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Qualcomm\u2019s new Snapdragon laptops had the summer all to themselves, but that\u2019s coming to an end. AMD is now shipping its Ryzen AI chips<\/a> \u2014 and Intel has just announced it\u2019ll \u201claunch\u201d<\/a> its next generation of Core Ultra laptop chips, codename Lunar Lake, on a September 3rd livestream. It sounds like they won\u2019t be available quite that soon, but the full reveal should be just five weeks away.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n As we\u2019ve discussed<\/a>, Lunar Lake is an utterly overhauled chip that ditches the entire idea of plugging swappable memory sticks into your laptop, not to mention several of Intel\u2019s previous ideas about how to achieve the best battery life and performance \u2014 plus a tripled NPU if you happen to have generative AI applications you\u2019d like to run locally.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n But more importantly, it\u2019s Intel\u2019s laptop answer to Qualcomm and Apple\u2019s Arm-based chips, which offer more battery life than we\u2019ve typically seen from x86 chips like the ones Intel builds. We\u2019re all waiting to see if Intel can deliver a compelling combination of performance, battery life, and features to keep Intel upright as Windows on Arm finally becomes a viable challenger<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n We\u2019re currently testing one of the first AMD Ryzen AI 9 laptops to see if \u201cStrix Point\u201d makes for a promising machine in this new climate, and Lunar Lake will be the final piece of this year\u2019s chipwar puzzle this fall. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n But as usual for chipmakers, you shouldn\u2019t necessarily expect \u201claunch\u201d to mean that Lunar Lake laptops will be available to purchase that day. (\u201cMore details to come on availability at the event\u201d is the current vibe, says Intel spokesperson Thomas Hannaford.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n