So the Arrow Lake Refresh at chip stock Intel (INTC) is actually going pretty well so far, reports note, though it may not be going as far as some might like. In fact, Intel recently released word that the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus will not be part of the lineup after all. This news seemed to hit shareholders where they lived, and shares slid nearly 2.5% in Friday’s trading.
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The 290K Plus was supposed to be the flagship model for the Arrow Lake Refresh lineup, reports noted, but Intel will keep that one out of the fray. Instead, Intel will pursue the value market with its Ultra 5 and Ultra 7 models. Interestingly, this may actually be for the best. Reports suggest that the Core Ultra 9 would have been extremely similar to the Ultra 7, just with a slightly higher clock speed overall.
While this may be a disappointment, Intel likely went the correct route here. Intel is no longer running the risk of having people ask why the 290K Plus even exists in the first place since it is so clearly similar to the Ultra 7.
Wildcat Lake Benchmarks Emerge
Meanwhile, we have further exciting news, as benchmark testing emerged for the Wildcat Lake lineup. The Wildcat Lake lineup is another attempt to capture the value market and offer up a line of “budget laptops,” which should go over quite well given how many users want budget anything these days.
But just because the laptops will be budget does not mean they will be of lower quality. Reports suggest that the benchmarks for the Wildcat Lake lineup will be on par with the upcoming MacBook Neo lineup from Apple (AAPL). Though there is some wiggle room, and also a possibility of misidentified chips in the benchmarking, the end result is that the MacBook Neo may have some real competition almost out of the gate.
Is Intel a Buy, Hold or Sell?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Hold consensus rating on INTC stock based on seven Buys, 22 Holds and four Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 94.19% rally in its share price over the past year, the average INTC price target of $47.97 per share implies 11.42% upside potential.
