notebookcheck[.]net/Core-i5-beats-Core-i7-Alder-Lake-P-creates-problems-for-manufacturers-and-customers.621251.0.html
Reviewing laptops with the latest Intel CPUs, NotebookCheck [via Neowin] has found, in its words, massive performance differences between them. The root of the problem is that the new CPUs take lots [& Lots] of power, which means more heat & less battery life -- things you definitely don't want in a laptop. It's possible some laptop manufacturers could go the route of Microsoft's Surface, using liquid cooling to keep the temps under control, but for now apparently they're choosing to limit the amount of power available to the CPU. And that means throttling it, so it can never achieve the full performance it's capable of.
The end result is that the performance, heat, and battery life of laptops using Intel's latest CPUs varies, sometimes widely, depending on the laptop's make & model. You can no longer assume laptops with an i5 will have similar performance. And the situation is worse with Intel's i7, which in testing has been outperformed by the cheaper, overall less powerful i5.
While it's too early to say with certainty, AMD's new CPUs, which are more efficient & less power hungry, may prove the best choice for anyone shopping for a new laptop.