Intel's new Panther Lake processors deliver up to 82% better gaming performance than AMD-powered handhelds, according to benchmarks revealed at CES 2026. The Core Ultra Series 3 chips feature the Arc B390 integrated GPU that matches discrete NVIDIA RTX 4050 laptop graphics while consuming less power.
The flagship Arc B390 iGPU packs 12 Xe3 cores, a 50% increase over Lunar Lake's 8 Xe2 cores. In native 1080p gaming tests, the Core Ultra X9 388H processor with Arc B390 outperformed AMD's Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 with Radeon 890M by 82% on average. Intel achieved these results at 45W sustained power versus AMD's 53W configuration.
Beyond AMD competition, Intel's integrated graphics solution delivers 10% better performance than NVIDIA's RTX 4050 laptop GPU according to Wccftech. The Arc B390 also dominates Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite 84-100 processor with a 2.6x performance advantage at similar power levels.
Intel introduced Multi-Frame Generation support exclusive to Arc B-series iGPUs, enabling up to 4x frame multiplication through AI-generated intermediate frames. This technology demonstrated up to 145 FPS in Battlefield 6 benchmarks and outperformed both Radeon 890M and RTX 4050 in Cyberpunk 2077 and Battlefield 6 tests.
The company confirmed development of special Panther Lake variants for gaming handhelds, targeting a market currently dominated by AMD chips in devices like Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally. Intel announced plans to launch "an entire handheld gaming platform" with Panther Lake, with partners including Acer, MSI, GPD, OneXPlayer, and others.
Architectural improvements in Xe3 include expanded register files that reduce memory-access conflicts and improved scheduler design preventing execution-unit idling. These enhancements maintain higher sustained clock speeds within 28-45W power envelopes compared to Radeon 890M's frequency throttling issues.
For previous-generation comparisons, the Arc B390 delivers 77% faster gaming than Core Ultra 9 288V's Lunar Lake iGPU and 76% better performance than Xe+ based Arc 140T on Arrow Lake. PassMark scores reach 9,453 points, surpassing discrete Arc A530M by 18% and approaching Radeon 7600M discrete GPU territory.
Intel's Panther Lake represents the first processors fabricated on the Intel 18A process node. Combined with a 50 TOPS NPU enabling Copilot+ PC features, the platform delivers complete AI PC experiences without discrete GPU compromises. The B390's performance threatens entry-level discrete GPUs like the upcoming RTX 5050 by matching predecessor discrete performance while consuming less power and generating less heat.
Handheld manufacturers gain smaller cooling solutions, lower overall power draw, and extended battery life with Panther Lake's integrated graphics approach. This eliminates dedicated graphics cards in portable devices while maintaining desktop-class gaming performance, potentially transforming the handheld gaming market in 2026.
