Intel says the company plans to replace its Pentium and Celeron brands, debuted in 1993 and 1998, with Intel Processor, starting with notebooks in 2023
though details are scarce on what we can expect from the former. https://arstechnica.com/... Shac Ron / @stuntpants : So they want “Intel Processor” to be synonymous with low end, budget CPUs? Not the banding choice I would have made but okay. https://twitter.com/... Mark Hachman / @markhachman : I was in the dentist chair when this broke, and my howls of pain weren't from the drill. I can't wait to buy the Ford Car and the Nike Shoe. https://www.pcworld.com/... @oneangryitguy : Making it easier to tell people what to avoid 🤣 https://twitter.com/... M.G. Siegler / @mgsiegler : ‘Pentium’ was a truly great brand. The apex of Intel's power. ‘Celeron’ sounded more like a cross between a dinosaur and a vegetable, but I suppose beat ‘Cheap Pentium’. https://twitter.com/... Andreas Schilling / @aschilling : „Today, Intel introduces a new processor for the essential product space: Intel® Processor. The new offering will replace the Intel Pentium® and Intel Celeron® branding in the 2023 notebook product stack." https://www.intel.com/... https://twitter.com/... Will Judd / @wsjudd : RIP Pentium + Celeron, hi overly generic ‘Intel Processor’ https://www.intel.com/... Tom Warren / @tomwarren : After nearly 30 years, Intel Pentium and Celeron are going away. Intel Processor is the new brand for Pentium and Celeron in 2023. Details here: https://t.co/akF49kCzcP https://t.co/IzJ4ejlCOq
Context & Ripple Effects
Intel had already separated laptop chip families by use case, with Core H aimed at gaming and Core vPro at enterprise security. Replacing its legacy entry-level labels with Intel Processor extends that portfolio simplification to notebooks.
The move also foreshadows Intel's later Core and Ultra naming refresh, while AMD was putting Ryzen C-series chips into Chromebook models such as the Acer Chromebook Spin 514 and HP Elite c645 G2.
First-order effects
- Intel's notebook partners will transition entry-level systems away from Pentium and Celeron badges to the Intel Processor label starting in 2023.
- Pentium and Celeron lose their distinct retail identities, leaving Intel Processor as the named budget tier alongside Intel's more differentiated Core families.
Second-order effects
- Notebook OEMs and retailers must explain system positioning with specifications and Core-tier branding rather than relying on the long-established Pentium and Celeron labels.
- AMD's Chromebook push gains a clearer comparison point: its Ryzen C-series systems compete against Intel notebook offerings whose low-end branding is being consolidated.
Third-order effects
- If Intel continues the naming cleanup reflected in its later Core and Ultra rebrand, processor marketing will be organized around fewer umbrella labels and sharper premium-versus-mainstream segmentation.
- The shift puts more of the burden of product differentiation on OEM configuration and Intel's Core-family tiers, rather than on separate legacy brands at the entry level.
The trend: PC chip vendors are simplifying legacy processor branding while reserving clearer labels for differentiated performance tiers and device segments.