Intel's new Core Ultra chips bring serious power to handheld gaming
Intel just dropped its Core Ultra Series 3 processors, revealed at CES 2026, with new variants supporting handheld gaming devices.
The X9 and X7 models pack up to 16 CPU cores, 12 Xe3 Arc graphics cores, and a speedy neural processing unit (NPU) that can handle up to 50 trillion operations per second—all on Intel's cutting-edge 18A process.
Specs at a glance:
The flagship X9 388H features an Arc B390 GPU with ray tracing, support for up to 96GB of LPDDR5x-9600 memory, Wi-Fi 7 R2, Bluetooth 6.0, and a slim TDP of just 25W (with turbo boost up to 80W).
It also supports Intel's XeSS3 tech for smoother gameplay.
Who's making devices—and how does it stack up?
Expect new handhelds powered by these chips from brands like Acer, GPD, MSI, and ONEXPLAYER soon.
But heads-up: AMD is still the top dog in this space with its Ryzen AI series and the just-announced Ryzen 7 9850X3D—so there's plenty of competition if you're hunting for your next portable gaming machine.