPU and has become one of the performance benchmarks for current PC handhelds.

Thanks to technologies like FSR, the Ryzen Z1 Extreme can run 1080p medium-settings 3A games smoothly at around 20 watts. It can also easily handle the performance demands of indie games and online games, basically meeting the needs of most handheld gamers.

In terms of architectural generation, the Arc B300 series has finally caught up in parameters. The 12 Xe3 cores compete with 12CU-class RDNA3, eliminating the inherent performance disadvantage. It even takes the lead in multimedia and AI capabilities. Intel has always invested heavily in AV1 encoding/decoding, video encoding, AI super-resolution, and frame interpolation—significant practical advantages for handheld users who frequently watch streaming media and live broadcasts.

Additionally, although there are no actual tests yet, based on hardware specifications and core parameters, the high-end version of the Arc B300 series will not be inferior to discrete graphics cards. Many speculate that its performance is comparable to the RTX 3060. If this is the case, Panther Lake processors will instantly become the PC handheld processors with the strongest GPU performance, capable of running most 3A games.

However, Intel’s iGPUs have their own shortcomings: driver support and compatibility are not as good as AMD’s. Due to the limited performance of previous iGPUs and Intel’s long absence from the discrete graphics market, the company has little accumulation in game adaptation. As a result, Arc GPUs often fail to fully release performance when running old games or indie games made with niche engines, leading to issues such as stuttering and crashes.

If the performance release meets expectations and drivers do not hold it back, Intel will have a significant advantage on paper at the very least. With substantial advantages in both CPU and GPU performance, as well as better energy efficiency, the market is optimistic about Panther Lake’s performance in handheld devices.