For more than a year, the PC industry has looked to AI as a way to boost laptop sales. The appeal of running AI apps on notebook computers is expected to encourage consumers to upgrade their devices en masse.
But at CES 2026 in Las Vegas last week, Intel (INTC) chose to focus on the basics of strong performance and long-lasting battery life as the biggest selling points for its latest processor series, the Core Ultra Series 3.
The Core Ultra Series 3 processor, the first Intel chip built on the company’s long-awaited 18A technology, is expected to offer more than 27 hours of battery life, a significant upgrade over previous generation Intel chips and better than Apple’s MacBook Air, which has an 18-hour battery life, and the MacBook Pro, which is rated for more than 24 hours of battery life.
“The fundamental thing is that PCs are going to be faster, more responsive, and more valuable,” Pavan Davuluri, president of Windows and devices at Microsoft (MSFT), told Yahoo Finance on the sidelines of CES.
Of course, AI wasn’t far off the topic. Intel specifically mentioned AI PC when discussing new chips. Still, the company clearly recognizes that the average consumer still cares about speed and battery life when purchasing their next laptop.
“People communicate using what they understand and what they’re familiar with,” Forrester senior analyst Alvin Nguyen told Yahoo Finance.
“If this is… faster, has longer battery life, and has AI… I think that would be a great message,” he said.
This is a significant moment for Intel, and may be just what the company needs as it continues its rebuilding efforts.
“We are absolutely confident that the 18A lamp will prove this,” said Jim Johnson, Intel senior vice president and general manager of the Client Computing Group.
“But we’re not going to commit to that,” he added. “We just do it. Just let it happen. Come on, let’s do it. We’re launching wafers you won’t believe…we have two [factories] We are running 18A and are in high demand. ”
Intel’s Core Ultra Series 3 is one of the most important chips of the previous generation. After losing market share to Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) due to a series of missteps over the years, Intel’s latest processors are the company’s biggest bet that it can win back the trust of consumer and business customers by delivering strong performance in chips that don’t drain laptop batteries.
