Microsoft Surface Pro 9 Intel Vs Arm: What’s The Difference
Microsoft Surface Pro 9 is finally here, and it is available with an Intel EVO 12th Gen chip for the non-5G version and a Microsoft SQ3 Snapdragon chip for the 9 5G variant. For the uninitiated, Microsoft’s Surface Pro lineup consists of Windows tablet PCs. These are ultra-portable 2-in-1 devices that come with an external keyboard and stylus support.
Currently, the Microsoft Surface lineup includes Surface Pro 8, Surface Pro 7+, Surface Pro X and Surface Go 3. The Surface Pro 8 is the most powerful in the lineup and is powered by Intel 11th Gen Core i7 and i5 processor series. Moreover, the laptop also comes with a 5MP front and 10MP 4k rear camera, a removable SSD up to 1TB, up to 32GB LPDDR4x RAM support, Thunderbolt 4 ports, along with Wi-Fi 6 connectivity.
The brand-new Surface Pro 9 features a power bump in all main areas. For starters, the Microsoft 2-in-1 tablet PC now features an Intel 12th Gen Core i7 and i5 or Microsoft SQ3 processors along with support for up to 32GB LPDDR5 memory and 1TB SSD storage. The Microsoft Surface Pro 9 also has a 13-inch, 120Hz Pixelsense display with maximum resolution support of 2880 X 1920 pixels and a 3:2 aspect ratio. In terms of design, the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 and Pro 9 5G is available in two new colors, including sapphire and forest. Meanwhile, the keyboard features an Alcantara finish, which adds a bit of luxury to the tablet PC. Moreover, Microsoft also collaborated with London-based Liberty to design a floral print sapphire-colored Surface Pro 9 2-in-1 PC as well.
Microsoft Surface Pro 9 vs Surface Pro 9 55G: Specs, Features, and Price in India
| Specifications | Microsoft Surface Pro 9 | Microsoft Surface Pro 9 5G |
| Display | 13-inch, 2880×1920, 3:2 aspect ratio PixelSense Flow, 120Hz touchscreen display | 13-inch, 2880×1920, 3:2 aspect ratio PixelSense Flow, 120Hz touchscreen display |
| Cameras | 10MP rear camera 1080p webcam | 10MP rear camera 1080p webcam |
| CPU | Intel Core i5-1235U or Intel Core i7-1255U | Microsoft SQ3 chip by Qualcomm |
| Graphics | Integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics | Microsoft SQ9 |
| Memory | Up to 32GB LPDDR5 memory | Up to 16GB LPDDR4x memory |
| Storage | Up to 1TB SSD | Up to 512GB SSD |
| Connectivity | WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.1, Thunderbolt USB-C port | WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.1, Thunderbolt USB-C port, 5G with NanoSIM/eSIM |
| Battery | Up to 15.5 hours | Up to 19 hours |
| Base price | $999 | $1299 |
| Colors | Classic Platinum, Graphite, Sapphire, Forest | Classic Platinum |
| Availability | 25 October 2022 | 25 October 2022 |
The Microsoft Surface Pro 9 is available with an Intel 12th Gen Core i5-1235U for the base model and Core i7-1255U for the top-end variant. Both chips feature 10-core and 12-thread, including two performance cores and eight efficiency cores. The Microsoft Surface Pro 9 5G variant is only available with an SQ3 processor, an SQ9 graphics chip, and a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for better image processing during video calls.
Both are primarily geared for a very high performance per watt. As a result, users can expect a high battery life of up to19 hours. Both laptops have Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity, and 5G is limited to the Arm-powered variant.
The Surface Pro 9 and 9 Pro 5G feature removal SSD drives, just like previous models, and the former supports a maximum of 32GB LPDDR5 RAM while the latter tops out at 16GB LPDDR4x memory. Furthermore, the Surface 9 Pro 5G variant comes with up to 512GB storage, but the Surface Pro 9 has a maximum 1TB storage option.
On paper, the Surface Pro 9 seems more powerful thanks to powerful Intel 12th Gen processors and LPDDR5 RAM support. In terms of compatibility as well, Intel’s x86 architecture will provide better support in most apps compared to the arm-based Microsoft SQ3 chip. In terms of I/O, the Microsoft Surface 9 Pro 5G features a nano-slim slot (and eSIM) and two USB 3.2 Type-C ports meanwhile, the Surface Pro 9 comes with two Thunderbolt 4 ports along with a Surface Connect port. The Surface 9 Pro 5G will have LTE connectivity as well, and it will support Sub6 and mmWave
Interestingly, Microsoft is offering a higher battery life of around 19 hours on the Surface Pro 9 5G but only 15 hours of battery backup for the non-5G variant. It could mean that the Microsoft SQ3 is more geared towards efficiency, as evidenced by the low-powered LPDDR4x memory setup. However, 5G connectivity is also likely to hit the battery life pretty hard, so a real-world comparison between these variants will be well worth waiting for before finalizing any purchase.
Microsoft Surface 9 comes bundled with the latest version of Windows 11, and Microsoft has done its part to make the OS more touch-friendly. For instance, the icons in the taskbar now space out to better suit a touch-based input whenever the Surface Pro 9 is undocked from the keyboard. And Microsoft has also added new video calling features like portrait mode to blur out the background and a feature similar to Apple’s center stage called Auto-framing.
The Surface Pro 9 price starts from $999 (Rs 82,178 approx); meanwhile, the Surface Pro 9 5G has a starting price of $1,299 (Rs 1,06,857 approx).
