Microsoft Surface Pro 9 Review

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 represents the latest installment in what has become a technological dynasty over the years. Microsoft’s hardware business was not well understood at the time. Microsoft has since refined and improved the 2-in-1 detachable to the point that it is now — if I may use a familiar cliche – a design icon.

This has been going on for close to ten years, so you shouldn’t be surprised to learn that the 2022 edition is yet another incremental update. Instead, Microsoft has focused its efforts on internal upgrades.

The most noticeable upgrade for this year is, as you might guess, to the CPU inside. This isn’t your typical internal overhaul. This is because, in addition to moving to 12th Gen U series Intel Core i5 & Core i7 chips and the Surface Pro 9 range, a model is built around the ARM based Microsoft SQ3 chip. It’s important because it signals the continued use of smartphone-like chips to power laptops (which is based largely upon the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3) is a trend that’s here and likely to continue.

Microsoft effectively has subsumed the Surface Pro X into its regular Surface Pro line-up. Select Surface Pro 9 from the Microsoft website’s list of options and the SQ3 will now appear alongside the Intel options as if there was no difference between them.

This is understandable, given the fact that the Surface Pro 8 used the Pro X’s chassis and screen size, as well as the keyboard cover. It does however raise the possibility of some people buying a non-Intel Surface Pro 9 without realising its implications.

I recommend sticking with one of the Intel models, unless you are desperate for 5G. There will still be software and games that won’t work on SQ3 (although this list is shrinking). Some USB peripherals might not work as well. Before you buy, make sure the manufacturer has Arm64 drivers available for your device.

Design

The Microsoft Surface Pro 9 2-in-1 is not the most affordable. It is also not the most powerful and fastest of our favorite 2-in-1s. Its design is, in my humble opinion, the best in the industry. The main tablet is 9.3mm thin, light, and beautifully constructed. It is 879g in weight and has a 13in aspect ratio display with 3:2 aspect ratio. The display is surrounded by thin black borders and a slightly rounded and bevelled aluminium frame.

The matte aluminum finish on the rear panel feels silky and smooth. There are only two adornments: a mirror-finish Windows logo at the bottom, and a lens at the top. The bottom section folds out and acts as a kickstand, just like all Surface Pro tablets. You can adjust the angle of the screen by folding it out. To make note-taking and sketching easier, you can also push the screen flat against the desk.

It is not a very thick device so sockets and ports are limited. The left edge houses two USB-C ports. These are USB 4/Thunderbolt for Intel models, and USB 3.2 for the SQ3. The magnetic Surface Connect port is located on the right side. On the bottom, you will find the magnet connector for your keyboard. The Surface Pro 9 comes with a compact 60W mains charge that includes an additional USB-A port. Finally, you will find a small magnet aluminium panel that can be removed to expose the SSD storage. This is where the nano-SIM slot will be found if you have an SQ3 model.

It’s just as good this year as last year. The keyboard features chiclet-style square keys that have flat tops and three stage backlighting. It also has plenty of travel for each keystroke. The slim slot is located above the function key row and can be used to store and recharge the Slim Pen 2 stylus. It also folds at its top clipping to the bottom of the Surface Pro 9’s chassis for a more comfortable typing angle.

It’s a well-designed, proven design that works extremely well. It’s comfortable and rigid to use, and despite its thinness, it is reliable and responsive. The entire package weighs in at 1.14kg, or 1.15kg when you include the pen. My only complaint is the loss of the 3.5mm audio connector. This is a bad decision by Microsoft.

Display, Audio and Webcam

The Surface Pro 9 is an upgrade to its predecessor, and as such the display offers no surprises. The panel is identical to last year’s, with the same 13in screen size, 120Hz refresh rate, and 3:2 aspect ratio, as well as its 2,880×1,920 resolution, 267ppi density, and colour performance.

The Surface Pro 9 still comes with Gorilla Glass 5 and has ten point multitouch as well as active stylus compatibility. It also has ambient light and colour sensors, just like the best laptops and 2-in-1s, to make sure that you have a pleasant experience with the Surface Pro 9’s display, regardless of how long it takes.

It’s a great screen technicalally. However, the IPS panel used here isn’t as powerful as the Mini-LED panel in 12.9in iPad Pro laptops or the OLED panels Samsung’s Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 laptops.

There are two colour profiles that can be factory calibrated — Vivid and sRGB. I have measured both. While the Vivid profile offers a slightly wider colour palette than sRGB (111%) it is not wide enough to cover all of DCI-P3 (76.5%) while the sRGB profile provides 96.7%. Both profiles are fairly accurate in colour accuracy, but sRGB is better if you need it. The average Delta E colour variance score in this mode is 1.14. Peak brightness is 446cd/m2 while the contrast ratio of 1,302:1 is healthy.

The webcam quality is excellent. Manufacturers often ignore this component — Apple did not pay much attention to it until recently. The 1080p camera in Surface Pro 9 is amazing, producing sharp, well-exposed, and almost noise-free results. The Surface Pro 9 also has dual far-field microphones to pick up your voice and stereo 2W speakers which can be quite loud, although they lack a body so are less suitable for music. Surface Pro 9 is great for video calls but not so much for entertainment.

The webcam, which is a Surface Pro device allows you to log in with your face. The rear-facing 10MP camera can also shoot 4K video. The quality is good in good lighting, but the photos tend to look a bit lurid in bright areas. The rear camera of the 12.9in iPad Pro is much better.

Performance

The Surface Pro 12th Gen Intel silicon upgrade is available this year. It can be either a Core i5-i7 or a Core i7—or the Microsoft SQ3 chip depending on which model you choose. My review sample includes an Intel Core i7-1265U. This CPU contains ten cores. It has eight cores that run at up to 3.6GHz, and two Hyper-Threading cores that operate at a maximum Turbo frequency of 4.8GHz.

Keep in mind that this is a test of the business model. The Core i7-1255U is used in the consumer edition. It’s slightly slower. The Core i7-1255U consumer edition has the same configuration and number of cores, but runs at slightly lower frequencies. The efficient cores can run at up 3.5GHz, while the performance cores can run at up 4.7GHz.

Verdict

It’s capable of performing the job it was designed to do but the hardware isn’t up to the mark. The Apple M2 iPad Pro is faster than the average iPad Pro, and it also has a better camera, display, and speakers. Apple’s 2-in-1 tablet is the best in this category and continues to improve its capabilities year after year. It is also more expensive that the similar Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360.

Not everyone is comfortable using iPadOS over a traditional desktop OS. Many prefer the portability and flexibility of the 2-in-1 form factor. The Microsoft Surface Pro 9 is the perfect choice for those people. It is lightweight and beautiful, and performs well. This Surface Pro 9 is a significant upgrade to the Surface Pro 8.