Intel Core Ultra Laptops Explained: Series 1, 2 and 3 in Plain English

Most Windows laptops sold in the UAE now carry an Intel Core Ultra processor. The names look similar, but a Core Ultra 7 155H, 258V, 255H and 355 are very different chips. This guide explains how to read them, so you can compare laptops with confidence.

Prices are the QuickCart prices on 25 October 2026. Prices and stock change; the product page always shows the current price.

How to read a Core Ultra name

Take Core Ultra 7 355 as an example:

• 5, 7 or 9 is the tier. Higher means more cores or higher clocks within the same generation.
• The first digit of the number is the series: 1xx is Series 1 (2023–24), 2xx is Series 2 (2024–25) and 3xx is Series 3 (2026).
• The letter suffix shows the design target:
• U: low power, for basic and office laptops.
• V: Series 2 "Lunar Lake", very efficient, with memory built into the chip package.
• H: higher performance, for creators and some gaming laptops.
• HX: the most powerful, for gaming laptops.
• Some Series 3 chips have no letter at all (for example the Core Ultra 7 355).

The three generations

TOPS measures the AI engine's speed. Microsoft's Copilot+ PC features, such as Recall, Live Captions translation and Cocreator, need an NPU of at least 40 TOPS together with 16GB of memory. Everything else in Windows works on any of these chips.

Which Core Ultra should you buy?

• Students and everyday users: a Series 2 V chip or Series 3. Both give long battery life.
• [Samsung Galaxy Book6 16" (Core Ultra 7 355, 16GB)](/products/samsung-galaxy-book6-copilot-plus-pc-laptop-16-wuxga-ips-touch-display-intel), AED 3,666 (was AED 4,159)
• [Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 7 Copilot+ (Core Ultra 5 226V, 16GB)](/products/lenovo-thinkpad-e14-gen-7-copilot-plus-laptop-14-wuxga-ips-60hz-display-intel), AED 4,100
• Business users: Series 3 with vPro if IT manages the fleet.
• [Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 8 (Core Ultra 7 355)](/products/lenovo-thinkpad-e14-gen-8-laptop-14-wuxga-ips-60hz-display-intel-core-ultra-7), AED 4,549
• [Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 7 (Core Ultra 7 365 vPro, 32GB)](/products/lenovo-thinkpad-t14s-gen-7-laptop-14-wuxga-ips-60hz-touch-display-intel-core), AED 7,599
• Creators: H-class Series 3 with a dedicated GPU.
• [Lenovo Yoga Pro 7 15 (Core Ultra 7 356H, 32GB, RTX)](/products/lenovo-yoga-pro-7-15iph11-gaming-laptop-15-3-wqxga-165hz-display-intel-core), AED 10,999
• [Lenovo ThinkPad P16s Gen 5 workstation (Core Ultra 7 356H)](/products/lenovo-thinkpad-p16s-gen-5-workstation-laptop-16-wuxga-ips-display-intel-core), AED 9,950 (was AED 10,689)
• Gamers: HX chips such as the Core Ultra 9 275HX in RTX 50 laptops; see RTX 5060 vs RTX 5070.
• Tight budgets: U chips are fine for documents and browsing. Prefer 16GB of memory over a higher tier with 8GB.
• [HP ProBook 4 G1i (Core Ultra 7 255U, 16GB)](/products/hp-probook-4-g1i-ai-laptop-16-wuxga-ips-display-intel-core-ultra-7-255u-16gb-ram), AED 3,899

Memory matters more than the tier

A Core Ultra 5 with 16GB will feel faster day to day than a Core Ultra 7 with 8GB. Lunar Lake (V) laptops cannot be upgraded later, so buy the memory you need on day one.

Intel or AMD?

AMD's Ryzen AI 300 and 400 chips compete directly with Core Ultra Series 2 and 3. Read AMD Ryzen vs Intel Core Ultra laptops for the comparison.

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