سرفیس پرو 9

Surface pro 9 tech specs

Microsoft has unveiled the new Surface Pro 9, a new tablet that retains the traditional design as its predecessor but with new internals and the choice of the ARM processor or the more powerful 12th Gen Intel silicon.

Similar to the Surface Pro 8, the Surface Pro 9 has a unibody made with aluminum, a 13-inch screen (3:2 aspect ratio), and a 120Hz refresh rate. You have the choice of an Intel 12th Gen Core i7 or i5 processor, and this time, you can also get the tablet with a Microsoft SQ3 processor powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon. In addition, depending on the model, the Surface Pro 9 comes with up to 32GB of DDR5 memory, up to 1TB of replaceable storage, and 5G connectivity.

Performance of processors in surface pro 9

As for performance, the company claims up to 50 percent more performance from the Intel model than the Surface Pro 8, and the two Thunderbolt 4 ports provide super-faster data transfer and the ability to drive two 4K external monitors or use external GPUs. Also, you can get up to 15.5 hours of battery life and up to 19 hours with the ARM-based model.

And in the case of the ARM-based model, this model isn’t as powerful as the Intel-based model, but it offers more battery and includes a new Neural Processing Unit (NPU) capable of more than 15 trillion calculations per second to enable new experiences, such as background noise cancelation, background blur during calls, eye contact, and more.

Color options for the Pro 9 include Platinum, Graphite, Sapphire, and Forest, but the color availability will depend on the model you choose. Of course, the detachable keyboard and Slim Pen are sold separately.

Also, as part of the 10-year anniversary of Surface, Microsoft is partnering with London-based global design house “Liberty” to offer a special-edition Surface Pro keyboard and laser-etched Surface Pro 9 with an exclusive pattern in a vibrant blue floral inspired by the Windows 11 Bloom wallpaper.

The Surface Pro 9 pricing starts at $1000 and can go up to $2600 for the Intel Core i7 model. The ARM-based model starts at $1300 and can go up to $1900 with a maxed-out configuration. The tablet is available starting October 25, 2022, and you can pre-order from the Microsoft Store.

No more headphone jack

Something many will probably find disappointing is that the Surface Pro 9 also does away with the 3.5mm headphone jack, so you can no longer use headsets that rely on it. Again, this is an odd choice considering the chassis is otherwise identical to the Surface Pro 8.

Now, you’ll just find two Thunderbolt 4 ports (Wi-Fi)/USB 3.2 Type-C ports (5G) and Surface Connect. The Surface Pro X also lacked a headphone jack, but it had a noticeably thinner chassis in the past.

The camera and microphone hardware on the Surface Pro 9 has remained mostly unchanged from previous models, but there are some news in terms of processing on the 5G model. The Microsoft SQ3 chipset comes with a neural processing unit, or NPU, which can enable certain AI features for the webcam. We had already seen features like Eye Contact on the original Surface Pro X, but Windows now has a whole suite of features called Windows Studio Effects that leverage the NPU.

In addition to Eye Contact, Windows Studio Effects include Portrait Blur and camera auto-framing so you always stay visible even if you move around in front of the camera. There’s also a Voice FOcus effect, which isolates and enhances your voice, eliminating background noise so others can hear you more clearly during a call or meeting.

In addition to the standard colors, Microsoft is also launching the Surface Pro 9 Wi-Fi model is available in a limited edition featuring a blue floral pattern designed by Liberty, a British design studio. This special edition is meant to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Surface family.

What makes this even more strange is that the 5G and Wi-Fi models now have the same external dimensions. With the chassis being nearly identical, it seems like it should have been that much easier to make both variants in all the available colors, but that’s not the case. Maybe in the future, these color options will become more widely available.