Intel is reportedly preparing two laptop processor families for 2027. Wildcat Lake Refresh could arrive in the second quarter, followed by Moon Lake in the fourth quarter. Intel has yet to confirm either launch window.
The order could be misleading if you’re shopping for a Windows laptop. Moon Lake is reportedly aimed at affordable, low-power machines, while Wildcat Lake Refresh could offer more processing power despite arriving earlier. For buyers already sorting through Intel Core and Core Ultra names, the two families are another reason to look closely at the processor inside each laptop.
Moon Lake Targets Affordable, Low-Power Laptops
Moon Lake is reportedly designed for laptops that prioritize power efficiency, including models that can run without a cooling fan. Earlier leaks point to configurations with up to four Darkmont low-power efficiency cores and zero traditional performance cores.
The rumored 6W power rating fits that focus. For shoppers who care more about battery life than benchmark scores, Moon Lake could be the more relevant of the two families. It’s also expected to use Intel’s standard 18A manufacturing process.
Wildcat Lake Refresh Could Double the Performance-Core Count
Wildcat Lake Refresh could have up to four performance cores and four low-power efficiency cores. At the top of that rumored configuration, it would have twice as many performance cores as the existing Wildcat Lake lineup.
The chips may also support Intel vPro and offer configurable power limits of up to 35W, which could make the family suitable for a wider range of laptops. Intel is reportedly planning to manufacture its compute tile using the updated 18A-P process.
Nova Lake and Other Chips Could Complicate Intel’s Lineup
Intel is also working on Nova Lake for its next generation of desktop and high-performance laptop processors. Some desktop models could use larger caches to compete with AMD’s Ryzen X3D chips. The laptop-focused Nova Lake-HX could carry Core Ultra 4000-series branding.
Razor Lake-AX is another project in development, this time with an emphasis on powerful integrated graphics. Its future in consumer laptops remains unclear.
Intel could also reuse its older Raptor Lake-HX architecture under the Core 2000 HX name. If that happens, the branding would be newer than the underlying design, making the architecture another detail worth checking when comparing laptops.
