Published: January 26, 2026 | Source: Intel | Author: Tom Logan

Intel Core Ultra X9 388H “Panther Lake” CPU Review

Conclusion

You can’t extol the virtues of the new Series 3 Core Ultra processors without mentioning the 200 Series. They seemed, initially, to be as good as the premium 14th Generation of Intel CPUs, but running cooler and more efficiently. A tick in every box. Obviously, that wasn’t how things panned out. There was a seemingly endless series of issues, particularly with more recent Windows 11 updates. Things reached such a head that word quickly leaked that it might be the only processor using that exact socket, and sales figures naturally tanked.

Intel are too big to fail, and too wise to plough on regardless with an unsuccessful product. Despite being a gigantic corporation, they have the flexibility and adaptability of smaller enterprises. And that brings us to the Intel Core Ultra Series 3. Dispensing with the 200 Series entirely – although an updated range is in the works, we hear – Intel have gone straight to the 3. They’ve also not called it the 300. Distancing themselves as much as possible from the 200, and saving any dull hacks writing about it being Sparta.

We are hugely impressed. Balancing a processor for mobile use is extremely difficult. You need it to be fast enough so it completes tasks in a timely manner. You also need to make it have a long battery life. After all, if you have to run attached to the wall, you might as well buy a desktop. All of which leaves us with gaming. Until now, high-performance gaming laptops have relied upon AMD or Nvidia graphics cards. If we thought the Intel Arc A580 was impressive, the Arc Pro B390 is almost more so.

Of course, it won’t compare to a proper high-end discrete GPU, but it’s not trying to. The requirements are totally different. You don’t need 4K performance when the screen is 1080p, and you don’t want to sacrifice everything on the altar of high FPS if it means the laptop would go flat in 15 minutes. Thankfully, the Arc B390 built into the Ultra X9 388H straddles that knife-edge perfectly. As you could see from our testing, you get masses of performance if you turn on Intel’s XeSS technology. Go a bit further into the world of Frame Generation, then staggering numbers are possible.

What we like best of all is that the figures don’t change hugely whether you’re plugged in or running on battery. Naturally, there is some extra performance from being plugged in, but it’s not like the whole system gives up the ghost the moment you unplug it. Intel have done an incredibly impressive job at balancing performance and power efficiency. With great everyday performance and hugely impressive gaming prowess, the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H wins our OC3D Performance Award.