Best 12th Gen Intel Core i7 U-series Laptop for Ultimate Portability

Samuel TanBest Laptops, Best Of... 0

The 12th generation U series Intel Core-i processors is found in Microsoft’s latest Surface devices, the Surface Pro 9 and Surface Laptop 5. For a balance of performance, best battery life and ultimate in portability, these are your best options. So, we turn our focus to the fastest of these, the Intel Core i7 U-series and laptops and tablets and uses them.

Table of Contents

A little about the Intel Core i7 U-series processors

The two U-series processors found in our Intel Core i7 laptops here are the Intel Core i7-1255U and Intel Core i7-1250U. In real world use, there are no tangible benefits choosing one over the other. The only significant difference is in the power consumption department. The Intel Core i7-1250U is way more efficient, with a base power of only 9W compared to 15W and maximum turbo power of 29W compared to 55W.

Intel® Core™ i7-1255U Processor

10-core (2 performance 8 efficient cores, 12 processing thread)
3.5 GHz (max efficient core freq) / 4.7 GHz (max performance core freq)
12 MB Intel Smart Cache
15W (Base Power)/55W (Maximum Turbo Power)

Intel® Core™ i7-1250U Processor

10-core (2 performance 8 efficient cores, 12 processing thread)
3.5 GHz (max efficient core freq) / 4.7 GHz (max performance core freq)
12 MB Intel Smart Cache
9W (Base Power)/29W (Maximum Turbo Power)

Performance Comparison

Undoubtedly, within the same generation and series, the processor that consumes the most power wins in term of performance. The Intel Core i7-1255U takes the lead here. From benchmarks performed by users, the average CPU Mark of 13589 gives it a 3.88% lead. This doesn’t seem like much but in the single thread rating, it goes further with a 13.7% lead over the Intel Core i7-1250U. Here, you will find that both processors are on almost equal footing when running applications that can take advantage of multi-core and multi thread processing.

However, you won’t see a lot of devices with the more efficient Intel Core i7-1250U other than the Dell XPS 13 9315 below. Most manufacturers prefer the more powerful Intel Core i7-1266U. See table of comparisons below:

Processor	Ave CPU Mark	Single Thread
Intel Core i7-1250U	13081	2956
Intel Core i7-1255U	13589	3362

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Best Intel Core i7 U-series Laptops 2022

Now that you know what’s what with regards to the Intel Core i7 U-series processors, its time to look at the devices out there using the processors.

NEW: MICROSOFT 13-inch Surface Pro 9

To kick things off, here is Microsoft’s flagship tablet. While it is not quite a laptop unless you throw in the optional Microsoft Surface Pro Signature Keyboard, the device still deserves a place here. As a hybrid detachable 2-in-1 device, the Surface Pro 9 offers the best in both portability and versatility. Add the Surface Slim Pen 2 and you have even more ways with the tablet.

In fact, the keyboard cover and slim pen are now designed for each other, with a dedicated storage and wireless charging area on the Surface Pro Signature Keyboard. Even more reasons to go whole hog to kit up the tablet. Choice of processors include the Intel Core i5-1235U and our favourite the Intel Core i7-1255U processor.

There is a third option with 5G connectivity based on Qualcomm’s chip offering 5G connectivity. We cover that in our sister site’s article, MS Surface Pro 9: What’s new in the flagship tablet from Microsoft.

Our favourite configuration

Intel® Core™ i7-1255U Processor
RAM: 16 GB / Storage: 256 GB SSD
13-inch 3K touchscreen 2880 x 1920p
2 Thunderbolt 4 ports
10MP back and 5MP front cameras
up to 15.5 hours battery life
0.9kg, 9.3 x 287 x 208 mm (H x W x D)

1. MICROSOFT 15-inch Surface Laptop 5

At the same time that Microsoft announced the Surface Pro 9 above, it also announced Surface Laptop 5 and Surface Studio 2+. The former is a competing product to Apple’s MacBook Pro with this difference, it features a touchscreen. With the 12th generation Intel Core-i processors it continues to offer all-day battery life and is verified by Intel as an Intel Evo laptop where performance meets portability for productivity on the go.

There are two sizes on offer, ones with 13.5-inch touchscreen and ones with 15-inch touchscreen. One can choose a 13.5-inch model powered by Intel Core i5-1235U or Intel Core i7-1255U processor but for the 15-inch model, which is our clear favourite here, only the Intel Core i7-1255U is on offer with various memory and storage configurations.

Additionally, there are plenty to like about the Surface Laptop 15 15-inch. Chief among these is the 17-hours battery life on typical use. This is thanks in no small part to the efficiency of the Intel’s U-series processor and the Evo platform. Other attractive features include support for Dolby Vision IQ, the Omnisonic Speakers with Dolby Atmos, various connectivity ports, support for Surface Pen and incredibly solid aluminium chassis. The latter leaves Alcantara clad palm rests to the 13.5-inch model only. Our only disappointment is the low resolution 720p web cam that the laptop comes with.

Intel® Evo™ platform
Intel® Core™ i7-1255U Processor
RAM: 16 GB / Storage: 512 GB SSD
Quad HD touchscreen, 2496 x 1664 (201 PPI)
USB-C 4.0/Thunderbolt 4, USB-A 3.1, 3.5mm headphone jack and Surface Connect port

2. HP Pavilion Plus 14-eh0501na 14-inch Laptop

Nothing can beat an OLED display, especially when you pack it with enough pixels. The HP Pavilion Plus 14 has a 14-inch OLED display with 2.8K 2880 x 1800 pixel resolution. That’s not only super bright, plenty of contrast and vibrant colours only an OLED panel can offer but plenty sharp for a 14-inch display.

But that is not the only good thing going for the Pavilion Plus. Like the ENVY 17 below, it comes equipped with a discrete GPU in the shape of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 with 4GB of graphics memory. It may not be bleeding edge 40 series (not that it has come to laptops yet) or even the 30 series but a discrete graphics with dedicated memory nonetheless. We also like the spacious keyboard and spacious touchpad, not an off centre one that accompanies a keyboard with number pad.

Intel® Core™ i7-1255U Processor
RAM: 16 GB / Storage: 512 GB SSD
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 4 GB
2.8K OLED screen SDR 400nits HDR 500nits 100%DCI-P3

3. SAMSUNG Galaxy Book2 15.6-inch Laptop

Surprisingly, aside from the Lenovo laptop below, the Samsung Galaxy Book2 with its conventional 15.6-inch Full HD laptop is one of the most affordable ultra portables to feature the Intel Core i7-1255U processor. Even at an affordable price, it comes in an all aluminium frame and body and while it already has a 512GB SSD storage, there is an extra slot in there to accomodate a second SSD unit for up to 1TB of extra storage.

Other nice touches including auto framing web cam, Dolby Atmos sound, long battery life an a huge array of connectivity ports to put ultraportables to shame (2 Type C, 2 Type A, 1 HDMI, headphone microphone combo, microSD and security slot). Now for the not so happening points. The keyboard feels cramped with the number pad, and with that the trackpad had to be offset which doesn’t appeal aesthetically. We are also missing the Super AMOLED panel Samsung is famed for but at this price, we shouldn’t complain.

SAMSUNG Galaxy Book2 156 — SAMSUNG Galaxy Book2

Intel® Core™ i7-1255U Processor
RAM: 8 GB / Storage: 512 GB SSD
Full HD screen 1920 x 1080p LED
Up to 12 hours battery life

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4. DELL XPS 13 9315 13.4-inch Laptop

It may come with a 13.4-inch IPS LCD panel but boy it’s bright with a maximum brightness of 500 nit. That and the fact that it is a 16:10 aspect ratio display with InfinityEdge tiny bezels makes it more suited as an on-the-go productivity machine. The other thing we like about the XPS 13 is that it runs on the 64bit Windows 11, comes with a spacious 16GB of memory and lasts up to 11 hours on a charge. The only downside is that the connectivity ports may be a little limited. You see, it only comes with two Thunderbolt 4 ports, one on either side and a microSD card slot. Just like its design, it is as minimalist as it gets. No wonder it weighs only 1.17 kg and measures 13.99 mm slim. In no small part, this is also thanks to the CNC machined aluminium body.

Intel® Evo™ platform
Intel® Core™ i7-1250U Processor
RAM: 16 GB / Storage: 512 GB SSD
Full HD+ screen 1920 x 1200p
Battery life: Up to 11 hours

5. HP ENVY 17-cr0501na 17.3-inch Laptop

For a desktop replacement, it has to be this next entry, the HP ENVY 17. It doesn’t just come with double memory at 16GB but double the storage too with a 1TB SSD. Together with a discrete graphics, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 4GB, the HP ENVY will let you game online and work as a great creator’s machine. For the latter, we recommend adding an external 4K monitor.

The Full HD touchscreen display with 100% sRGB colour gamut and edge-to-edge glass is brilliant but not quite bright enough for outdoor use. You are also restricted to 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution on a dated 16:9 aspect ratio, so definitely consider an external monitor for more desktop workspace. Use either the HDMI 2.1 or one of the Thunderbolt 4 port for video output. Finally, as big laptop, its not one for lugging around as it weighs a hefty 2.49kg.

Intel® Core™ i7-1255U Processor
RAM: 16 GB / Storage: 1 TB SSD
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 4 GB
17.3-inch Full HD touchscreen
Battery life: Up to 7.5 hours

6. ACER Aspire 5 15.6-inch Laptop

Like the HP Envy, the Acer Aspire 5 comes with discrete graphics but only an entry level one. Even so, the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 has dedicated 2GB video memory and would outperform the embedded Intel Iris XE graphics that shares the system memory. When compared to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 above, it can only achieve 60-75% on various benchmarks performed by notebookcheck.net.

Beyond the graphics, it comes with 16GB system memory and 512GB SSD storage, which is pretty decent in its price point. There is no touchscreen to speak of, but it manages the same 7.5 hours battery life as the Laptop Envy and is not short on connectivity ports. There is the Gigabit Ethernet port, three USB3.2 Type A ports, one HDMI 2.1 port, 3.5mm audio and one Thunderbolt 4 port. The latter can be used to connect fast external storage and external 4K display.

Intel® Core™ i7-1255U Processor
RAM: 16 GB / Storage: 512 GB SSD
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce MX550 2 GB
15.6-inch Full HD screen
Battery life: Up to 7.5 hours

7. DELL Inspiron 16 5620 16-inch Laptop

Dell takes a more modern approach with the DELL Inspiron 16 5620. Instead of using a conventional 15.6-inch or even 17.3-inch display, it went for 16-inch instead, a new trend if you like. While the display is only a Full HD screen, it has a more productivity oriented 16:10 aspect ratio making the spatial resolution 1920 x 1200 pixels. While the maximum brightness of the display is rather low at 300nits, there are a few benefits for picking the Inspiron 16.

You get a whole host of modern connectivity ports such as two USB Type C ports that support display and power delivery, two full size USB 3.2 ports, one HDMI 1.4 port and one 3.5mm combo socket. Then there is the all day battery life of up to 10 hours, Full HD webcam with dual noise cancelling microphones, fingerprint sensor and fast charging. The latter takes a flat battery from 0 to 80% with an hour’s charge.

Intel® Core™ i7-1255U Processor
RAM: 16 GB / Storage: 512 GB SSD
16-inch Full HD+ screen
Battery life: Up to 10 hours

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8. LENOVO IdeaPad 3i 15.6-inch Laptop

Running Windows 11 S, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3i is one of the most affordable full size laptop to feature the Intel Core i7-1255U processor. It may not have the biggest memory or storage or even the longest battery life (only up to 5 hours on a full charge) but you do save a lot of money. Money that you can spend on other techs.

For the money, you get integrated Iris XE graphics, USB-C for charging and file transfer, HD web cam (720p) with privacy shutter and rapid charging. As much as we like to love the laptop for its bargain basement price tag, the display is a let down. At Full HD resolution with 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution, it only manages 250 nits brightness with a low 45% NTSC coverage. Perhaps the money saved can go towards a good monitor that you can hook up to the HDMI 1.4b port.