Intel Whiskey Lake-U laptops (i7-8565U / i5-8265U) – the complete list and what to expect

intel whiskey lake laptops
By Andrei Girbea, last updated on May 30, 2019

Whiskey Lake is Intel’s third refinement of the 14 nm build-process and the latest Core U 15W hardware-platform you’ll find in thin-and-light ultraportables and budget full-size notebooks in the fourth quarter of 2018 and most of 2019 until the next-gen Intel Cannon Lake platform becomes available.

In this article, we’ll tell you what to expect from this hardware update, how it compares to the predecessor, as well as provide a list of all the laptops built on the Whiskey Lake platform that you can find in stores, a list we’re constantly updating with new products as they’re announced.

Whiskey Lake-U shares most traits and characteristics with the KabyLake-R 15W platform and is by no means a significant update. It includes Core i3, i5, and i7 Core U 15w processors, and the main aspect that sets them apart from their KabyLake-R counterparts is the ability to reach higher Turbo Boost clock speeds.

Most modern CPUs have a designated default Clock Speed but are able to run at higher Turbo Boost speeds if required and if allowed by the thermal implementation. Demanding loads primarily benefit from the high Turbo speeds, but they can only be sustained for a limited time, as long as the die stays within normal temperature limits. That’s why the performance of modern hardware varies between implementations and is greatly dependent on each unit’s ability to properly cool the components.

The 14++ nm Whiskey Lake refinement includes a dual-core Core i3-8145U CPU, as well as two quad-core versions, the i5-8265U and i7-8565U. You’ll find their characteristics below, as well as how they compare to their KabyLake-R Core U brethren.

i3-8145U (Ark)
 i3-8130U (Ark)
 i5-8265U (Ark)
 i5-8250U (Ark)
 i7-8565U (Ark)
 i5-8550U (Ark)
Lithography 14++ nm 14+ nm 14++ nm 14+ nm 14++ nm 14+ nm
TDP 15W
Cores/Threads 2/4 4/8
CPU Base Frequency 2.1 GHz 2.2 GHz 1.6 GHz 1.6 GHz 1.8 GHz 1.8 GHz
CPU Max Turbo 3.9 GHz 3.4 GHz 4.1 GHz 3.4 GHz 4.6 GHz 4.0 GHz
Cache 4 MB 4 MB 6 MB 6 MB 8 MB 8 MB
Max Memory
 32 GB
Graphics Intel UHD 620
Graphics Speed 300 – 1100 MHz 300 – 1100 MHz 300 – 1100 MHz 300 – 1100 MHz 300 – 1150 MHz 300 – 1150 MHz
PCIe lanes 16 12 16 12 16 12
Price $281 $281 $297 $297 $409 $409

There are a few other minor tweaks of the Whiskey Lake platform, like the increased number of PCIe Express lanes and the slightly increased maximum allowed memory bandwidth (34.2 Gbps vs 32 Gbps), among others.

For the most part though, Whiskey Lake and KabyLake-R Core U processors are similar, with nearly identical same CPU characteristics and iGPU. That’s why you should pretty much expect performance gains in the 5-10% for the Whiskey Lake builds, but keep in mind the importance of the thermal implementation: you’re only going to get these gains in the devices that are able to allow the CPU to run at high Turbo Frequencies for a longer time and benefit from the potentially higher boost.

You’ll find that information by reading detailed reviews that carefully analyze each unit’s behavior. If you’re however interested in general information about each Whiskey Lake CPU and its abilities, check out these dedicated articles for the i3-8145U, i5-8265U and i7-8565U.

However, there’s one other significant reason to consider Whiskey Lake notebooks: many OEMs announced brand-new laptop designs in the second part of 2018, with more compact builds, thinner profiles, larger batteries, and extra features compared to the 2017 and early-2018 models, and most of these are based on Whiskey Lake hardware.

Thus, while the performance of the new platform might not be enough to justify a Whiskey Lake Core U computer, the fact that you’ll get an overall nicer device should be.

Some of the updated Whiskey Lake laptops

Some of the updated Whiskey Lake laptops

Down below you’ll find an ample list of all the Whiskey Lake based notebooks available in stores these days. We’ve split it into two sections: portable thin-and-lights with 14-inch or smaller screens, and full-size laptops with 15+ inch screens. You can find more about each product by following the links to our detailed articles and reviews on each unit’s name, as well as check out the latest configurations and prices at the time you’re reading this article by following the links in the Price section.

We’re constantly updating the lists, but if you spot anything that should be in here and is not, please tell us about it in the comments section at the end of the article.

Sub 14-inch thin-and-light Whiskey Lake laptops
Model Type Screen Hardware Battery Weight Price
Acer Spin 3 SP314-52 convertible 14.0″ IPS FHD touch Core U w/ UHD 620 52 Wh 1.7 kg / 3.75 lbs from $799
Acer Spin 5 SP513-53 convertible 13.3″ IPS FHD touch Core U w/ UHD 620 54 Wh 1.5 kg / 3.3 lbs from $899
Acer Swift 3 SF313-51 clamshell 13.3″ IPS FHD matte Core U w/ UHD 620 48 Wh 1.27 kg / 2.9 lbs from $799
Acer Swift 3 SF314-55/56 clamshell 14.0″ IPS FHD matte Core U w/ up to MX250 48 Wh 1.4 kg / 3.1 lbs from $799
Acer Swift 5 SF514-53T clamshell 14.0″ IPS FHD matte Core U w/ UHD 620 36 Wh 0.97 kg / 2.14 lbs from $999
Asus VivoBook 14 X412 clamshell 14″ FHD IPS matte Core U w/ up to MX250 37 Wh 1.5 kg / 3.3 lbs –
Asus Zenbook UX333 FA/FN clamshell 13.3″ FHD IPS matte/glossy Core U w/ up to MX150 50 Wh 1.1 kg / 2.45 lbs from $899
Asus Zenbook 13 UX331 FA/FN clamshell 13.3″ FHD IPS matte/glossy Core U w/ up to MX150 50 Wh 1.13 kg / 2.5 lbs from $999
Asus Zenbook S UX391 FA clamshell 13.3″ FHD IPS matte/glossy Core U w/ UHD 620 50 Wh 0.99 kg / 2.2 lbs from $1199
Asus Zenbook UX392 FA/FN clamshell 13.3″ FHD IPS matte Core U w/ up to MX150 50 Wh 0.99 kg / 2.2 lbs from $1199
Asus Zenbook UX431 FA/FN clamshell 14.0″ FHD FHD matte Core U w/ up to MX150 47 Wh 1.4 kg / 3.1 lbs from $799
Asus Zenbook UX433 FA/FN clamshell 14.0″ FHD FHD matte/glossy Core U w/ up to MX150 50 Wh 1.2 kg / 2.65 lbs from $999
Asus Zenbook Flip UX362 FA convertible 13.3″ FHD IPS touch Core U w/ UHD 620 50 Wh 1.3 kg / 3.0 lbs from $999
Asus Zenbook Pro UX480 FD clamshell 14.0″ FHD FHD touch Core U w/ GTX 1050 MQ 70 Wh 1.6 kg / 3.5 lbs from $1299
ASUSPRO P5440 FF clamshell 14.0″ FHD IPS matte Core U w/ MX130 50 Wh 1.23 kg / 2.7 lbs from $1249
Dell Inspiron 13 7000 2-in-1 convertible 13.3″ FHD IPS touch Core U w/ UHD 620 38 Wh 1.35 kg / 3.2 lbs from $749
Dell Inspiron 14 7000 2-in-1 convertible 14.0″ FHD IPS touch Core U w/ UHD 620 52 or 78 Wh 1.36 kg / 3 lbs from $1599
Dell Vostro 14 5000 clamshell 14.0″ FHD IPS matte Core U w/ MX130 42 Wh 1.55 kg / 3.4 lbs from $699
Dell Latitude 14 7400 2-in-1 convertible 14.0″ FHD IPS touch Core U w/ UHD 620 38 Wh 1.75 kg / 3.9 lbs from $649
Dell XPS 13 9380 clamshell 13.3″ FHD IPS glossy/touch Core U w/ UHD 620 52 Wh 1.23 kg / 2.7 lbs from $899
HP Envy 13m clamshell 13.3″ FHD IPS touch Core U w/ UHD 620 53 Wh 1.6 kg / 3.55 lbs –
HP Pavilion 13 clamshell 13.3″ FHD IPS touch? Core U w/ UHD 620 38 Wh 1.3 kg / 2.85 lbs from $699
HP Pavilion x360 14 Convertible 14″ FHD touch Core U w/ MX250 41 Wh ~3.5 lbs / 1.55 kg –
HP ProBook 430 clamshell 13.3″ FHD IPS matte/touch Core U w/ UHD 620 45 Wh 1.5 kg / 3.3 lbs from $649
HP ProBook 440 clamshell 14.0″ FHD IPS matte/touch Core U w/ up to MX130 45 Wh 1.6 kg / 3.5 lbs from $599
HP Spectre 13 x360 convertible 13.3″ FHD/UHD IPS touch Core U w/ UHD 620 61 Wh 1.32 kg / 2.9 lbs from $1149
Huawei Matebook 13 clamshell 13″ FHD+ 3:2 IPS touch Core U w/ UHD 620 42 Wh 1.28 kg / 2.82 lbs $999
Huawei MateBook X Pro Clamshell 13.9″ touch Core U w/ MX250 57.4 Wh ~3 lbs / 1.4 kg $1599
Lenovo IdeaPad S340 14 Clamshell 14″ FHD matte 250-nits Core U w/ MX250 48 Wh ~3.5 lbs / 1.7 kg –
Lenovo IdeaPad S530 13 clamshell 13.3″ FHD IPS matte Core U w/ MX150 45 Wh 1.25 kg / 2.75 lbs from $999
Lenovo IdeaPad S530 14 Clamshell 14″ FHD glossy 300-nits Core U w/ MX250 48 Wh ~3.5 lbs / 1.7 kg –
Lenovo IdeaPad 730s / Yoga s730 clamshell 13.3″ FHD IPS matte Core U w/ UHD 620 42 Wh 1.1 kg / 2.3 lbs from $999
Lenovo ThinkPad E490 clamshell 14″ FHD matte Core U w/ up to Radeon MX550 45 Wh 1.75 kg / 3.85 lbs –
Lenovo ThinkPad L390 clamshell 13.3″ FHD touch Core U w/ UHD 620 45 Wh 1.45 kg / 3.2 lbs from $659
Lenovo ThinkPad L390 Yoga convertible 13.3″ FHD touch Core U w/ UHD 620 45 Wh 1.45 kg / 3.2 lbs from $889
Lenovo ThinkPad T490 Clamshell 14″ various options Core U w/ MX250 50 Wh ~3.45 lbs / 1.55 kg $1149
Lenovo ThinkPad T490s Clamshell 14″ various options Core U w/ MX250 57 Wh ~3 lbs / 1.3 kg $1449
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon clamshell 14″, various options Core U w/ UHD 620 51 Wh 1.1 kg / 2.4 lbs from $1700
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga convertible 14″ touch, various options Core U w/ UHD 620 51 Wh 1.1 kg / 2.4 lbs from $1950
Lenovo ThinkPad X390 clamshell 13.3″ various options Core U w/ UHD 620 48 Wh 1.3 kg / 2.9 lbs from $1200
Lenovo ThinkPad X390 Yoga Convertible 13.3″ FHD touch 300-nits Core U w/ UHD 620 50 Wh 1.3 kg / 2.9 lbs from $1300
Lenovo Yoga S940 clamshell 13.9″ FHD/UHD IPS glossy Core U w/ UHD 620 – 1.2 kg / 2.65 lbs from $1499
LG Gram 2-in-1 convertible 14″ FHD IPS touch Core U w/ UHD 620 72 Wh 1.15 kg / 2.55 lbs from $1499
MSI PS42 Clamshell 14″ FHD matte 280-nits Core U w/ MX250 50 Wh ~2.6 lbs / 1.2 kg –
Razer Blade Stealth clamshell 13.3″ FHD matte or UHD touch Core U w/ up to MX150 53 Wh 1.3 kg / 2.9 lbs from $1399
Samsung Notebook 9 Pro convertible 13.3″ FHD IPS touch Core U w/ UHD 620 55 Wh 1.29 kg / 2.85 lbs $1099
Samsung Notebook 9 Pen convertible 13.3″ FHD IPS touch Core U w/ UHD 620 39 Wh 1 kg / 2.2 lbs $1399
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air 13.3 Clamshell 13.3″ FHD matte Core U w/ MX250 39 Wh ~2.9 lbs / 1.3 kg –

And here’s the second part that includes full-size laptops.

As the platform’s performance is so much dependent on thermals, there’s a good chance these devices will be able to squeeze more than the thinner options above from the Whiskey Lake hardware. Some OEMs might also choose to set a higher than 15 W configurable TDP in order to allow the CPU to run at higher frequencies in demanding loads, so while you’re sacrificing on portability, you should get more powerful devices in this section, and not just the increased workspace, larger batteries, extra ports and so on.

Full-size Whiskey Lake laptops
Model Type Screen Hardware Battery Weight Price
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G clamshell 15.6″ IPS FHD matte Core U w/ MX150 48 Wh 1.8 kg / 4 lbs from $799
Acer Aspire 5 A515-54G clamshell 15.6″ IPS FHD matte Core U w/ MX250 48 Wh 1.8 kg / 4 lbs from $799
Acer Swift 5 SF515-51T clamshell 15.6″ IPS FHD matte Core U w/ UHD 620 54 Wh 0.99 kg / 2.2 lbs from $1099
Asus VivoBook 15 X512 clamshell 15.6″ FHD IPS matte Core U w/ up to MX230 37 Wh 1.6 kg / 3.7 lbs –
Asus VivoBook S S530 FA clamshell 15.6″ FHD IPS matte Core U w/ UHD 620 42 Wh 1.6 kg / 3.7 lbs –
Asus VivoBook 17 X712 clamshell 17.3″ FHD IPS matte Core U w/ up to MX110 32 Wh 2.1 kg / 4.6 lbs –
Asus VivoBook Pro 17 N705 clamshell 17.3″ FHD IPS matte Core U w/ up to GTX 1050 42 Wh 2.35 kg / 5.2 lbs $1099
Asus Zenbook UX533 FA/FD clamshell 15.6″ FHD or UHD IPS Core U w/ up to GTX 1050 MQ 73 Wh 1.6 kg / 3.5 lbs from $1099
Asus Zenbook Flip UX562 FD convertible 15.6″ FHD or UHD IPS touch Core U w/ GTX 1050 MQ 57 Wh 1.9 kg / 4.0 lbs –
Dell Inspiron 15 5000 clamshell 15.6″ FHD/UHD IPS matte Core U w/ MX150 42 Wh 1.75 kg / 3.9 lbs from $849
Dell Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1 convertible 15.6″ FHD IPS touch Core U w/ MX150 42/56 Wh 2 kg / 4.4 lbs from $849
Dell Inspiron 17 7000 2-in-1 convertible 17.3″ FHD IPS touch Core U w/ MX150 56 Wh 2.9 kg / 6.4 lbs from $1129
Dell Vostro 15 5000 clamshell 15.6″ FHD IPS matte Core U w/ MX130 42 Wh 1.9 kg / 4.2 lbs from $599
Lenovo IdeaPad S340 15 Clamshell 15″ FHD matte 250-nits Core U w/ MX250 48 Wh ~4 lbs / 1.8 kg –
Lenovo IdeaPad S530 15 Clamshell 15″ FHD glossy 300-nits Core U w/ MX250 48 Wh ~4 lbs / 1.8 kg –
Lenovo ThinkPad E590 clamshell 15.6″ FHD matte Core U w/ up to Radeon MX550 45 Wh 2.1 kg / 4.6 lbs –
Lenovo ThinkPad T590 Clamshell 15.6″ various options Core U w/ MX250 57 Wh ~3.9 lbs / 1.75 kg $1199
HP Envy 15m Clamshell 15.6″ FHD touch, OLED option Core U w/ MX250 52 Wh ~4.8 lbs / 2.1 kg $899
HP Envy 17m Clamshell 17.3″ FHD touch, OLED option Core U w/ MX250 52 Wh ~6.4 lbs / 2.9 kg $899
HP Pavilion x360 15 Convertible 15.6″ FHD touch Core U w/ MX250 41 Wh ~4.4 lbs / 2 kg –
HP ProBook 450 clamshell 15.6″ FHD IPS matte/touch Core U w/ up to MX150 45 Wh 2 kg / 4.4 lbs from $599
HP Spectre 15 x360 convertible 15.6″ FHD/UHD IPS touch Core U w/ 1050 Ti Max-Q 84 Wh 2.17 kg / 4.8 lbs from $1399
Lenovo Yoga C730 clamshell 15.6″ UHD OLED touch Core U w/ UHD 620 – 1.95 kg / 4.2 lbs from $1649
LG Gram 17 clamshell 17.3″ WQXGA matte or UHD touch Core U w/ UHD 620 72 Wh 1.35 kg / 3 lbs from $1699
MSI Prestige PS63 Modern clamshell 15.6″ FHD matte Core U w/ GTX 1050 MQ 82 Wh 1.65 kg / 3.6 lbs from $1499
Samsung Notebook 9 Pen 15 convertible 15.0″ FHD IPS touch Core U w/ MX150 54 Wh 1.4 kg / 3.45 lbs from $1599

Like mentioned earlier, we’re constantly updating this list of Whiskey Lake laptops, but there’s still a fair chance we’re going to miss some devices, so if you spot anything that should be in here and is not, please get in touch in the comments section below.

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Author at Ultrabookreview.com
Article by: Andrei Girbea
Andrei Girbea is a Writer and Editor-in-Chief here at Ultrabookreview.com. I write about mobile technology, laptops and computers in general. I've been doing it for more than 15 years now. I'm a techie with a Bachelor's in Computer Engineering. I mostly write reviews and thorough guides here on the site, with some occasional columns and first-impression articles.

14 Comments

  1. mik

    September 9, 2018 at 10:14 pm

    Acer Spin 3 SP314-52? From where did you get this info?

    Reply

    • Andrei Girbea

      September 10, 2018 at 1:08 pm

      I can't remember right now, I gathered info from various sources and press releases. Take them with a grain of salt until 100% confirmed, but if you look here (acer.com/ac/en/US/content/series/spin3), the galley images are named sp314-52-something . So a -52 update is indeed in the works.

      Reply

  2. Michal

    September 13, 2018 at 3:59 am

    Where Is HP Spectrem x360 13?
    HP not upgrade this perfekt laptop on whiskey?

    Now I using 2017late version, but I want upgrade on whiskey for 16 vs 12 PCI lanes.
    Its better for using with egpu – I know Thunderbolt 3 can use as max 4xlines, but with whiskey have people more lines for other things :-) Please HP cmon my money wait on you :D

    Reply

    • Andrei Girbea

      September 13, 2018 at 11:10 am

      not yet. You should keep in mind whiskey lake is a minor update and in short supply, so it's going to take a while before existing designs will be updated, if ever.

      Reply

      • Michal

        September 19, 2018 at 2:41 am

        I mainly wait for upgrade from 12 pci-e to 16 pci-e.
        I run on Spectre x360 13 2018 with 8550u with eGPU Mantiz Venus (with psu Corsair 600w) with Vega64
        What you mean will be there some small chance on upgrade or additional 4 lanes not help or where will be used?

        4 lanes nvme sad
        4 lanes thunderbolt 3 (2 ports)
        some lanes wifi etc

      • Andrei Girbea

        September 19, 2018 at 10:10 am

        Theoretically, yes, but we'll have to wait and see if OEMs are actually going to make good use of all those PCIe lines. I'd expect most not to, but some might…

  3. Nicholas

    October 4, 2018 at 2:05 pm

    Nice list, thanks.

    Also worth a look is :
    -> Dell Vostro 14 5481 (Exp. Jan 2019)
    -> Dell Inspiron 15 5580 (available now )

    Reply

  4. jon

    October 6, 2018 at 2:40 pm

    Dell Inspiron 14 5000 2-in-1?

    Reply

  5. Jason

    December 12, 2018 at 9:13 am

    Are the new chips spectre and meltdown hard fixed, sts??? This is the trigger I’m waiting for.

    Reply

  6. Mark Dent

    December 14, 2018 at 2:32 am

    GREAT article – many thanks

    1) Looking at the Dell XPS 13 – 9370 and trying to confirm if the i7-8550U CPU (8M Cache, up to 4.0 GHz) CPU would be known as a Kaby Lake Refresh processor.

    2) Any idea when the next Dell XPS 13-9380??? would be released and what CPU would the top end run, please?

    Again many thanks

    Reply

  7. Dan

    January 14, 2019 at 1:24 pm

    One of the novelties of Whiskey Lake CPUs is the fact that they have native support USB 3.1 gen 2 (10Gbps) as documented on Intel website: https://www.intel.com/content/dam/www/public/us/en/documents/product-briefs/8th-gen-core-u-and-y-series-brief.pdf

    I've seen that all notebooks refreshed with this CPU's still list only USB 3.1 gen 1 (5Gbps). Is there something else that the notebook manufacturers have to implement on the motherboard for the USB to work at 10Gbps or they are too lazy to update their specifications and the USB 3.1 ports are actually working at gen 2? Could you check this on one of the laptops with Whiskey Lake CPUs you have?

    Reply

    • Andrei Girbea

      January 15, 2019 at 11:42 am

      That's a good question and something I haven't checked. I'd say it's not a matter of lazyness, they would have said if gen 2 ports are implemented if they were. I'll further look into the matter.

      Reply

  8. Lisa

    March 6, 2019 at 9:55 pm

    Lenovo just added models with Whiskey Lake CPUs in four of their ThinkPads:

    lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-x/X390/p/22TP2TX3900
    lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-t-series/T490/p/22TP2TT4900
    lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-t-series/ThinkPad-T490s/p/22TP2TT490S
    lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-t-series/ThinkPad-T590/p/22TP2TT5900

    Reply

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