Intel's new laptop platform is entering a sensitive stretch before it reaches the wider market, and pricing in China has just sent a signal that is hard to ignore. According to listings compiled by WCCFtech on April 4, several models built on the Core Ultra X Series platform had their prices raised right from the first sales wave. The increases are not small, ranging from 1,000 yuan (about 3.5 million VND) to 6,000 yuan (about 21.1 million VND). Meanwhile, the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air M5 have barely moved, staying at 8,499 yuan and 9,999 yuan. Put side by side, Panther Lake no longer holds the price advantage many people expected.
How Fast Are Panther Lake Laptop Prices Rising in China?
The first models show a fairly wide range of increases. The HP Book Pro 16 2026, with a Core Ultra X7 358H, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, went from 7,999 yuan (about 28.1 million VND) to 8,999 yuan (about 31.6 million VND). For a high-performance model that still has to stay close to the premium thin-and-light segment, an extra 1,000 yuan is enough to make buyers reconsider. If you are following Intel's new-generation chips, you can also read Dell XPS leaks Panther Lake and Snapdragon X roadmap through 2027 to see how quickly the ecosystem around Panther Lake is expanding.
On the ASUS side, the Zenbook Duo 14 with a Core Ultra X7 358H jumped from 14,999 yuan (about 52.7 million VND) to 18,999 yuan (about 66.7 million VND). The higher variant with a Core Ultra X9 388H climbs as far as 22,999 yuan (about 80.7 million VND), which is 6,000 yuan above its earlier list price. That figure is comparable to the price of a mid-range office laptop in Vietnam, and it shows the platform is under clear cost pressure from the CPU, DRAM and SSD. If this increase is more than a short-term blip, manufacturers will struggle to keep attractive prices for thin-and-light, high-performance AI PCs.
MacBook Air M5 Holds Its Price: What Should Buyers Watch Next?
What stands out is that Apple is still holding the MacBook Air M5 at the same price in China. The 13-inch model with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD remains at 8,499 yuan (about 29.8 million VND), while the 15-inch model stays at 9,999 yuan (about 35.1 million VND). Next to the Panther Lake-based HP Book Pro 16 2026, now at 8,999 yuan, the gap between a new Windows laptop and the MacBook Air M5 has nearly vanished. For those who put battery life, stability and ecosystem first, there is now one more reason to look at Apple, especially since Apple launches the MacBook Pro M5 Pro/Max and the new MacBook Air M5 showed that Apple is still delivering fairly strong configurations at familiar price points.
For mainstream buyers, the question is not just Panther Lake or MacBook Air M5, but when to spend the money. The new architecture is still well worth waiting for when it comes to AI and performance, but the launch prices in China raise concern that the next generation of laptops could reach the market at a higher cost than expected. Meanwhile, the MacBook Air M5's steady pricing becomes a very clear reference point. The original information was compiled by WCCFtech from retail listings in China, and Intel continues to update Panther Lake platform specifications on Intel's official Core Ultra page. If Panther Lake keeps raising prices at this pace, competition in the premium laptop segment in the second half of this year will almost certainly be tougher than expected.
