Edit 10/4/2024 3:15am PT: Intel provided further clarification of performance targets, which we added below.
We tested the new Asus Zenbook S14 with the Lunar Lake Core Ultra 9 288V processor, and surprisingly, we found that the Core Ultra 9 is slower than the Ultra 7 model in multi-threaded workloads, a condition that Intel says Asus will soon address with a BIOS fix. Our findings are interesting because Intel originally shipped the Asus Zenbook S14 to reviewers for its Lunar Lake launch, but the US press received the model with the lower-tier Core Ultra 7 258V processor, not the flagship Core Ultra 9 288V processor.
We also noticed a new type of behavior with the Ultra 200V series — the Skymont E-cores run at higher frequencies than the Lion Cove P-cores during heavily threaded work, indicating an exceptional amount of performance and efficiency from the new E-cores.
Intel gave us the chance to test the Core Ultra 9-equipped Zenbook S14, which was originally only sent to a few reviewers in Europe because the design is not currently available for purchase in the US. In fact, according to our checks, this is the sole Core Ultra 9-powered notebook available on the market. However, our findings indicate that Intel and Asus still have work to do on the firmware side to deliver the full performance of the Core Ultra 9.
