Intel Arc B390: Revolutionizing Gaming on Thin and Light Laptops in 2026
January 7, 2026
TechRadar's coverage from CES 2026 highlights Intel's latest advancements in mobile GPU performance, showcasing groundbreaking gaming capabilities at high frame rates without discrete graphics cards.
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As someone who has tested and reviewed countless ultrabooks over more than five years, I can confidently say that gaming has traditionally not been a consideration in this segment. In fact, we haven't even conducted official gaming benchmarks on integrated graphics processors (iGPUs) because they generally couldn't handle demanding games well.
However, the recent introduction of Intel's Core Ultra series 3 processors, previously codenamed Panther Lake, and their impressive 12 Xe core iGPU, has changed the game. Upon testing the new Arc B390 iGPU, part of this latest series, I was genuinely impressed by its gaming performance—so much so that it’s worth a closer look.
High FPS 1080p Gaming Without a Discrete GPU
My early experiences date back to playing Painkiller 3 on Intel Panther Lake back in 2025, where I noted smooth controls and excellent visuals for a thin and light laptop—though it was only a less demanding game. Coming to CES 2026, I had the opportunity to test more resource-intensive titles like Dying Light: The Beast and Battlefield 6.
The results were remarkable:
- Battlefield 6: 45-50 fps at 1080p on High settings without ray tracing, with Intel XeSS 3 set to Balanced mode.
- Dying Light: The Beast: 60-70 fps under the same conditions.
With some optimizations like 4x MFG, FPS soared to 160-170 in Dying Light: The Beast and up to 205 fps in Battlefield 6. These high frame rates meant latency was negligible in most games I played, delivering a responsive experience.
Note: Marvel Rivals was an outlier at high settings, but making some graphic adjustments still provided a solid gaming experience for most users.
Furthermore, with support for Intel XeSS 2 and XeSS 3 via the Intel Graphics app, many games will be able to achieve these high frame rates right out of the box, promising even better performance over time.
Why the Arc B390 Makes the Intel Core Ultra Series 3 a Top Choice in 2026
From my extensive practice observing AMD Radeon 890M, Apple M5, and Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chips, I can confidently say that the Intel Core Ultra series 3, powered by the Arc B390 iGPU, is currently the standout for laptops and mini PCs in 2026. Its exceptional gaming performance in such a compact form factor sets a new standard.
While I haven't yet evaluated the GPU performance of Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 Elite or Extreme chips, I anticipate that those will improve over their predecessors but may still lag behind the gaming prowess of Intel’s Arc B390.
It's important to note that the Arc B390 features the 12 Xe core iGPU. The lower-tier, yet-to-be-named 8 Xe core variant (likely the Arc B370, following the last generation’s A370M) remains somewhat of a mystery. As such, the performance of the mid-range Core Ultra 5 300-series chips remains to be seen.
However, there's no denying that the Arc B390’s gaming capabilities surpass any other offerings from competitors in the thin and light segment, making high-quality full HD gaming on a 14-inch ultrabook not just feasible but practical.
The Future of Gaming in Thin and Light Laptops
While it won't replace dedicated gaming laptops with high-end discrete GPUs, the Arc B390-enabled Intel Core Ultra series 3 chips make it possible to enjoy quality PC gaming on ultraportables. This achievement challenges the conventional idea that portability and gaming performance are mutually exclusive—bringing high-FPS gaming directly into the ultrabook realm.
John (He/Him)
Components Editor, TechRadar
Brooklyn, NY | @johnloeffler.bsky.social
Named a CES 2020 Media Trailblazer, John specializes in industry news, hardware reviews, PC gaming, and the social impact of technology.