Intel's upcoming Core Ultra 9 mobile CPU outperforms most desktop counterparts in new benchmark — Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus nearly matches flagship Core Ultra 9 285K in single-threaded performance

Intel Core Ultra CPU (Image credit: Intel)

While Panther Lake was the focus of Intel's CES 2026 presence, the company will also refresh its current-gen Arrow Lake lineup for both desktops and laptops soon. We've already seen these "Plus" processors in a few leaks, including a Geekbench listing, but a mobile SKU has been spotted in PassMark for the first time ever: the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, succeeding the outgoing Core Ultra 9 285HX.

The Arrow Lake refresh scored 5,009 points in the single-core test, the highest for any x86 CPU on the site, and within the margin of error of the desktop Core Ultra 9 285K and Core Ultra 7 270K Plus. It seems to be the first x86 mobile chip to break the 5,000 points barrier as well, since the next-in-line 285HX only managed 4,635 points, making the 290HX Plus 7.5% faster than its predecessor.

Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus on PassMark — (Image credit: Future)

Moving on to the multi-core score, the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus netted 66,203 points, just a smidge below the full-fat Core Ultra 9 285K, along with AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X3D. That score already places it at number three in the desktop consumer x86 CPU hierarchy, but it's at the very top when it comes to mobile-only numbers. It beats even AMD's Ryzen 9 9955HX3D by 6.2% while Intel's own Core Ultra 9 285HX is 12.8% behind.

Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus vs. competing mobile CPUs in PassMark — (Image credit: Future)

These results are from a single test, meaning the sample size is just one, so take all these performance estimates with a grain of salt. The PassMark listing also shows that the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus boosted to 5.45 GHz, and leaker x86deadandback speculated that the laptop used for testing was running DDR5-5600 SO-DIMM memory from Samsung.

As for the chip's specs, we know it's a routine refresh that maintains much of the same silicon. You're looking at a 24-core/24-thread config, with 8 performance cores and 16 efficiency cores. The clock speeds are unknown, but it could be around 5.4-5.5 GHz for the 290HX Plus based on this PassMark run. Current rumors indicate that the Arrow Lake refresh will launch in March or April of this year.

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Hassam Nasir is a die-hard hardware enthusiast with years of experience as a tech editor and writer, focusing on detailed CPU comparisons and general hardware news. When he’s not working, you’ll find him bending tubes for his ever-evolving custom water-loop gaming rig or benchmarking the latest CPUs and GPUs just for fun.

8 Comments Comment from the forums

short-n-round

Results aren't that surprising given this is a refresh Hx part (just a desktop in a mobile package). Intel has been making good strides across the board recently.

Another thing - please pay a bit closer attention when reviewing these articles. The picture caption is wrong - that is not a Raptor Lake part, It's Lunar Lake, and it's not the first time I have seen this.
Reply
Notton

If real, impressive for a laptop.

I would add a further caveat. Single core performance on a benchmark ≠ gaming performance.

You can check this with a 9800X3D. It only scores 4425 Single, and 39974 Multi (in the same passmark benchmark) but the 9800X3D dances around a 285K when it comes to games.

If Tom's gets their hands on a 290HX, I hope they can test it against the 9955X3D.
Reply
Stomx

Why in just the first its EUV lithography product Intel have not literally exterminated, ripped into pieces and blowed like a dust its rival AMD for the multiyear humiliation the only advantages of which so far were
1. Nanometers
2. Large Level3 caches
3. Chiplets
and despite of lack of all that Intel was still keeping domination in laptop market? :)
Reply
call101010

Mobile CPU makers should focus on fanless cooled CPU with higher performance. Intel is not good when it comes to power/performance..

At this age , anything portable should be cooled without any fans. and at lower watts. it is about time.
Reply
Pierce2623

So who’s paying for a Core Ultra 9 but then cheaping out on Arrow Lake with it’s inferior efficiency and latency. Intel acts like Panther Lake should be a legit game changer. So why muddy the waters with Arrow Lake skus?
Reply
shady28

Pierce2623 said:
So who’s paying for a Core Ultra 9 but then cheaping out on Arrow Lake with it’s inferior efficiency and latency. Intel acts like Panther Lake should be a legit game changer. So why muddy the waters with Arrow Lake skus?

Panther Lake is for thin and light, mostly without a discrete GPU. AMD literally has nothing to compete with Panther Lake in thin and light categories. I do however see a lot of bogus comparisons of Panther Lake to far more power hungry chips meant to go into big, heavy, hot running gaming laptops. That is where these chips come in.
Reply
usertests

shady28 said:
AMD literally has nothing to compete with Panther Lake in thin and light categories.
Sure they do, Strix/Gorgon/Krackan Point. All covering a similar TDP range to Panther Lake. AMD advertises theirs with a 15-54W TDP range (15-28W for quad-cores), while every Panther Lake chip has a base TDP of 25W and turbo TDP of 55W or 80W.

They will be losing in iGPU performance, but only definitively to Panther Lake with Arc B390/B370. They will probably be losing in efficiency, but not enough to ruin the AMD owner's day. AMD can go back to basics and compete on price.
Reply
shady28

usertests said:
Sure they do, Strix/Gorgon/Krackan Point. All covering a similar TDP range to Panther Lake. AMD advertises theirs with a 15-54W TDP range (15-28W for quad-cores), while every Panther Lake chip has a base TDP of 25W and turbo TDP of 55W or 80W.

They will be losing in iGPU performance, but only definitively to Panther Lake with Arc B390/B370. They will probably be losing in efficiency, but not enough to ruin the AMD owner's day. AMD can go back to basics and compete on price.

Sure, they can compete on price.

a/xgbUCxp
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