There are already reports suggesting that the Intel Skylake processor may prove to be one of the most impressive mobile processors that Intel (News - Alert) has ever unveiled. A combination of several factors is lending plenty of juice to these new releases, but new reports suggest that more of the Skylake line may get a further boost with bundled Iris graphics, a development not normally seen in the Skylake line.
Under normal circumstances, the reports note, Iris graphics are included only in Intel's Broadwell chip line, a high-powered line of mobile chips. Broadwell processors run at a thermal design power (TDP) of, at best, 28 watts. But the Skylake line runs at just over half that, running at 15 watts TDP. Between that and the new word about Iris graphics, some are already suggesting that the Skylake line may be much more efficient than chips previously released, including the Broadwell line. Of particular note here is the revelation that processors running in a 15-watt TDP were actually only found with HD graphics hardware, cementing the idea that Skylake is likely a lot more efficient than any processor seen before.
Of course, there are caveats. No one's quite sure as yet what Skylake's clock speed is, so it's possible that the processors will be clocked down accordingly even with the improved graphics systems. But regardless of the clock speed, one thing is clear: if this all pans out, a system running Skylake is going to be a heavy-hitter when it comes to graphics.
Skylake processors are set to come in three different flavors, according to reports, and the flavors will be much like the normal lineup of Intel processors, starting at the lower-end i3, the mid-range i5 and the top tier i7 processor. This in turn has led to some division, as no one's quite sure whether the whole range will bring in Iris, or if it's just the upper-tier processors. Either way, though, we'll likely find out soon; the first batch of the 14nm chips will be available by the end of 2015, with four Skylakes set to be launched in 2015's fourth quarter. A second batch of four will arrive by the end of 2016's first quarter, in turn.
Admittedly, these new reports come with a few holes, as Intel's playing its release strategy a bit close to the vest. But with the rise in mobile technology over the last few years, it's not really that surprising to see mobile developers want to come out with more powerful processors. Better processors, more memory, more storage space; these are all familiar refrains from the desktop era that, in turn, gave us some of the most impressive desktop applications around. Why wouldn't application developers of the mobile era want the equivalent of desktop processing in a mobile device? Consider applications like augmented reality and big data analytics; these tools need plenty of power to operate, and better processors can offer just that.
Only time will tell, of course, just what comes from all this and what the Intel lineup actually looks like when it emerges. But betting on stronger processors doesn't seem like a bad bet at all, and is probably one that will pay off in the end.