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With AMD’s latest Zen 5 architecture and Qualcomm’s improved Snapdragon SoCs, the competition is surely heating up among chip manufacturers to secure a place in Windows ultrabooks. Despite the presence of the Copilot+ capable Ryzen AI 9 lineup and Snapdragon X series processors, Intel continues to be the preferred option for leading manufacturers when it comes to their flagship ultrabooks.
Let’s take a look at why Intel remains the preferred choice in the premium ultrabook market, and some of the unique advantages that maintain its leadership status.
Flagship ultrabooks from major manufacturers
When you look at the current laptop lineup from major Windows OEMs like HP, Dell, Lenovo, and Asus, it’s quite evident that they all prioritize Intel for their high-end offerings.
For example, Lenovo’s flagship business ultrabook, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Aura Edition, as well as the Yoga Series 9 (consumer side) are exclusively available with Intel CPUs only.
Moving to Dell, the company does offer XPS 13 with both the Lunar Lake and Snapdragon X Elite CPUs. That said, the other two models in the XPS lineup (XPS 14 and XPS 16) sport an Intel CPU only. Similarly, HP’s most popular Omnibook Flip (previously the Spectre x360) and Asus’s Zenbook S14 come exclusively with Intel CPUs (Core Ultra Series 2).
Although mid-range models like the Vivobook, Yoga Series 7, and ThinkPad T-series have seen significant improvements in recent years, it’s the flagship devices that receive the latest innovations and top-tier technology from OEMs (which is as expected). Whether you want Asus’ unique Ceraluminum (Ceramic + Aluminum) material, ThinkPad’s ultra-lightweight X1 Carbon, or XPS’ beautiful design in the 14-inch form factor, Intel remains the sole option. Let’s glance over the possible reasons behind Intel’s dominant position.
Availability and software compatibility
Unlike AMD, Intel has never struggled with availability. For instance, most of the Intel Lunar Lake laptops revealed at IFA 2024 are already available for pre-order in the US and even in regions like India. AMD, on the other hand, often experiences delays and uncertainty regarding availability.
Let’s now address the key factor that gives Intel an advantage over Qualcomm’s ARM CPUs. Unlike the Snapdragon X lineup, Intel CPUs are based on x86 architecture and don’t have any issues with app or game compatibility. All the leading applications and games are readily available from day one, giving much-needed peace of mind to flagship buyers. After all, someone paying top dollar for premium Windows ultrabooks won’t want to compromise on such a crucial aspect.
Overall, availability and software compatibility are two of the biggest reasons for OEMs to pick Intel over others in their flagship lineup.
The verdict is still out for Qualcomm
It’s sufficient to say that 2024 has been a year for Qualcomm. The company had a blockbuster launch of Snapdragon X-series processors with all the major OEMs onboard. While these devices do excel in battery life and performance, they fall short in gaming and app compatibility, and the verdict is still out overall.
It’s only been a couple of months since ARM-powered Windows laptops have been available on the market. But we will soon see if buyers prefer them over the traditional offerings from Intel and AMD during the upcoming festive season. Ultimately, if Snapdragon devices do not sell well initially, Windows OEMs will be reluctant to include them in their high-end product lines.
Lunar Lake is actually good
Source: Intel
A mediocre battery life has been one of the pain points of Intel ultrabooks in the past. However, the company has completely changed the game with the latest Lunar Lake CPUs. In our recent XPS 13 review, we found it to be highly efficient, right up there with the latest AMD and Qualcomm devices. Even the integrated graphics received a major boost with the Lunar Lake avatar. Intel has ultimately delivered what consumers and, crucially, Windows OEMs have been requesting for years.
Now, it looks like Windows manufacturers have little to no reason to adopt AMD or Qualcomm for their next-gen flagships.
Intel’s reign in the flagship ultrabook arena
Unless Intel messes up badly, we don’t see laptop makers adopting AMD or Qualcomm exclusively in their flagship offerings. In most cases, Windows manufacturers will keep providing Ryzen or Snapdragon CPUs as choices for mid-range models or as options for high-end devices alongside Intel.
That said, the scenario is quite the opposite in the desktop CPU space. Intel’s offerings have been underwhelming for some time, and AMD is quickly gaining ground with the Ryzen 9000 series. It will be interesting to see if Intel can make a comeback with the upcoming 15th gen Arrow Lake CPUs.
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