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Intel

Intel Core i5-1235U

Released Jan 4, 2022Laptop ProcessorCore i7 check: Tier C

The volume 12th-gen ultrabook processor, found in countless sub-$700 laptops. Two P-cores and eight E-cores cover office work and browsing comfortably, but it was never built for rendering, compiling or sustained multi-core loads.

Pros

  • Cheap, everywhere, and fine for office and web work
  • Ten cores handle heavy multitasking better than old quad-cores
  • Low 15W base power suits thin chassis
  • Supports DDR5, LPDDR5 and LPDDR4X

Cons

  • Weakest multi-core showing of the 12th-gen mobile line
  • 80-EU iGPU is entry level
  • Sustained clocks drop quickly in thin laptops
46.9Inno Score

Below average

Computed from specs & benchmarks via our public methodology.

Single-core49.8
Multi-core31.4
Efficiency75.3
iGPU50.3
Platform47.7

Full specifications

Everything we track for the Intel Core i5-1235U

General

Announced
2022
Process
10 nm
Base TDP
15 W
Max TDP
55 W

Cores & Clocks

Cores
10
Performance cores
2
Efficiency cores
8
Threads
12
Base clock
1.3 GHz
Boost clock
4.4 GHz
L3 cache
12 MB

Integrated GPU

iGPU
Intel Iris Xe (80 EU)
iGPU clock
1,200 MHz

Memory

Memory support
LPDDR5-5200 / DDR5-4800 / LPDDR4X-4267
Max memory
64 GB

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6 (single)
2,000Bottom 21%
Geekbench 6 (multi)
6,100Bottom 14%
Cinebench R23 (single)
1,520Bottom 34%
Cinebench R23 (multi)
6,200Bottom 18%
PassMark
12,415Bottom 23%
3DMark Time Spy Graphics (iGPU)
1,175Bottom 45%

Quick answers

Is the Intel Core i5-1235U good in 2026?

The Intel Core i5-1235U earns an Inno Score of 46.9/100 (“Below average”) based on its specs and benchmark results. The volume 12th-gen ultrabook processor, found in countless sub-$700 laptops. Two P-cores and eight E-cores cover office work and browsing comfortably, but it was never built for rendering, compiling or sustained multi-core loads.

Does the Intel Core i5-1235U count as "Core i7 or equivalent"?

Its PassMark CPU Mark average is 12,415 (cpubenchmark.net, retrieved Sep 26, 2026), which puts it in Tier C of our CPU tier checker: older or low-power Core i7, and many recent Core i5 chips. Requirement pages word this differently, so check the exact wording with your department.

What are the key specs of the Intel Core i5-1235U?

Cores: 10 · Threads: 12 · Boost clock: 4.4 GHz · Base TDP: 15 W

What are the closest alternatives to the Intel Core i5-1235U?

Its closest rivals on InnoReviews are AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, Apple M1 (8-core), Intel Core i7-11800H — open the comparison pages for a spec-by-spec breakdown.

Similar devices

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