Intel At CES 2026, although there were onlyAnnouncing the Panther Lake series,However, I already knew that there would be updates to the current version after this. Arrow Lake Product line, which is Arrow Lake Refresh…It is expected to be released for both desktop and mobile platforms, with “Plus” added to the end of each model name. Recently, Passmark benchmark data revealed the first results for the mobile flagship Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, which were quite impressive—it not only outperformed all mainstream x86 mobile processors on the market CPU…and is even closing in on desktop flagships.
Image source: Wccftech
The latest benchmark scores for the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus outperform all mainstream x86 mobile CPUs and are nearly on par with the Ultra 9 285K, the flagship desktop model.
This result was first discovered by user @x86deadandback. As shown in the screenshot below, the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus in Passmark In testing, the multi-core score reached a high of 66,203, while the single-core score hit 5,009. What you need to know is that this is the first x86 mobile processor to break the 5,000-point single-core barrier:
The Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus is expected to replace the existing Core Ultra 9 285HX. Both processors have exactly the same number of cores—24 cores and 24 threads—comprising 8 P-cores and 16 E-cores.
Even with the same number of cores, the Ultra 9 290HX Plus outperforms the Core Ultra 9 285HX in both single-core and multi-core performance:
- Single-core performance has improved by approximately 8%
- Multi-core performance improved by approximately 14.6%
PassMark also shows that the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus can reach a maximum boost clock of 5.45 GHz. However, it’s important to note that since it hasn’t been officially released yet, the final specifications won’t be known until it hits the market.
The chart below compares the current Core Ultra 9 285HX, Core Ultra 9 285K (desktop), and the competing AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D:
The Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus also significantly outperforms the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D, with scores even on par with the Core Ultra 9 285K desktop flagship model—it’s truly impressive:
| Processor | Single-Core Score | Multi-Core Score |
|---|---|---|
| Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus | 5,009 | 66,203 |
| Core Ultra 9 285K (Desktop) | 5,093 | 67,430 |
| Ryzen 9 9955HX3D | 4,491 | 62,094 |
| Core Ultra 9 285HX | 4,635 | 57,752 |
Given this level of performance, the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus is sure to be one of the top choices for high-end, enthusiast-grade laptops once it’s released.
However, it’s important to note that this is purely a measure of CPU performance; in actual gaming scenarios, it may still fall short of the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D, since the latter features a gaming-oriented cache design.
Source: KOCPC Chinese