Alongside the official launch of the 13th Gen desktop CPUs, Intel Unison is making its debut. While it will be exclusive to certain Intel CPUs, it does what the Windows 11 Phone Link feature does not; It supports iPhone as well.

Intel Unison is, in its simplest form, the company's own take on Phone Link. It isn't as advanced as Microsoft's combination with Samsung, but it covers the main bases. And it isn't exclusive to Android users, which automatically makes it more useable for more people. Especially in light of Dell Mobile Connect getting canned, which also supported the iPhone.

So, what exactly can it do?

  • Send and receive text messages.
  • Make and receive voice calls.
  • Receive and manage phone notifications.
  • Transfer files and photos wireless between your PC and your mobile device.

Unison makes use of a few different connectivity standards. It can use Bluetooth and Bluetooth LE, also local Wi-Fi and peer-to-peer connections. Unison is based on Screenovate, the service Intel acquired in late 2021 and will support touch, mouse, and keyboard. Intel Unison will begin rolling out this holiday season initially on 12th Gen-based Evo-certified laptops from vendors including Lenovo, Acer, and HP. It'll then expand in the early part of 2023 to 13th Gen Evo machines as availability arrives.

This all comes alongside the official reveal of the new 13th Gen unlocked desktop CPUs, launching on October 20. The new chips boast more cores, more performance, and better power efficiency. Unison isn't the only new software trick from Intel alongside the 13th Gen launch, either. There's a new version of Intel's overclocking utility coming, and Intel Thread Detector works in conjunction with Windows 11 to ensure workloads are distributed to optimal parts of the CPU.

As for Unison, well it's filling a gap that Microsoft hasn't yet by including iPhone owners. And that's great news.