Goodbye Intel Core i5, i7, etc. Here's what the new names mean!

Between the various tiers, the Intel Core chip names can be a bit confusing to some. But Intel is about to make a change that should help make its branding a little clearer to the average consumer.

Back in 2006, Intel introduced the world to its Intel Core processors with the Intel Core 2 Duo. Eventually, this branding split into multiple tiers, which included the i3, i5, i7, and i9. Intel even started to release a more advanced version of these chips in 2010 with the creation of the X-series.

Now Intel is changing this branding, beginning with its upcoming Meteor Lake chips. Going forward, Intel says it is dropping the “i” from its mainstream processors, which means the tiers will instead go by 3, 5, 7, and 9. As for its most advanced processors, the name X-series is being swapped out with Ultra. For example, an Intel Core i7 will now be an Intel Core 7, and an Intel Core i7 X-series will be an Intel Core 7 Ultra.

These processors aren’t the only products getting a branding change. Intel also mentions that its Evo-certified systems will now be called an Intel Evo Edition. At the same time, its commercial systems will gain the title of either Intel vPro Enterprise or vPro Essentials.

This shake-up to the branding structure is the first the company has made since the Intel Core line was first introduced. Earlier this year, it was revealed that Intel was also working on a 24-core processor made for laptops. This would be the first laptop CPU to support that kind of configuration.