Surface Pro 9: Release date, price, and everything you need to know

After months of anticipation, Microsoft has finally officially announced the Surface Pro 9. The latest iteration of the company's flagship Windows tablet comes with quite a lot that's new, from upgraded processors to merging the Surface Pro X line into a unified brand, and even some new colors for the first time in a very long time. Indeed, this is a pretty exciting iteration of the Surface Pro family, so let's take a closer look.

A lot of these changes had been rumored up until the official announcement, and most of them have been confirmed. Potentially the biggest thing you'll be looking at is that the Surface Pro 9 now encompasses both Intel and Arm-powered versions. Microsoft has been taking Arm devices more seriously as of late, and this shows the company is confident enough to consider it equal to its Intel counterpart. But there's a lot more to it, so let's dive right into it.

Surface Pro 9 Specs

	Surface Pro 9
Operating system	Windows 11 Home (Consumer) Windows 11 Pro (Business) Windows 10 Pro (Business, Wi-Fi only)
Processor	Wi-Fi Consumer 12th-generation Intel Core i5-1235U 12th-generation Intel Core i7-1255U Business 12th-generation Intel Core i5-1245U 12th-generation Intel Core i7-1265U 5G Microsoft SQ3 processor Neural Processing Unit (NPU)
Graphics	Wi-Fi Intel Iris Xe graphics 5G Microsoft SQ3 Adreno 8cx Gen 3
RAM	Wi-Fi: 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB LPDDR5 5G: 8GB or 16GB LPDDR4x
Storage	Wi-Fi: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB SSD (removable) 5G: 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB SSD (removable)
Display	13-inch PixelSense Flow display, 3:2 aspect ratio Resolution: 2880 x 1920 (267 PPI) Color profile: sRGB and Vivid Dynamic Refresh Rate up to 120Hz Contrast ratio: 1200:1 Adaptive Color 10-point multi-touch Corning Gorilla Glass 5 Auto Color Management supported (Wi-Fi only) Dolby Vision IQ (Wi-Fi only)
Audio	Dual 2W stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos Dual far-field mics with Voice Clarity 5G model: Windows Studio Effects (Voice Focus)
Webcam	Front-facing 1080p full HD camera Rear-facing 10MP autofocus camera with 1080p and 4K video 5G model: Windows Studio Effects (Portrait Blur, Automatic Framing, Eye Contact)
Biometric authentication	Windows Hello facial authentication camera
Battery	Wi-Fi: Up to 15.5 hours of typical device usage 5G: Up to 19 hours of typical device usage
Ports	Wi-Fi model: 2 x Thunderbolt 4 / USB 4 (USB Type-C) 5G model: 2 x USB-C 3.2 1 x Surface Connect port 1 x Surface Keyboard port 5G model: nano-SIM slot
Connectivity	Wi-Fi Intel Wi-Fi 6E 802.11ax Bluetooth 5.1 5G Intel Wi-Fi 6E 802.11ax Bluetooth 5.1 Location: GPS, Glonass, Galileo, Beidou NanoSIM and eSIM support mmWave 5G markets only: 5G-NR NSA (mmWave): Release 15 DL 64 QAM up to 4.2 Gbps 4xDL CA (400MHz), 2x2 MIMO 5G-NR NSA (mmWave): Release 15 UL 64 QAM, 2xUL CA (200MHz), 2x2 MIMO 5G-NR NSA (mmWave) Bands: n257, n260, n261 Sub-6GHz 5G markets: 5G-NR NSA (Sub-6): Release 15 DL 256 QAM up to 2.8 Gbps , 4x4 MIMO 5G-NR NSA (Sub-6): Release 15 UL 256 QAM 5G-NR NSA (Sub-6) Bands: n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n20,n25, n28, n38, n40, n41, n66, n71, n77, n78, n79 Gigabit LTE -A Pro Release 15 with 4x4 MIMO and LAA LTE DL Cat 20, 256 QAM up to 2Gbps, 5xDL CA LTE UL Cat 13, 64 QAM Contiguous 2X ULCA LTE Bands: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66, 71 WCDMA: 1,2,5,8
Colors	Wi-Fi Platinum Graphite Sapphire Forest 5G Platinum
Size (WxDxH)	287.02 × 208.28 × 9.4 mm (11.3 × 8.2 × 0.37 inches)
Weight	Wi-Fi: 1.94lbs (879 grams) 5G (sub-6GHz): 1.84lbs (878 grams) 5G (mmWave): 1.95lbs (883 grams)
Starting price	$999.99 (Wi-Fi) / $1,299.99 (5G)

Surface Pro 9: Release date and price

After months of speculation and leaks, Microsoft finally announced the Surface Pro 9 on October 12th, 2022, a little over a year after the Surface Pro 8 was launched. Pre-orders are already live, so you can buy it right now.

Surface Pro 9 and keyboard on fake grass background

For pricing, the situation is a bit different. The Intel-based version of the Surface Pro 9 actually starts at $999.99, which is actually $100 lower than the Surface Pro 8 started at. However, the 5G model comes with a very significant price change compared to the Surface Pro X. It now starts at $1,299.99, a $300 increase from the LTE-enabled variants of the Surface Pro X. Here's the full list of SKUs and pricing:

Model	Audience	Processor	RAM	Storage	Price
Surface Pro 9 (Wi-Fi)	Consumer	Intel Core i5-1235U	8GB	128GB	$999.99
			8GB	256GB	$1,099.99
			8GB	512GB	$1,399.99
			16GB	256GB	$1,399.99
		Intel Core i7-1255U	16GB	256GB	$1,599.99
			16GB	512GB	$1,899.99
			16GB	1TB	$2,199.99
			32GB	1TB	$2,599.99
	Commercial	Intel Core i5-1245U	8GB	128GB	$1,099.99
			8GB	256GB	$1,199.99
			8GB	512GB	$1,499.99
			16GB	256GB	$1,599.99
		Intel Core i7-1265U	16GB	256GB	$1,699.99
			16GB	512GB	$1,999.99
			16GB	1TB	$2,299.99
			32GB	1TB	$2,699.99
Surface Pro 9 with 5G	Consumer	Microsoft SQ3	8GB	128GB	$1,299.99
			8GB	256GB	$1,399.99
			16GB	256GB	$1,599.99
			16GB	512GB	$1,899.99
	Commercial	Microsoft SQ3	8GB	128GB	$1,399.99
			8GB	256GB	$1,499.99
			16GB	256GB	$1,699.99
			16GB	512GB	$1,999.99

What's new in the Surface Pro 9?

There's a lot that's changed with the Surface Pro 9 compared to the Surface Pro 8, and at the same time, maybe not as much as you might expect. The biggest changes definitely come if you've been using the Surface Pro X for the past few years. Let's take a closer look at what's changed.

New Arm and Intel processors

Indeed, as we've mentioned a couple of times already, potentially the biggest news with the Surface Pro 9 is that it comes with either Intel or Arm-based processors. Microoft is no longer separating the regular Surface Pro family from the Surface Pro X, and instead we have the Surface Pro 9 Wi-Fi model - with Intel processors - or the Surface Pro 9 with 5G, powered by the Microsoft SQ3 processor based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3.

Both models have also received significant upgrades from their predecessors. The Surface Pro 9 Wi-Fi model now comes with 12th-generation Intel processors, which are quite a big upgrade form the previous generation. These new models come with 10 cores and 12 threads, up from four cores and eight threads in the Surface Pro 8, thanks to the new hybrid architecture used by Intel. There's a mix of efficiency and performance cores, which is similar to what we see on Arm-based processors.

Angled view of the Surface Pro 9 with its Signature Keyboard and Surface Slim Pen 2, surrounded by pink flowers

Meanwhile, the Surface Pro 9 with 5G is an even bigger upgrade compared to other Surface Pro X of the past. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 - which the Microsoft SQ3 is based on - offers some huge upgrades in terms of performance compared to what we saw in the last model. Qualcomm boasts 85% faster CPU performance and 60% faster GPU performance compared to the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2, which is a huge boost, and it helps explain why Microsoft is bringing these products under one single product line.

5G support

Another major addition with the Surface Pro 9 is support for 5G cellular connectivity, which we've already mentioned above. The Surface Pro X has mostly supported LTE since its inception back in 2019, but it never got the upgrade to 5G. Now, it's finally happening, and Microsoft is actually going the extra mile to enable mmWave support in select markets.

You don't see a lot of laptops with mmWave 5G support, and that's mostly because no Intel-powered devices can do it. The few laptops that support mmWave 5G have Arm processors, which is why Microsoft also managed to do it here. Of course, in markets where mmWave 5G isn't available, you'll still get sub-6GHz 5G in addition to support for LTE networks, as you'd expect.

At the same time, now that there's a dedicated version with cellular connectivity support, you'll no longer find Intel-powered models of the Surface Pro 9 with cellular connectivity. If you want LTE or 5G, you need to get the Arm-based model.

A better display for Arm

Because the Surface Pro 9 comes with both Arm and Intel processors, these devices are now mostly the same in terms of specs, and while not much has changed for the Wi-Fi model, the 5G variant has a notable upgrade in the display. It's inheriting the improvements Microsoft made in 2021 with the Surface Pro 8, so it now has a display with a dynamic refresh rate and up to 120Hz, so animations andmotion can look that much smoother.

Plus, this panel also supports all of the Surface Slim Pen 2 features, including Tactile signals. This is a form of haptic feedback that Microsoft uses to help simulate the feel of pen on paper, and we found it to work impressively well in last year's devices, so it's great to see it come to the Arm-powered model, too.

Some features are still exclusive to the Intel model, however, like support for Dolby Vision IQ and Auto Color Management.

A thicker Arm model, and new colors for Intel

One of the most exciting things about the Surface Pro 9 is that it finally adds a splash of color to the Surface Pro family. Two brand-new color options - Sapphire and Forest - join the existing Platinum and Grpahite, the latter of which was only available on the Surface Pro X before. That makes a total of four color options to choose from, and Microsoft also offers Signature Keyboards to match so you can complete the look.

However, there's a major caveat here. All the colors, except for Platinum, are exclusive to the Wi-Fi model of the Surface Pro 9. If you're buying the 5G version of the Surface Pro 9, you can only get it in Platinum, which is an odd choice. After all, Graphite debuted on the Surface Pro X, and in fact, it was the only color that was available on the Surface Pro X until 2021. However, the Arm-based tablet is now only available in the signature Platinum.

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.

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.

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.

Windows Studio Effects (5G only)

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.

Screenshot of Windows Studio Effects settings in Windows 11

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.

Where can I buy the Surface Pro 9?

The Surface Pro 9 is going to be available at most major retailers where you can usually find Surface PCs, including Amazon, Best Buy, and the Microsoft Store. Not every configuration may be readily available everywhere, but for the most part, you should be able to find the model you want at your preferred retailer. You can also buy the Surface Pro 9 using the link below.

Surface Pro 9 (Wi-Fi)

Storage: Up to 1TB (removable)
CPU: Upto Intel Core i7-1265U
Memory: Up to 32GB
Operating System: Windows 11

The Surface Pro 9 comes with 12th-generation Intel Core processors, and it features an array of beautiful colors for the first time ever. It's easily one of the best tablets out there.

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