Our Overview of Intel's 11th Generation Core Laptop Processors

Intel 11^th Generation Core Laptop Processors (U Series)

The first 11^th generation Intel^® Core™ processors hit the market in late 2020. Along with the new CPUs came a new Intel graphics technology – Intel^® Iris^® X^e – and a new mobile platform concept, called Intel^® Evo™, that the company says will help laptop buyers easily identify systems built for high performance in real-world conditions.

Intel’s initial 11^th gen mobile CPUs (U Series), boasted up to 4.8 GHz turbo clock speeds using the company’s new SuperFin transistors. They also featured a number of what Intel called “industry-first” and/or “best-in-class” features: Intel^® Wi-Fi 6 (Gig +), Thunderbolt™ 4, a CPU-attached PCIe Gen4 interface, and more.

In terms of performance, Intel says its 11^th gen mobile U Series processors deliver impressive results:

• Up to 2.7x faster content creation¹
• More than 20% faster office productivity²
• More than 2x faster gaming plus streaming³

In conjunction with Intel’s 11^th gen releases, major PC manufacturers around the globe announced their first laptops and 2-in-1s with the new CPUs. At Lenovo, that honor went to the Lenovo Yoga 9i – a new high for the renowned Yoga series of flexible laptop/tablet combos – with more Lenovo laptops with 11^th generation Intel processors to come.

New naming convention for Intel 11^th gen mobile chips

Before proceeding, it’s worth noting that with its new 11^th generation processors, Intel changed the way it identifies which of its Core chips are built for everyday laptops versus which ones are designed for use in thin and light models. [The tighter confines and smaller batteries of thin and light models mean their CPUs must operate while consuming less power (and generating less heat) than comparatively thicker, heavier laptops.]

Formerly, Intel used U Series (as in i3-10110U) and Y Series (i5-10310Y) to distinguish its mainstream mobile CPUs from its low wattage ones, respectively. Now, its 11^th gen mobile chips identify low wattage CPUs (7W-15W) with a SKU (the first four numbers after the hyphen) ending in 0, as in i7-1160G7. Higher wattage models (12W-28W) use a 5 at the end of the SKU (for ex., i5-1135G7). The Y Series designator has been retired, with the new 11^th gen mobile chips split into a high-wattage “UP3’ class and a low-wattage “UP4” class (see Table 1).

In another nomenclature change, recent Intel Core processors now use the final two characters of each product number to identify if the CPU has integrated graphics (G) and, if so, how advanced they are (1-7).

11th gen Intel Core mobile CPUs: Iris X^e graphics and Evo platform

When Intel launched its 11^th generation mobile processors in late 2020, it did so with two big additions: Intel Iris Xe graphics – including Intel^® Iris X^e MAX, Intel’s first discrete graphics processor in years – and the Intel Evo platform. Let's take a deeper look at each.

What are Intel Iris X^e graphics?

Intel says its new Iris X^e graphics give thin-and-light laptops the visual performance of systems with discrete or dedicated graphics -- even when used within Intel's longstanding integrated processor-graphics architecture. [The first Gen 11 CPUs came with integrated Iris X^e graphics. However, in a big switch for Intel, discrete Intel GPUs using Iris X^e technology are anticipated at a later date.]

With Iris X^e, Intel is positioning its 11^th gen mobile chips as ideal for video gamers, content creators and other laptop users with high graphical demands. Traditionally, these users have found thin and light laptops to be unpopular, as their small frames make it harder to keep CPUs cool and to fit batteries with long unplugged times.

Iris X^e graphics offer more and faster execution units (EUs) and a much bigger L3 cache compared to earlier Intel solutions. Some AAA games with the most extreme frame rates might still be out of reach of these integrated chips, but experts who reviewed the new 11^th gen models said Iris X^e graphics are plenty powerful enough for most popular games, even when the laptop isn't running at its highest possible graphics settings.

Intel included Iris X^e graphics on its first 11^th gen Core i5 and Core i7 processors, but not the 11^th gen Core i3 ones, which still sported Intel UHD Graphics.

What is Intel Iris X^e MAX?

The first Gen 11 CPUs came with integrated Iris X^e graphics. But shortly thereafter, in a big move for Intel, the company announced Intel Iris X^e MAX – the first discrete graphics product from Intel in 20 years. [Intel has long been known for integrated graphics, capitalizing on its strength as a CPU manufacturer, while other companies have focused on the dedicated or discrete approach.]

The discrete Iris X^e MAX chip is similar in construction and capabilities to the integrated Iris X^e graphics within 11th gen mobile processors. In fact, Intel calls them “twins.” But unlike some human twins, the components are built to work together, splitting and sharing visual workloads through new software called Intel^® Deep Link Technology.

At its simplest, Deep Link sends more power to the dedicated GPU (with its own VRAM) when it senses the user is performing graphics-heavy content or gaming tasks. For compute-intensive tasks, it sends more power to the CPU, or, when graphical demands are highest, it can split the effort between both. Deep Link is also said to improve AI performance – a big help for creators – and enable faster encoding for streaming.

Intel positions Iris X^e MAX as ideal for demanding content creators and gamers. These users have often eschewed thin and light, easily portable laptops, believing the small mobile form factor can’t deliver the processing and graphics power they need. Now, Intel says, that trade-off is a thing of the past.

What is the Intel Evo platform?

The launch of 11^th gen CPUs coincided with the introduction of the Intel Evo platform – a new set of specifications and "key experience indicators" (KEIs) that Intel says will help consumers identify the "best laptops for getting things done."⁴ Evo, an evolution of Intel’s earlier Project Athena, is another example of Intel working with PC manufacturers to push new laptop designs and capabilities based on its technology. It’s similar to when Intel unveiled "Ultrabook" specs to define a new group hyper-thin, highly powerful laptops.

In terms of components, the Intel Evo platform is based mostly on the company's 11^th gen Core processors and its new Intel Iris X^e graphics. But it goes farther than that, imposing (and verifying) KEI targets aimed at ensuring consistent high performance in the areas Intel believes laptop users value most:

• Consistent responsiveness while on battery power⁵
• Fast wake-from-sleep: Under 1 second
• "Real world" battery life: 9+ hours⁶
• Fast charging: 4-hour charge in under 30 minutes⁷

Earning the Intel Evo badge also requires best-in-class wired and wireless connections⁸ – integrated Thunderbolt™ 4 and Intel Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+) – along with a high-end display (12- to 15-inch FHD) and advanced audio and webcam capabilities.

Lenovo announced its first laptop built on the Evo platform – the Lenovo Yoga 9i – in late 2020. Additional Yoga models were announced then, too, with more 11^th gen-powered Lenovo laptops to come. (NOTE: Not every 11^th gen-equipped system meets the strict Evo standards).

11^th gen Intel Core U Series laptop processor features

You’ll find multiple innovations in laptops equipped with these new Intel Core CPUs. See Table 1 for the notable performance features of 11^th gen Intel Core U Series mobile processors.^*

Table 1: Intel 11^th generation (Tiger Lake) U Series laptop processors – Performance features^9,10

^* The table lists the announced performance features of the first 11^th generation Intel Core U Series mobile processors to be released. Not every 11^th gen Intel mobile CPU is available in Lenovo laptop systems. Before buying, consumers should always confirm the stated specifications and features of the systems they’re considering.

Comparing 11^th generation Intel Core U Series processors

The initial launch of Intel’s 11^th generation mobile CPUs covered the Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 series. Table 2 compares the first 11^th gen Intel Core U Series laptop CPUs to be released.^**

Table 2: 11^th generation (Tiger Lake) Intel Core U Series laptop processors – Comparison¹¹

^** Any list of processor specifications by generation is time-specific. Newer, improved versions of each chip will likely be released later. So Table 2 is accurate as regards the first 11^th gen mobile processors released by Intel. Consumers should always confirm the exact configuration and performance estimates before buying a system.

If you’re shopping for a new laptop, be sure to consider systems with 11^th generation Intel Core processors, including the new Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1. From Intel Iris X^e graphics to the Intel Evo platform, there’s a lot to like in these new laptops – even for demanding users such as video gamers and content creators.

Intel, Intel Core, Intel Iris, Intel Evo, and Intel Speedshift are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or other countries.