Intel Nova Lake Mobile processors may pack up to 28 CPU cores

While Intel's focus for the remainder of this year is on the launch of its Panther Lake mobile platform, the first detailed specifications for its successor have already begun to surface. A new leak from the reliable tipster gives us a full breakdown of the planned configurations for the 2026 Nova Lake mobile lineup, from high-end HX-series chips down to ultra-low-power U-series models.

The Nova Lake generation is set to introduce a new set of core microarchitectures. According to recent rumours, we can expect to see “Coyote Cove” P-Cores and “Arctic Wolf” E-Cores, which will be paired with “Skymont-based” low-power E-Cores on the SoC tile. On the graphics side, the integrated GPU will be powered by the Xe3 ‘Celestial' architecture.

The leak detailing the entire mobile stack comes from Jaykihn (via videocardz). At the top, we have what seems to be the Nova Lake-HX series, which will reportedly feature up to 28 CPU cores (8P+16E+4LP) paired with a modest 4-core Xe3 iGPU. The mainstream Nova Lake-H series should balance CPU and GPU performance with up to 16 cores (4P+8E+4LP) and a 12-core Xe3 iGPU. Alternatively, there's a 4-core Xe3 iGPU variant. Finally, the lower-power Nova Lake-U series will drop the standard E-cores entirely, offering up to 8 cores (4P+4LP) to maximise battery life and up to four Xe3 iGPU cores.

Of course, with the launch still over a year away, these plans could change. For now, all eyes are on Panther Lake, which is expected to launch in H2 2025 as the debut platform for Intel's 18A process node. Nova Lake should only come the year after.

KitGuru says: What are your expectations for Nova Lake Mobile? Do you think Intel can recover its flair with the upcoming CPU architectures?

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