After benchmarking over two dozen laptops equipped with Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285H and Core Ultra 7 255H, the performance difference between the two H-series mobile processors is surprisingly small.

Despite the “Ultra 9” branding, many laptops with the 285H show only about 6% faster performance on average compared to their Core Ultra 7 counterparts. In certain cases, laptops with the Core Ultra 7 even outperformed Core Ultra 9 systems, highlighting that cooling solutions and laptop design often have more impact on real-world performance than CPU nameplates.

For most consumers, choosing the Core Ultra 7 255H is the smarter value option. However, availability can be limited. Some models, like the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9 16 G10, are predominantly sold with the Core Ultra 9 in certain regions, making it harder to find the cheaper 7-series alternatives. As a result, buyers may end up paying a premium without seeing meaningful gains in speed or efficiency.

The findings suggest that Intel’s naming strategy may mislead users into assuming substantial improvements, whereas practical performance differences remain marginal for everyday use and even demanding workloads.