Intel's stepped up chip production on lower powered processors that can offer longer battery life. Under fire from ARM processors slowly creeping up to thin laptops and 2-in-1's, Intel's new Whiskey Lake and Amber Lake processors "raise the bar for connectivity, performance, entertainment, and productivity." The U-series chips introduce support for integrated Gigabit Wi-Fi for up to 12-times faster connectivity speeds, support for USB 3.1 Gen 2 transfer speeds, and built-in support for voice services like Alexa and Cortana.
Slim and light laptops and 2-in-1's running these processors can last up to 16 hours with power optimized systems running up to 19 hours. These chips will ship in the fall and could appear on new laptops and tablets released during that period.