Intel did not introduce its oft-leaked "Arrow Lake Refresh" desktop and laptop CPU ranges at CES 2026, despite plenty of pre-event activity suggesting a near future arrival at retail. Almost two weeks after the conclusion of new product promotional activities in Las Vegas, ASUS has just started to hype up its own "in advance" preparations for Team Blue's inevitable release of "ARL-S Refresh" desktop chips. A few hours ago, the Taiwanese hardware manufacturer's main social media account proudly declared: "ready for the future of Intel! ASUS W880, Z890, Q870, B860 & H810 motherboards are BIOS READY—rolling out in late January." Leaked "Core Ultra 200 Plus" nomenclature suggests that Intel has kept its slightly upgraded designs within the Core Ultra Series 2 generation. Previously, their refreshment of " Raptor Lake " was deemed worthy of becoming a new processor generation: 14th Gen Core.

Curiously, today's ASUS announcement labels the latest mid-gen refresh as next generation: "all set for Intel Arrow Lake Refresh! Upgrade smoothly. Next-gen power is coming!" Gaming CPU market segment trackers believe that the "Plus/+" designation will only turn up on three new SKUs: Core Ultra 9 290K Plus , Core Ultra 9 270K Plus, and Core Ultra 5 250K Plus. This seemingly sparse lineup is expected to keep Team Blue's LGA 1851 platform propped up for a little bit longer, until the successive and truly next-gen "Nova Lake-S" desktop family rolls up with its matching LGA 1954 socket. About a week ago, Golden Pig Upgrade predicted that Intel would launch Ultra 200 Plus desktop and laptop/notebook (HX) products within a March/April window. Coinciding with ASUS readying BIOS updates for 800-series motherboard later this month, Intel and its hardware partners will be unleashing Core Ultra 300 "Panther Lake-H" mobile processors.