Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Intel is replacing its Pentium and Celeron brands with just Intel Processor. The new branding will replace both existing brands in 2023 notebooks and supposedly make things easier when consumers are looking to purchase budget laptops.
Intel will now focus on its Core, Evo, and vPro brands for its flagship products and use Intel Processor in what it calls “essential” products. “Intel is committed to driving innovation to benefit users, and our entry-level processor families have been crucial for raising the PC standard across all price points,” explains Josh Newman, VP and interim general manager of mobile client platforms at Intel. “The new Intel Processor branding will simplify our offerings so users can focus on choosing the right processor for their needs.”
The end of the Pentium brand comes after nearly 30 years of use. Originally introduced in 1993, flagship Pentium chips were first introduced in high-end desktop machines before making the move to laptops. Intel has largely been using its Core branding for its flagship line of processors ever since its introduction in 2006, and Intel repurposed the Pentium branding for midrange processors instead.
Image: Intel
Intel’s new simplified branding.
Celeron was Intel’s brand name for low-cost PCs. Launched around five years after Pentium, Celeron chips have always offered a lot less performance at a lot less cost for laptop makers and, ultimately, consumers. The first Celeron chip in 1998 was based on a Pentium II processor, and the latest Celeron processors are largely used in Chromebooks and low-cost laptops.
Intel’s move to simplify to just Intel Processor means multiple processor families will now be housed under a single brand. How Intel plans to deal with educating consumers on what is midrange and what is low-cost isn’t entirely clear. Either way, the Celeron and Pentium low-cost chips have certainly built up enough negative associations in recent years, as PC makers increasingly focus on Chromebooks and low-cost devices where sometimes the chips can’t keep up.
Intel says the brand change won’t affect the company’s current product offerings or its roadmap, and that it “will continue to deliver the same products and benefits within segments.”
Intel’s rebranding comes just weeks before the company is set to introduce its flagship 13th Gen desktop processors. Intel accidentally revealed specs for some of its 13th Gen chips earlier this week after promising at least one will run at 6GHz at stock.