Intel’s latest mobile chips are its most exciting in years. We take a peek inside the innovative Core M processors.
Intel is well known for its 'tick-tock' launch strategy, where significant launches are followed up by smaller releases that refine older hardware. Those 'ticks' are huge for Intel, and its Developer Conference saw the firm unveil its latest big development: Core M.
This new chip ticks a major box on Intel’s roadmap. It’s the first time the Broadwell architecture has been unleashed on the public, and it’s the first time Intel has released a 14nm processor.
Core M: What is it?
The move to 14nm means that power consumption is drastically reduced, with TDPs now at just 4.5W – lower than the 5-10W TDPs of Bay Trail-based Atoms, and much improved from the 11.5W TDP of the weakest Core i3 parts.
Broadwell itself features some tempting improvements, too. Integrated graphics have been given a boost, with more stream processors and higher frequencies, while better voltage regulation and on-chip power controllers allow for more efficient performance regulation.
Given those advantages, it’s no surprise that Core M is being debuted in hybrids, tablets and slimline notebooks. The huge TDP reduction means that Core M parts can run without fans, which means that devices can become thinner, lighter and quieter – Intel says future products could be as thin as 9mm.
The Core M chips themselves are also smaller – about half the size of older parts – and Intel reckons these small, efficient parts will deliver a big boost to battery life. The firm says that Core M machines will improve longevity by 20% when compared to older systems.
Despite the power reduction, Intel reckons that Core M silicon won’t see the sort of sluggish performance associated with the Bay Trail chips used in low-end tablets and hybrids.
Intel compared Core M to a four-year-old Core i5 laptop chip, and said its new silicon was twice as capable in productivity tasks and web applications, and seven times better for gaming.
That suggests Core M has ample muscle for general computing, and it’s all the more impressive given Intel’s power improvements.
A trio of Core M chips will be available. The M-5Y10 and M-5Y10a appear to be identical – they’re clocked at 800MHz with a 2GHz maximum Turbo, and they’ve got HD Graphics 5300 cores clocked to 800MHz.
The M-5Y70 is clocked to 1.1GHz with a 2.6GHz Turbo speed. It’s got the same graphics core clocked to a faster 850MHz, and it’s also got vPro. All three chips are dual-core with Hyper-Threading.
Core M: Debut Devices
A host of devices housing Core M chips has already been announced.
Lenovo’s latest ThinkPad Helix was the first out of the gate. It’s a hybrid machine with a tablet section that plugs into a keyboard dock, and a couple of variants will be available: a more affordable model will just have a basic keyboard, while the Pro version will boast a backlit keyboard and a second battery.
A pair of batteries and Core M should make for a machine that’s comfortable with a whole day of solid work away from the mains, and this machine is set to impress elsewhere – it’s going to have an 11.6-inch 1080p display, SSD storage and 4GB of RAM. Lenovo also says that the entire device will weigh just 800g and come in at 9.6mm thick.
There's also Lenovo's mesmerising Yoga 3 Pro, with a 13-inch screen and a hinge that bends 360 degrees. At just 1.19kg and 12.8mm thick, it’s comfortably thinner and lighter than a MacBook Air.
Asus has announced an update to its UX series of Zenbooks with the UX305. It’s an Ultrabook that the firm claims is, again, lighter than the Macbook Air, and it’s going to have an ultra-high-resolution 3200 x 1800 screen that’s just 13.3 inches across the diagonal. A 1080p model will also be available that shouldn't melt such a large hole in your credit card.
Dell is going after the business market with its Core M-powered Latitude 13 7000 – an update to an already-excellent range of corporate Ultrabooks. It’s going to have a 13.3-inch screen with a 1920 x 1080 native resolution, and it’s also going to have NFC and an optional SIM card reader. 
HP has detailed two new devices that will use Core M. Its Envy X2 will come in 13.3-inch and 15.6-inch models, with a 1366 x 768 screen on the former and a 1080p panel inside the latter. They’re both detachable devices, and the keyboard dock used for the larger machine will have a fold-out area that functions as a soft wrist-rest. Both machines have built-in kickstands.
The sixth Core M device to be unveiled comes from Acer. The Aspire Switch 12 is another detachable hybrid that’s got a 12.5-inch screen with a 1080p resolution. Like HP’s systems it’s got a built-in kickstand, and it also has a magnetic keyboard. Acer claims the Aspire Switch 12 can be used in five different positions.
Intel says that 20 Core M devices are in development, but most remain under wraps. We can’t wait to see what comes next, especially as Intel claims that Core M can help devices become 9mm thick – or even less.
Should I wait for Core M?
Buying into Core M now will provide a decent chunk of computing before it’s superseded. The first Core M devices are set to emerge in October, and Broadwell’s successor, Skylake, isn’t slated for release until late 2015.
Skylake isn’t going to be a huge leap forward, either, as it’s one of Intel’s 'tock' releases – so it’s going to build on Broadwell to create a new architecture rather than do much new. It’ll still use the same 14nm manufacturing process as Core M, and it’s going to have more system-on-chip features and improved voltage regulation.
Core M: A Bright Future
Core M is a huge change for Intel, thanks to its 14nm manufacturing process and Broadwell’s architectural improvements, and it could provide a shot in the arm for the burgeoning hybrid and Ultrabook sector. It could also help Intel compete against ARM in tablets, where the company's Atom chips haven’t been good enough.
The performance and battery life improvements should lead to a generation of devices with a better balance of application grunt and longevity, and they’ll get slimmer and lighter, too.
Manufacturers have been churning out tempting hardware for a while, and Core M sees Intel catching up with the ambition displayed elsewhere. We’ll be getting our hands on Core M hardware before the end of the year – but, until then, colour us excited.
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