Intel is expected to launch a new line of low-cost, low-power Celeron and Pentium chips later this year. Code-named Gemini Lake, the processors are the follow-up to the Apollo Lake chips currently found in entry-level notebooks, desktops, and 2-in-1 tablets.
While Intel hasn’t said much about the upcoming Gemini Lake chips yet, a leaked product roadmap from last year suggested they’d launch by the end of 2017.
Now @FanlessTech has a few more details.
Gemini Lake mobile chips are said to have a 6 watt TDP, while the desktop versions will be 10 watt chips. That’s pretty much the same as you find with Intel’s Apollo Lake processors, although it differs a little from the roadmap (which, to be fair, leaked 9 months ago, meaning there’s plenty of time for things to have changed).
Likewise, the new chips will come in dual and quad-core variants (just like Apollo Lake), and feature Intel Gen9 graphics (like Apollo Lake) with support for up to 18 execution units (like… you get the idea).
The similarities aren’t surprising, since Gemini Lake chips are built on the same 14nm, 64-bit Goldmont architecture as Apollo Lake processors, although Intel will apparently use the name “Goldmont Plus” for the new chips.
There do seem to be at least a few updates though: According to FanlessTech (which is usually a pretty reliable source for leaks of this nature), the new chips will feature native support for HDMI 2.0. Apollo Lake tops out at HDMI 1.4b and DisplayPort 1.2.
Gemini Lake chips will also feature 4MB of cache, while Apollo Lake chips have just 2MB and FanlessTech says the processors support DDR4 memory and feature integrated WiFi and Bluetooth.
It’s unclear what kind of performance and/or efficiency improvements we should expect from the upcoming Gemini Lake chips, but it’s worth noting that this entire line of processors is designed for entry-level devices and won’t offer the same level of performance you get from Core M or Core i processors.
Looking ahead even further, Intel’s follow-up to Gemini Lake is expected to launch in 2018. Codenamed “Mercury Lake,” the next-next-gen chips will be the first products in this series manufactured on a 10nm process.
moving to 4MB of cache is a start, too bad they still using the 14nm, it has been 4 years- where is the 10nm they promised
I still hold a special place in my heart for Intel’s 2015 Cherry Trail Atom.
A great x86 processor for the Ultra-Low Power demands, remember the Z8700/Z8750 ?
Runs Win10 Light, but acceptably efficient on something as portable as the GPD Win.
None of the newer Apollo/Gemini Lake chips (Celeron/Pentium) can do that.
Would love to see a proper successor (<3W) to the Z8750 when Intel releases their next-gen chips on a 7nm lithography in 2020.
so intel keep on doing nothing new- hope intel will crash for some months till they do something–> when it hurt in the pocket people start to understand
Hopefully they will add useful features like UFS 2.1, faster resume speed and higher clock speeds. That would improve over apollo.