Intel Unveils 10th-Gen Processors Suitable for Next 16-Inch MacBook Pro With Wi-Fi 6 and Turbo Boost Speeds Above 5GHz

Intel today announced the launch of its latest 10th-generation Core processors for high-end notebooks, potentially including the next 16-inch MacBook Pro. The batch of 45W chips, part of the Comet Lake family, are built on Intel's 14nm++ architecture.

16 inch macbook pro intel 10th gen
The new H-series chips have the same base clock speeds as the 9th-generation chips in the current 16-inch MacBook Pro, but Turbo Boost speeds now exceed 5GHz for the first time. For example, the new highest-end Core i9 chip still clocks in at 2.4GHz, but its maximum Turbo Boost frequency has increased from 5.0GHz to 5.3GHz.

10th Gen Intel Core H Series Processor SKU Table
Intel promotes the fact that its new Core i9 chip is the "world's fastest mobile processor" and the first to exceed the 5GHz frequency barrier. However, not everyone is impressed with the year-over-year performance improvements as a whole.


The new 10th-generation processors also support Wi-Fi 6, aka 802.11ax. The newer standard delivers faster speeds, greater network capacity, improved power efficiency, lower latency, and connectivity improvements in areas with several Wi-Fi devices. Wi-Fi 6 devices must support WPA3, a Wi-Fi security protocol with improved cryptographic strength.

Apple added Wi-Fi 6 to its latest iPhone and iPad Pro models, but the 16-inch MacBook Pro and the new MacBook Air still have Wi-Fi 5.

The existing 16-inch MacBook Pro launched in November 2019, so it is still relatively early for the notebook to receive an update. In the near term, it is more likely that the 13-inch MacBook Pro will be updated with a Magic Keyboard and faster processors, with the next 16-inch MacBook Pro refresh likely to come later in the year.

Keep in mind that last month, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple's first Mac notebooks with its own custom-designed Arm-based processors will launch in the fourth quarter of 2020 or the first quarter of 2021. Kuo said Apple plans to launch several Arm-based Macs by the end of 2021, including notebooks and desktops, marking a transition away from Intel.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Tag: Intel
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Pro (Neutral)
Related Forum: MacBook Pro

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Top Rated Comments

Seraph301083 Avatar
67 months ago
yeah.. and AMD announced theirs which is more energy efficient and seems to beat intels top of the line mobile cpu in single and multi threaded benchmarks...
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tipoo Avatar
67 months ago
https://www.digitaltrends.com/laptop-reviews/asus-rog-zephyrus-g14-review/

https://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/asus-rog-zephyrus-g14



Think I'd be more interested in Renoir at this point. VRMs aren't going to sustain upwards of 5GHz for long at all .
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Btaylor_prod Avatar
67 months ago
And to get 5.3GHz you’ll need to set your laptop on dry ice. :eek:
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmaier Avatar
67 months ago

This is true, but Intel can’t change the Laws of Physics. They are starting to hit brick walls in terms of how much power they can pack into a laptop CPU.
It’s not the law of physics. It’s the law of not executing. They are still on their 14nm process, which is ridiculous.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DHagan4755 Avatar
67 months ago
In all fairness, while the 16" MacBook Pro was released in mid-November, it was using the same 9th generation chipset as the 15" models it replaced. Those 15" models were released last May ('https://www.macrumors.com/2019/05/21/apple-debuts-new-8-core-macbook-pro/'). So it's conceivable the 16" will get these new 10th generation processors alongside whatever Apple does with the smaller MacBook Pro.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kissmo Avatar
67 months ago
I have a hunch the Ryzen 9 4900HS is a much suitable cpu for the mac currently, although I stopped caring about CPU anymore on these machines.
For laptops they are powerful enough these days, and I am more interested in power consumption, gpu and making these darn machines less hot.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)