Intel Core Series 3 Wildcat Lake launches to challenge Apple's $599 MacBook Neo

Intel has launched its Core Series 3 processors (Wildcat Lake) on the 18A process node, targeting the budget laptop segment Apple disrupted with the $599 MacBook Neo. The chips deliver 40 TOPS of AI performance via Intel's NPU5, qualifying for Microsoft's Copilot+ PC requirements, and over 70 OEM laptop designs from Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo, and others are arriving throughout 2026. However, early benchmarks show the MacBook Neo's A18 Pro leads Wildcat Lake by roughly 44% in single-core and 29% in multi-core performance. Intel's counter-argument centers on dedicated on-device AI inference capabilities that Apple's A18 Pro lacks at this price tier. The launch is also strategically significant as proof that Intel's 18A node scales from budget laptops to premium chips like Panther Lake, and feeds into the broader Terafab foundry partnership with Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI.