Intel announced its Core Series 3 mobile processors built on the new Intel 18A process node and based on the Core Ultra Series 3 Panther Lake architecture. These chips are targeted at value-focused users, students, small businesses, and basic edge deployments.

OEM partners have begun offering consumer and commercial systems with these processors, and full access is expected in the second quarter of 2026. More than 70 designs are planned in various form factors by OEM partners.

How Fast is Intel’s New Core Series 3?

Intel reports that compared to a five-year-old PC, the Core Series 3 offers %47 better single-thread performance, %41 better multi-thread performance, and a %2.8x increase in GPU AI performance. Compared to the previous generation Intel Core 7 150U, the company claims a %2.7x improvement in AI GPU performance and %64 lower values in processor power consumption.

For edge deployment workloads, Intel states that the Core 7 350 provides %1.5x higher object detection performance, %1.9x faster image classification, and %2.2x higher video analytics performance compared to Nvidia Jetson Orin Nano. These figures are based on Intel's own characterizations.

Core Series 3 Features, AI Capabilities, and Target Audience

The Core Series 3 is Intel's first hybrid Core Series processor family designed to be AI-ready. Key features include %40 TOPS for AI workloads, two integrated Thunderbolt 4 ports, Wi-Fi 7 (R2), and Bluetooth 6 support. The platform aims to provide suitable all-day battery life for everyday productivity tasks.

Intel segments the Core Series 3 into three different markets. For consumers and small businesses, this series is generally aimed at users who want better performance at a good price and typically update every five years. In the education sector, the processors are designed to provide scalable AI-capable hardware for school devices.

For edge deployments, Intel targets areas such as robotics, smart buildings, point-of-sale terminals, and smart metering. The Core Series 3 edge variants include AI acceleration for vision and speech-related tasks.

Intel has not disclosed specific pricing for the Core Series 3 processors. Access and pricing are managed independently by OEM partners.