Early PassMark results for Intel's flagship Core Ultra X9 388H mobile CPU show it outperforming its predecessor by 10% in multi-threaded tests. The benchmark leak, posted on X ahead of the January 27th laptop launch, suggests Intel's Panther Lake silicon is delivering on its promised performance uplift.

Compared to the older Core Ultra 9 185H, the new chip scores 29% higher in multi-core benchmarks. Single-core performance remains largely on par with the outgoing 285H model. However, one test run hit 40,523 points, indicating potential variance in early hardware or software configurations.

These results come as Intel prepares to challenge AMD's mobile dominance. The X9 388H's integrated GPU was already shown to double AMD's Strix Point performance in Cyberpunk 2077. The real test will be how the full product stack, including mid-range models, performs against AMD's Ryzen AI lineup.