Intel might be cooking up a budget-friendly handheld chip but I'd still be surprised if it's cheap enough or fast enough to matter

Intel might be developing a budget handheld chip, but it's doubtful whether such a chip will be affordable or powerful enough to make a difference. Jaykihn, a reliable hardware leaker, posted about Intel releasing a Panther Lake chip with four Performance-cores, no Efficient-cores, four low-power Efficient cores, and four Xe cores—four GPU cores.

Intel's Arc G3 and G3 Extreme processors, targeted at the handheld market, feature scaled-down CPU cores but maintain the Xe GPU cores, which range from 10 to 12. Compared to the Core Ultra X7 358H, which required a minimum of four P-Cores, eight E-Cores, and four LPE-Cores for Xe cores, the new chip would have fewer CPU cores but retain the same number of GPU cores.

Dave, who tested a handheld with the G3 Extreme, found it impressive, particularly the 12 Xe cores. However, the pricing remains an issue. Handhelds have become increasingly expensive recently. A handheld with one of these new chips could cost as much as a midrange or high-end gaming PC, even in the current inflated PC market. The race is on for handheld gaming PCs, but their prices are already sky-high.

If Intel does introduce a Panther Lake chip with just four Xe cores, it might have a fighting chance at a lower price point. Yet, doubts remain, as memory and storage shortages could still drive up costs. Whether Intel drops the G-series branding to accommodate slower memory remains to be seen. Only time will tell if this chip will have a chance at the 2026 market.