Intel Lifts The Curtain On Next-Generation Processors For 2-in-1s, Ultrathin Notebooks

Intel on Monday unveiled its eighth-generation Kaby Lake processors, which the company hopes will incentivize its customer base of 450 million people globally with PCs five years or older to upgrade.

The company said that its next-generation processor lineup, which is targeted for small businesses with 2-in-1s and thin notebooks, touts a 40 percent performance increase over the previous generation of chips.

"We wanted to deliver the platform-wide improvements that embrace and enhance all of the incredible innovation around us – from 4K to VR and beyond – and make them more accessible to everyone," Gregory Bryant, senior vice president and general manager of the Client Computing Group at Intel, said in a blog post. "For those 450 million people using a machine that is more than five years old, the experience will be vastly different."

[Related: 5 Questions Partners Want Answered On Intel's Q2 Earnings Call]

Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel said that processors for its desktop lineup, as well as additional products for enterprise, workstation and enthusiast notebooks and desktops would be coming later in the fall.

Intel has focused on content editing and creation applications as part of its eighth-generation Kaby Lake processors for 2-in-1s. The company's processors enable a dedicated media engine allowing users to create, edit and share 4K video content "faster and easier." In addition, Intel touted its Intel Quick Sync Video for real-time 4K rendering, optimizing content creation applications.

The Intel processors, which include the i7-865OU, i7-855OU, i5-835OU, and i5-825OU models, also have improved content editing and creation capabilities, as well as office productivity and multitasking features.

The top performance model, the i7-865OU, runs up to 4.2 GHz and features 8 MB cache. All chips have 4 cores with 8 threads, as well as DDR4-2400 memory.

"With extended support for Windows 7 being on the horizon and with Intel pulling in all their 14nm processors to make the latest technology improvements in processor power, graphics, and battery life available, resellers have a strong value proposition to present to their clients," said vice president of marketing at Fremont, Calif.-based ASI, an Intel system builder. "When you start talking to your clients about making the PC more secure, faster, easier to service as well as less costly to maintain and combine that with end of support coming for 48 percent of the PC install base there is a clear opportunity for the channel."

Intel's eighth-generation processors have an array of other features. The company has continued its close integration features with the Windows OS, including Cortana voice assistant and Windows Hello for secure login to devices.

The newest processor also has built-in security with Intel Online Connect, enabling fingerprint touch-to-pay, secure guest checkout, hardened password managers and built-in 2-factor authentication.

According to Intel, the first wave of 8th Gen Intel Core-powered devices featuring i5 and i7 processors will come to market beginning in September at an undisclosed price.

"One of the great things about the 8th Gen Intel Core processor line-up is the scalability. The wide range of options opens the door for endless opportunities for our partners and the entire ecosystem," said Bryant in the post.