Best 12th Gen Intel Core i7 P-series Laptops that Balance Performance & Portability
When it comes to performance vs efficiency ratio, none does it better than the P-series processors from Intel. In particular, the Intel Core i7 P-series processors that manage to balance performance and portability in the devices that adopt it. Here, we look at some of the best Intel Core i7 P-series laptops that has it all, the raw processing power, incredible efficiency and portability.
Best Core i7 Laptops that Balance Power and Portability
We all know how hot and inefficient H-series processors can get. While it has all the performance to show for it, but do we really need to carry around a giant brick of a power adapter and live with the device’s limited battery life. What if you can get a laptop that can stays working on a charge for up to 17.5 hours, is truly compact and lightweight and still manages incredible performance.
We are talking about the Intel Core i7-1260P, from the P series. It has a typical TDP of 28W. Granted that this is more than double the Typical TDP of U-series processors (9W or 15W) and at a push, it draws a TDP up of 64W, over double that of U-series (29W or 55W). BUT, it is still no where close to H-series Typical TDP of 45W and TDP up of 115W. Here’s is why it is our choice of Intel Core i7 processor, given its balance in power consumption.
12th Gen Intel Core i7 Power Efficiency Compared
Here is a quick summary showing the Typical TDP and TDP Up power draws.
| Core/Thread | Perf/Effi | Max Freqs | Cache | Typ TDP | TDP Up | |
| Intel® Core™ i9-12900HK Processor | 14C/20T | 6P/8E | 3.8E/5.0P | 24MB | 45W | 115W |
| Intel® Core™ i7-12800HX Processor | 16C/24T | 8P/8E | 3.4E/4.8P | 25MB | 55W | 157W |
| Intel® Core™ i7-12700H Processor | 14C/20T | 6P/8E | 3.5E/4.7P | 24MB | 45W | 115W |
| Intel® Core™ i7-12650H Processor | 10C/16T | 6P/4E | 3.5E/4.7P | 24MB | 45W | 115W |
| Intel® Core™ i7-1260P Processor | 12C/16T | 4P/8E | 3.4E/4.7P | 18MB | 28W | 64W |
| Intel® Core™ i7-1255U Processor | 10C/12T | 2P/8E | 3.5E/4.7P | 12MB | 15W | 55W |
| Intel® Core™ i7-1250U Processor | 10C/12T | 2P/8E | 3.5E/4.7P | 12MB | 9W | 29W |
12th Gen Intel Core i7 P and U-series Performance Compared
Next, is performance. While the Intel Core i7-12650H and Intel Core i7-1700H processors can manage up to around twice the performance of Intel Core i7-1250U, the P-series in particular, the Intel Core i7-1260P is slap bang in the middle. It manages up to 25% faster than Intel Core i7-1250U which is a respectable figure given how fast the processor is already at. And, while it is not quite up there with the H-series, laptops powered by the Intel Core i7-1260P are more portable and uses smaller fan and cooling.
| Ave CPU Mark | Single Thread | |
| Intel® Core™ i9-12900HK Processor | 29330 | 3770 |
| Intel® Core™ i7-12800HX Processor | 34191 | 3939 |
| Intel® Core™ i7-12700H Processor | 26863 | 3676 |
| Intel® Core™ i7-12650H Processor | 24690 | 3805 |
| Intel® Core™ i7-1260P Processor | 16994 | 3301 |
| Intel® Core™ i7-1255U Processor | 13526 | 3381 |
| Intel® Core™ i7-1250U Processor | 13603 | 3102 |
SMALL
1. ASUS Zenbook 14 UX3402ZA 14-inch Laptop
Other than mini LED panels, nothing can beat self lighting OLED panels in terms of contrast, colour vibrancy and brightness. Just as well, we start with the best compact ultraportable, the ASUS Zenbook 14 with 2.8K resolution OLED touchscreen and generous SSD storage.
We kick off with one of the best execution of a powerful ultra portable laptop, the Zenbook 14 UX3402ZA. Straight off the bat, the 12 core 16 thread Intel Core i7-1260P will blow everything out of the water and does it in style too. The sleek and slender body that weighs only 1.39kg, the clean modern design with laser etched lines that cut across the lid and angled full size keyboard thanks to those ErgoLift hinges make using the device a delight.
We just love the super brilliant 14-inch OLED display with 16:10 aspect ratio, 2880 x 1800 pixel resolution, quick 0.2ms response time and amazing colour coverage of 100% DCI-P3. Other useful features includes the giant touchpad that support gestures and doubles as number pad, up to 10 hours of battery life on a full charge, fast charging support and dual Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports. Apart from the two USB-C ports, there is also a HDMI 2.0 port, MicroSD card slot, HDMI 2.0, audio combo jack and a full size USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port which begins complete flexibility in the connectivity department.
- Intel® Evo™ platform
- Intel® Core™ i7-1260P Processor
- RAM: 16 GB / Storage: 1 TB SSD
- Graphics: Intel® Iris® Xe
- 2.8K OLED touchscreen
- Battery life: Up to 10 hours
A model with Intel Core i5-1240P, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD storage and IPS panel manages up to 18 hours of battery life between charge.
2. ACER Swift X 14-inch Laptop
We love this next entry as it comes with the same powerful processor, the same double memory at 16GB and same huge storage at 1TB SSD but it goes further. You may have to make do with a 14-inch 2.2K 2240×1400 pixel resolution IPS panel (16:10 aspect ratio) but it comes with a discrete GPU in the form of GeForce RTX 3050 with 4GB graphics memory. It will set you back a couple of hundred more and the battery life takes a slight hit but for those whom are after some proper mobile gaming during their downtime, this 1.4kg device will deliver with no hesitation. It even comes with two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two full size USB3.2 ports and one HDMI 2.1 port to support all manner of connectivity you will ever need.
- Intel® Core™ i7-1260P Processor
- RAM: 16 GB / Storage: 1 TB SSD
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB
- 2.2K screen
- Battery life: Up to 8.5 hours
3. ACER Swift 3 14-inch Laptop
Taking the price point way down to sub 800 range is this Acer Swift 3 with 14-inch Quad HD display. Unfortunately, it is a wider and shorter display with 16:9 aspect ratio but it does pack enough pixels, Quad HD in fact, with 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution. And, while it only relies on the embedded Intel Iris XE graphics, it means you get a much longer battery life of up to 13 hours. What we think is a huge surprise, is that Acer chooses to keep the generous memory and storage from its more expensive Swift X here making this 1.25kg super portable laptop a try desktop replacement. That last part is made better again with the same number of connectivity options; 2 x USB3.1 ports, 2 x Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.1 and 3.5mm combo jack.
- Intel® Evo™ platform
- Intel® Core™ i7-1260P Processor
- RAM: 16 GB / Storage: 1 TB SSD
- Quad HD screen
- Battery life: Up to 13 hours
Search Intel Core i7 14-inch Laptop on Amazon
MEDIUM
4. SAMSUNG Galaxy Book2 Pro 15.6-inch Laptop
If you think 15.6-inch laptops are falling out in favour, you are probably right. This is the only 15.6-inch laptop in the medium list. The other two comes with 16-inch screens. But that is not the only thing stacking up against the Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro. That 15.6-inch panel while it is AMOLED only only packs Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080p). Colour, contrast and brightness does look good, I give you that much. However, Samsung is asking a lot for this premium laptop without throwing in a few extras.
- Intel® Evo™ platform
- Intel® Core™ i7-1260P Processor
- RAM: 16 GB / Storage: 512 GB SSD
- Full HD screen
5. LG gram 16Z90Q 16-inch Laptop
We love just how small the bezels are on the LG Gram but the real reasons for getting this powerful laptop is its lightweight and durable design, up to 20.5 hours battery life and all those connectivity options. (2 x Thunderbolt 4, 2 x USB 3.2, HDMI, 3.5mm combo jack, MicroSD, Bluetooth 5.1 and WiFi6 AX)
If you think the Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro’s 1.11kg weight is impressive for a device with 15.6-inch display, this LG gram 16Z90Q goes one up with a 16-inch Quad HD (2560 x 1600 pixel) IPS display and still only weighs 1.2kg. What’s more, in true LG gram series style, the battery lasts hell of a lot longer too with up to 20.5 hours on a full charge. This is the longest we have seen on a powerful laptop. Back to that lightweight body, don’t for a second mistaken this for a flimsy device. It is made durable material and designed to pass seven military durability tests.
- Intel® Evo™ platform
- Intel® Core™ i7-1260P Processor
- RAM: 16 GB DDR5 / Storage: 512 GB SSD
- Quad HD screen
- Battery life: Up to 20.5 hours
6. ACER Swift X 16-inch Laptop
This is the bigger of the two Swift X on our list, this time with a 16-inch Quad HD display and instead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB, it comes paired with Intel Arc A370M 4GB graphics. It is without a doubt a powerful machine, again with the generous memory and 1TB storage but just like the Swift X 14 above, the battery life takes a hit with up to 8.5 hours on a full size. Enough to last you all day and it is a small price to pay for that extra GPU goodness. Coming from the Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro and LG Gram 16 above, this is considerably heavier at 1.7kg in its 17.95 mm aluminium chassis. It also features a full keyboard with number pad, which causes the trackpad position to be off-center. Not sure if I can live with that.
- Intel® Core™ i7-1260P Processor
- RAM: 16 GB / Storage: 1 TB SSD
- Graphics: Intel® Arc™ A370M 4 GB
- Quad HD screen 400nits
- Battery life: Up to 8.5 hours
Search Intel Core i7 16-inch Laptop on Amazon
LARGE
7. LG gram 17Z90Q 17-inch Laptop
Slapping a 17-inch Quad HD (2560 x 1600) display and calling this the LG gram 17 does not do it justice. Upping from 16-inch above, and yet still manages a respectable 17.5 hours battery life makes this large laptop as appealing as the 16-inch model. It even weighs just 150 grams more at 1.35kg and keeps all the features we love about the LG gram 16. Plus it doesn’t cost that much more to go with this large variety. A 17-inch 16:10 aspect ratio display makes it so much easier to use as a creators machine, definitely worth every cent as a desktop replacement.
- Intel® Evo™ platform
- Intel® Core™ i7-1260P Processor
- RAM: 16 GB DDR5 / Storage: 512 GB SSD
- Quad HD screen
- Battery life: Up to 17.5 hours
If you like the design and love that super long battery life, consider going all in with a 32GB memory and 1TB SSD storage model.
8. HP ENVY 17-cr0503na 17.3-inch Laptop
Sadly for this next entry, it is no where near as good as the LG Gram 17 above. Battery life is just under half and the 17.3-inch display leaves a lot to be desired given its low brightness of 300 nits max, and low Full HD 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution. It also weighs considerably more at 2.49kg so think about that when you have to lug this around. BUT the display does come lined edge to edge with glass and supports touch. There is also a full size keyboard that doesn’t feel cramped thanks to HP leaving out the number pad, and the trackpad is seriously big too.
- Intel® Core™ i7-1260P Processor
- RAM: 16 GB / Storage: 512 GB SSD
- Full HD touchscreen
- Battery life: Up to 8.5 hours
