Intel drops the Celeron and Pentium names for its low-end laptop CPUs (updated)

Intel has used the Celeron and Pentium brands for CPUs since the 1990s, but they're finally fading away — if not quite in the way you'd expect. The company is replacing both brand names for low-end laptop chips in favor of the simpler (if not exactly creative) "Intel Processor" badge starting in 2023. The move will help "simplify" the lineup, Intel VP Josh Newman said.

The Core, Evo and vPro labels will stick around. Intel didn't say how it will handle branding for desktop processors, which still include Celeron and Pentium models released this year. We've asked the company for comment and will let you know if we hear back.

The decision isn't shocking. Both the Celeron and Pentium names have been synonymous with low-end processors for years, and the practical differences for users have been modest at best. This clarifies what you're getting. If you don't see "Core," it's a basic model. And let's be honest — people shopping for entry-level laptops aren't hunting for specific branding like their enthusiast counterparts. Here, pricing and base functionality are more important.

Update 9/16 3:42PM ET: Intel tells Engadget it has "no new" desktop CPUs due in this category for the first quarter of 2023, but that it can't comment on any other plans at the moment.