Microsoft’s Surface Pro 9 is the latest entrant of the company’s hardware lineup and is now offered in both Intel and custom chip variants, meaning that the company has also merged the Surface Pro X series into this family. Let us see what new internal specifications are offered with the latest models.
Other Surface Pro 9 Variant Comes With a 5G Modem, and a Custom SQ3 Chip
Before we get into the specifications, let us talk about the more colorful options that you will have to choose from. Microsoft will now offer the Surface Pro 9 in Sapphire and Forest finishes, which will be added to the more traditional Platinum and Graphite colors. This will encourage customers to get their hands on the more unique variants to deliver that personalized touch. The build quality remains the same; aluminum all around that makes the chassis rigid.
Now, let us talk about the specifications, and the Surface Pro 9 will see an uplift in performance thanks to Intel’s new 12th-generation processors 15W processors, which now add E-cores, or efficiency cores, alongside the performance ones. The 2-in-1 either ships with a Core i5-1235U or a Core i7-1255U, both of which have a total of 10 cores (two P-cores and eight E-cores) and 12 threads. In total, you now get more cores than you did with Intel’s 15W 11th-generation processors, which were limited to 4 cores and 8 threads.
The remaining specifications remain the same. The Surface Pro 9 retains that 13.3-inch display with a 2880 x 1920 resolution and support for a 120Hz Dynamic Refresh Rate. The Windows 11 slate is 0.37 inches thin, weighs 1.94 pounds, and features two Thunderbolt 4 ports plus a single Surface Connect port. Where you are getting all that performance, Microsoft is taking something away, and that is the 3.5mm headphone jack, and this is without the Surface Pro 9 sporting any physical changes from its predecessor, the Surface Pro 8.
The maxed-out configuration gives you an i7-1255U, 32GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD. The Surface Pro 9 will officially be available to purchase starting October 25 in select markets. For the SQ3 chip variant, it is the only one that offers 5G connectivity thanks to an integrated modem. The custom chip is actually designed after Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3, and unlike the Intel version, it does not support Thunderbolt 4 or even USB 4.
This version does not sport any active cooling solution but comes with tactile feedback in the Surface Pen 2.
Pricing of Intel and SQ3 Variants
- Core i5-1235U (two P-cores, eight E-Cores) with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, Platinum finish, for $999.99
- Core i5-1235U (two P-cores, eight E-Cores) with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, Platinum, Graphite, Forest, and Sapphire finishes for $1,099.99
- Core i5-1235U (two P-cores, eight E-Cores) with 8GB RAM and 512GB storage, Platinum, Graphite, Forest, and Sapphire finishes for $1,399.99
- Core i5-1235U (two P-cores, eight E-Cores) with 16GB RAM and 256GB storage, Platinum, Graphite, Forest, Sapphire for $1,399.99
- Core i7-1255U (two P-cores, eight E-cores) with 16GB RAM and 256GB storage, Platinum, Graphite, Forest, Sapphire finishes for $1,599.99
- Core i7-1255U (two P-cores, eight E-cores) with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, Platinum, Graphite, Forest, and Sapphire finishes for $1,899.99
- Core i7-1255U Core i7-1255U (two P-cores, eight E-cores) with 16GB RAM and 1TB storage, Platinum finish for $2,199.99
- Core i7-1255U Core i7-1255U (two P-cores, eight E-cores) with 32GB RAM and 1TB storage, Platinum finish for $2,599.99
- Microsoft SQ3 chip with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, Platinum finish for $1299
- Microsoft SQ3 chip with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, Platinum finish for $1399.99
- Microsoft SQ3 chip with 16GB RAM and 256GB storage, Platinum finish for $1599.99
- Microsoft SQ3 chip with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, Platinum finish for $1899.99
What do you think of the improvements made to the Surface Pro 9 series? Tell us in the comments.
