Even though Intel is preparing to ditch the i3/i5/i7 naming scheme on its Core chips, it looks like the branding will remain in place for one more go-round.
The news comes from Intel’s China division, which posted on social media to explain the Core brand overhaul that Intel is planning for later this year.
That post, however, also said Intel China is preparing upgraded Raptor Lake chips for desktops, which will carry the S designation. The post makes no mention of Meteor Lake processors for desktops, indicating they'll only be for laptops for now. This comes amid rumors that Intel canceled the silicon in favor of a Raptor Lake refresh.
The other twist is that Intel still plans on using the 14th generation and the i3/i5/i7/i9 branding for the new Raptor Lake chips. That's surprising since Intel’s US office initially said the overhaul means it's dropping the “i” from the i3/i5/i7/i9 tier. Instead, the company will designate future Core chips using the 3/5/7/9 numbers.
Starting with the upcoming Meteor Lake family, Intel will also drop the “generational” naming scheme. So no more 14th gen or 15th gen. Instead, the company wants to adopt a four-digit naming scheme starting with a 1000 series, followed by a 2000 series.
Intel’s China division reiterated the same points in its social media post, but adds another wrinkle: Both Meteor Lake, along with "Raptor Lake U" series for laptops, will adopt the new branding. Specifically, Meteor Lake chips will carry the new Intel Core Ultra branding while the Raptor Lake U series will use the basic Core name.
That alone might confuse some consumers. But to make things even messier, the social media post adds that Intel’s old branding system of using the 14th gen, Core i3/i5/i7/i9 will live on in upcoming Raptor Lake HX/S chips.
The Raptor Lake HX will arrive for flagship laptops while the S chips are meant for desktops. Intel’s China division then addresses why the Raptor Lake U series is using the new naming scheme while Raptor Lake HX/S is using another.
“Because these products are released at different times and are targeted at different users, these products will also be categorized into different levels based on performance,” the company says.
Intel’s US office declined to elaborate on the social media post. “We can’t comment on it at this time, but we’ll have more details to share in the near future,” the company tells PCMag.