Intel has introduced its latest mobile processors, the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus and Ultra 7 270HX Plus, as part of its "Arrow Lake Refresh" lineup, targeting the gaming laptop market. The announcement was made on March 17, 2026, amid efforts to enhance performance in this segment.
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The new processors feature a noteworthy 900MHz increase in die-to-die frequency, which increases the connection speed between the memory controller and CPU. They also support advanced connectivity options, including Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and Thunderbolt 5. The flagship Ultra 9 290HX Plus claims to offer 62% faster gaming performance compared to the Core i9-12900HX and an 8% improvement over its predecessor, the Ultra 9 285HX.
Intel's recent launch of the Core Ultra 200S Plus series for desktop PCs follows a lukewarm reception of earlier Arrow Lake processors. The Arrow Lake Refresh chips include the Intel Binary Optimization Tool (IBOT), designed to enhance game code optimization for better performance on Intel hardware.
Specifications for the new mobile chips are as follows:
- **Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus**: 24 cores (8 P-cores, 16 E-cores), clock speeds up to 5.5GHz, and 36MB of Smart cache.
- **Intel Core Ultra 7 270HX Plus**: 20 cores (8 P-cores, 12 E-cores), clock speeds up to 5.3GHz, and 30MB of Smart cache.
Intel plans to continue selling the older Arrow Lake-HX chips, as both series will coexist in the product lineup. The Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus is expected to deliver a 7% increase in single-threaded performance over the Ultra 9 285HX, and, when compared to the Core Ultra i9-12900HX, it offers around a 30% improvement in single-threaded applications.
These Intel Core Ultra 200HX Plus-powered systems are set to be available through various OEM partners, including Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, MSI, and Razer, starting today.