Intel Core Ultra 3: A 'Complete Reimagining' of Laptop Affordability?

This is the year of the laptop, and Intel Core Ultra Series 3 looked set to be at the center of this revolution. But after Intel told me that “a lot” of laptop partners could be isolated from the RAM price crisis by sitting on “9 to 12 months of inventory,” Samsung just confirmed that its Galaxy Book 6 Pro and Book 6 Ultra will be around 20% more expensive than last-gen. Put simply, something doesn’t add up. Let’s get into it. What are we going to be paying? So it’s worth noting that we have some specific options here — floating around the upper mid-range level of Intel’s chip offerings. And this is Samsung’s own Korean launch pricing, which may not be fully representative of what the actual price will be (taxes and all that). But it gives us a rough idea. Compared to the Galaxy Book 5 Pro, that’s a roughly 20% uplift; same goes for comparing to the Galaxy Book 4 Ultra. A “perfect combination” of issues Here’s where it gets interesting, though. Samsung is in a long line of companies who will also probably raise prices. Asus sounded the alarm just before CES 2026, and after speaking to all the laptop makers on the showfloor, it’s clear that cost was the last thing anybody wanted to talk about. But also there’s what Intel said, which does stand at odds with what the price sheets are telling us. “A lot of our OEM partners have about 9 to 12 months inventory…when it comes to laptops, there is a long lead time of memory securing,” Nish Neelalojanan, Intel’s Senior Director of Product Management, told Tom’s Guide. He also went on to talk about Core Ultra Series 3’s affordability — saying that you will be able to see “$499/$599 systems which are thinner than 14mm with OLED displays and Core Ultra Series 3,” which would be a “complete reimagining” of the mainstream. Again, this is very different to the warning signs I was being shown by, so what is causing these price increases? I pushed Nish a little further on this to get into the details, because after all, those prices he mentioned could be for lower entry-level systems, and Samsung’s lowest option is Core Ultra 7. “We are ramping up as expected to a RAM curve, and there is a significant amount of demand given how great these chips are performing,” Neelalojanan commented. “So a perfect combination of industry-level component shortages, significantly increased demand, and also the RAM curve…you’re getting mixed signals depending on where the different partners are.” Outlook So, put simply, there may be some isolation from the huge price increases seen in RAM components with this inventory. But there will still be some price increases across the board for the premium options. Of course, we’ll have to see what these affordable options in Intel’s lineup will be asking for pricewise, and whether they are the “complete reimagining” it’s been touted as. Keep it locked to Tom’s Guide for all the reviews as they drop over the year. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. More from Tom's Guide