Three SKUs from the Refresh lineup will have their reviews published officially next month, while the whereabouts of one SKU remain unknown.
Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and Core Ultra 5 250K/KF SKUs Review Embargo Reportedly Lifts on March 23; Core Ultra 9 290K Plus Reportedly Gets Cancelled
Intel has yet to announce Arrow Lake Refresh CPUs, and despite seeing numerous leaks, we don't have a specific date from the company when we can expect these chips in the market. However, given that some motherboard vendors have started preparing their new BIOS updates to support Arrow Lake Refresh, including ASUS, which has recently confirmed that their 800-series motherboards are now Arrow Lake Refresh-ready, it's expected that the CPUs will be launched this quarter.
Prominent leaker @9950pro says that the review embargo on the processor will lift next month, but these will be specific to three SKUs. The lineup as of what we know till now includes four SKUs in total: Core Ultra 9 290K Plus, Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, Core Ultra 5 250K Plus, and Core Ultra 5 250KF Plus. According to the leaker, except for the new flagship 290K Plus CPU, Intel has set the review embargo lift date on March 23.
The reason for the exclusion of the 290K Plus CPU is unknown, but according to Videocardz, Intel may have cancelled the CPU altogether. This is to keep a focus on SKUs that deliver high performance per dollar, and it makes sense since enthusiasts often prefer Ryzen 9 9950X3D chips over something like Core Ultra 9 285K if they want the best balance of gaming and productivity. Maybe this is the reason why we didn't see any Core Ultra 9 290K Plus on any retailer, while other SKUs were recently spotted on a few.
That said, there are still several weeks left before we can see other SKUs on the shelves, but this is probably Intel's last chance against AMD's Zen 5 desktop SKUs, which have a good hold on the CPU market. After Arrow Lake Refresh SKUs, Intel will be launching the Nova Lake series before the end of this year, and that's going to be incredibly crucial for Intel in the consumer market if they want to gain back a significant share of the CPU market.
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
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