News
News Categories

Intel announces its third-generation update for its Intel Evo certification program

By The Count - on 5 Jan 2022, 7:19pm

Intel announces its third-generation update for its Intel Evo certification program

IMAGE: INTEL

Alongside a slew of 12th Gen Alder Lake processors, and a slew of 12th Gen Core mobile processors, Intel also announced its third-generation update for its Intel Evo certification program at CES 2022. The update includes requirements for better video calls for future devices and expands the certification to include foldable designs as well as more powerful notebooks.

For those who may not be familiar with the Intel Evo branding on notebooks, the certification was introduced back in 2020 as an evolution of its then Project Athena – alongside Intel’s 11th Gen Tiger Lake – as a simple way for customers to identify notebooks that checked and “guarantee” certain performance and experiential metrics. For instance, Evo-branded notebooks must be able to last more than nine hours of real-world battery life, provide fast charging over USB-C and support Wi-Fi 6, just to name a few.

With 12th Gen Alder Lake processors coming to mobile, Intel naturally saw fit to update the requirements to Evo as well. Specifically, the new certification standard adds a new “intelligent collaboration” requirement which required high-quality video calls. This will require notebook makers to implement at least a 1080p webcam, have Wi-Fi 6E, and use AI audio enhancement to cut down on background noise. In the ‘new’ normal of today, where many are still working from home, a new Intel Evo notebook seems like a good companion.

Interestingly, Intel is also expanding the Evo certification to notebooks that sport its more powerful H-series processors for the first time. These notebooks must meet all the standard Evo requirements as mentioned above, as well as the following additional requirements:

  • Must have a 12th Gen Intel Core H-series CPU (35W to 45W TDP)
  • Must use an Intel Arc Discrete GPU with Intel Deep Link
  • Must have a "creator-oriented" display between 15 and 16 inches in size

The last bit is certainly ambiguous, but I supposed it has to meet certain colour, resolution, and even brightness levels – display features that matters to a content creator. That Intel also mandates that notebooks of this class must use its upcoming discrete GPU is not a surprise. Evo branded notebooks, after all, have always been laser focused on professionals – not gamers.

Join HWZ's Telegram channel here and catch all the latest tech news!
Our articles may contain affiliate links. If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission.