Microsoft holds the Surface event, and reveals updates to the device family. As expected, the company announced the Surface Pro 9, along with merge of the Surface Pro X with the main Surface Pro line. The new Surface Pro 9 is now the first device that include processor options from both Intel and Qualcomm/ARM. There are also Surface Studio 2+ with 11th gen Intel processor and NVIDIA RTX graphics, and Surface Laptop 5 with 12th Generation Intel Processors.
Surface Pro 9
It looks identical to last year's Surface Pro 8, but the company introduced two new colors, Sapphire (blue) and Forest (green) in addition to the classic Platinum and Graphite options.
The Surface Pro 9 features the latest 12th Gen U-series Intel processors that deliver up to 50% faster performance than the 11th Gen chips used in the Surface Pro 8. The display now supports frequency up to 120Hz.
Models with Intel processors will be able to offer up to 15.5 hours of battery life, which is 0.5 hours less than the Surface Pro 8. The dimensions of the device have not changed, but the Surface Pro 9 has become a little lighter - 879 grams. Surface Pro 8 weighed 891 grams.
But these are not all changes. Microsoft also moved both USB-C Thunderbolt ports to the left side, the power button and volume control moved to the top edge, and the Surface Connect port remained in the same place. The Surface Pro X had a similar layout.
The specs looks as follows.
| Surface Pro 9 | Surface Pro 9 - 5G (ARM) | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 11 Home | Windows 11 Home |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-1235U, Core i7-1255U, 12th generation
Intel Evo |
Microsoft SQ3 |
| RAM | 8GB, 16GB, 32GB LPDDR5 | 8GB, 16GB, 32GB LPDDR4x |
| Graphics | Intel Iris Xe | Microsoft SQ3 Adreno 8CX (Gen 3) |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB SSD | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB SSD |
| Display | 13 inches, 3:2 aspect ratio, 2880x1920 resolution, 267 PPI, up to 120Hz, Dolby Vision | 13 inches, 3:2 aspect ratio, 2880×1920 resolution, 267 PPI, frequency up to 120 Hz |
| Pen | Surface Slim Pen 2 | Surface Slim Pen 2 |
| Port | 2x Thunderbolt 4, Surface Connect | 2x Thunderbolt 4, Surface Connect, NanoSIM |
| AudioT | wo 2W stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos, two long-range studio microphones, Voice Clarity | Two 2W stereo speakers, Voice Clarity, Windows Studio Effects, two long-range studio microphones |
| Wireless connection | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.1 | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.1, NanoSIM, eSIM, 5G, mmWave, Sub-6 |
| Camera | Front IR camera 5 MP (1080p)
Main camera 10 MP (4K) |
Front IR camera 5 MP (1080p, support for Windows Studio Effects)
Main camera 10 MP (4K) |
| Data protection | TPM 2.0, Windows Hello IR Camera, Windows 11 Secured-core PC | Microsoft Pluton, Windows Hello IR Camera, Windows 11 Secured-core PC |
| Battery | up to 15.5 hours | until 19:00 |
| Dimensions | 287mm x 208.3mm x 9.4mm | 287mm x 208.3mm x 9.4mm |
| Weight | 879 grams | 883 grams |
Surface Studio 2+
Surface Studio 2+ is the official name for an updated version of Surface Studio with improved specifications and a new port layout on the rear panel. The appearance of the device remained the same.
It received an Intel Core i7-11370H processor, which is also used in the Surface Laptop Studio. Microsoft says the new chip will provide up to a 50% performance boost over the 7th Gen processor in the Surface Studio 2. The GTX 1070 GPU has been replaced with the RTX 3060 mobile chip, which also delivers a significant performance boost.
Surface Studio 2+ ditches the card reader in favor of three USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 support, which allows you to connect up to three external 4K displays to the device. The device also received Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision (HDR) certifications, upgraded studio microphones, and a new 1080p webcam for conferencing.
In addition, Microsoft has changed the internal layout of the device to make it easier for specialists to repair and replace components.
Surface Laptop 5
Microsoft also unveiled the Surface Laptop 5, which is powered by 12th Gen U-series Intel processors, providing a significant performance boost over the older chips from the Surface Laptop 4. These new processors include two performance cores "P-core" and eight energy-efficient cores "E-core".
Also, for the first time since 2019, Microsoft will not release Surface Laptop models based on AMD Ryzen processors.
Other changes include a new Sage color scheme, Thunderbolt 4 support, and Secured-Core PC certification. But Microsoft's focus is on an improved camera that can automatically adjust to lighting, skin tones, and subtle changes in head or face position.
Surface Laptop 5 is Dolby Vision IQ and Dolby Atmos certified, which means it can deliver deep blacks, stunning visuals, and great surround sound. Dolby Vision IQ technology uses sensors and encoded metadata to adjust HDR based on lighting conditions.
The Surface Laptop 5 is available in 13.5-inch and 15-inch versions.
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