Intel’s delayed Panther Lake chips are set for early 2026, with at least six new Chromebooks on the way

If you rewind the clock to this time last year, we were pretty excited about a new baseboard we found in the Chromium Repositories code-named ‘Fatcat’. It was our first sign that Intel’s next-gen Panther Lake SoC was on the way, and at the time, we fully expected 2025 to be the year these high-performance chips landed in premium Chromebooks.

Well, 2025 came and went with very little movement on the high-end Intel front. As you may know by now, Intel pushed the release of Panther Lake back, targeting an early 2026 launch for laptops instead of the 2025 arrival we expected. That delay explains why things have been so quiet on the hardware front, but it doesn’t mean work stopped behind the scenes.

A solid group of devices waiting in the wings

Because ‘Fatcat’ has been in development for over a year now, it seems ChromeOS manufacturers have had plenty of time to get their devices ready. Digging through the Chromium Gerrit, I’ve found references to at least six distinct Chromebooks being built on this new Panther Lake platform. In addition to the baseboard, we are seeing devices code-named ‘Lapis’, ‘Felino’, ‘Ruby’, ‘Moonstone’, ‘Kinmen’, and ‘Francka’.

While code names don’t tell us who is making what, the solid selection of devices suggests that major OEMs—likely Acer, HP, Lenovo, and ASUS—are deep into the development process; and it looks like a semi-coordinated fleet could be ready to launch early next year.

Why Q1 2026 is the likely timeline

With Intel confirming Panther Lake for early 2026, and these Chromebooks having been in the works for a year or more, the timing lines up perfectly for a long-awaited Q1 release window.

This is a big deal because Panther Lake isn’t just a minor refresh. It is expected to be Intel’s answer to the surging efficiency of ARM chips (like the MediaTek Kompanio Ultra). We are hoping for significant gains in battery life and AI performance without sacrificing the raw speed Intel is known for.

If these six devices launch alongside the chip’s official debut, 2026 is going to kick off with some of the most powerful and efficient Intel Chromebooks we have ever seen. And with the current Chromebook environment, Intel needs a win. At the moment, there’s little reason to select an Intel-powered Chromebook over one with the Kompanio Ultra if you are spending between $500-$800. Panther Lake may very well change that.