One of the first benchmarks of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus has been leaked. According to recent Geekbench results, this new flagship chip from the Arrow Lake Refresh family aims to become Intel’s most powerful option for the laptop segment.
The processor was spotted inside an Acer Predator laptop equipped with 64 GB of RAM. In Geekbench tests, the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus scored 3,153 points in single-core performance and 21,720 points in multi-core performance. When compared to the current Core Ultra 9 285HX, this represents around a 6% improvement in single-core tasks and about an 8% gain in multi-core performance.
Benchmark Results Show Noticeable Performance Gains
Although Geekbench results can vary, other platforms such as PassMark have shown even stronger numbers. Some results suggest up to a 15% improvement in multi-core performance. If confirmed, this would place the 290HX Plus close to the desktop-level Core Ultra 9 285K in terms of power.
These early results indicate that Intel is refining its high-end laptop processors to deliver better performance for demanding workloads and gaming.
The Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus keeps the same 24-core and 24-thread configuration found in the 285HX. Since this is a refresh model, the performance boost mainly comes from higher clock speeds rather than major architectural changes.
Leaks suggest the chip could reach boost speeds of up to 5.5 GHz. This increase allows Intel to push the current design further, providing extra performance for gaming and heavy content creation tasks.
While rumors indicate that the desktop variant, possibly called the 290K Plus, may have been canceled, Intel appears to be moving forward with the laptop version. The Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus is expected to launch sometime in 2026.
