Action Cameras

Can Intel’s 12th era core chips compete with Apple’s M1?

Intel announced its upcoming 12th generation core chips at CES 2022, most notably the H-series laptop chips. But during the launch, Intel claimed that the new high-end Core i9 is the fastest mobile processor ever – and yes, that means it’s faster than Apple’s M1 Max found in the latest 16-inch MacBook Pro.

Given the performance of the ARM-based M1 Max, that’s a claim, but as always, things are not what they seem. While Intel put one of those vague graphics on stage that never seem to convey the full picture (which Apple is a master at using too), the devil is in the details.

While Intel claims better performance per watt, the simple fact is that the Core i9’s power draw can reach 115W at 5GHz boost speeds. That’s much, much more than the M1 Max ever sucks from the battery – Anandtech suggests it draws up to around 40W at peak power.

And as always, mobile computing is not always about absolute performance; it is also about other factors like battery life. And it will be really interesting to compare things at this stage. Tests found the Mac had around 15 hours of battery life, and it’s unlikely that Core i9-based PCs could achieve this at the same performance levels. But as always, the proof lies in the pudding. It is also worth remembering that Apple is expected to launch M2 chips in 2022.

Intel’s 12th generation core lineup is certainly extensive, with 28 mobile processors coming out. As with older generations, this is still based on the 10nm process with refinements that should lead to significant increases in performance. Intel claims that its new gaming chips will perform 28 percent better than their predecessors. PCs with the new high-performance mobile chips were announced at CES, with availability starting next month.

On the thin and light end of the laptop market, Intel says the 12th generation chips will offer up to 14 cores and 20 threads with integrated Iris-X graphics. Systems using these chips – including foldable and 2-in-1 chips – will be available later in 2022.

More from CES 2022

Related Articles