The Surface Pro 9 comes in Intel and Arm versions, absorbing the Surface Pro X.

Today, Microsoft is introducing a couple of typical iterative updates to its Surface Pro convertible tablet PCs. One is a modest upgrade to the Surface Pro 8 with 12th Gen Intel processors, which promise vastly improved performance for things that benefit from more CPU cores. The other is the Surface Pro X update with the new Microsoft SQ3 Arm processor provided by Qualcomm.

The catch is that both of these tablets are now called “Surface Pro 9”, which is an acknowledgment by Microsoft that it has always been aware of the number 9 (and also, perhaps, an attempt to prevent people from thinking that the Surface Pro X is one better). than Surface Pro 9).

The vanilla Surface Pro 9 is a more traditional version of Intel, while the “Surface Pro 9 with 5G”includes a completely different processor and Arm version of Windows, with all the consequences of a performance hit for the vast majority of third-party Windows. applications, but also the promise of better battery life. Both Surface Pro 9 models will go on sale October 25th.

Microsoft has gone to great lengths to ensure that the CPU is the only difference you can notice between these two computers. While the Surface Pro 8 largely adopted the design of the Surface Pro X, the Surface Pro 9 models are exactly the same, with the same dimensions and weight (just under two pounds) and the same 13-inch, 120Hz, 2880x touchscreen 1920. The two machines support the same Type Cover and Surface Pen accessories and feature user-replaceable M.2 drives. Both models also have an updated 1080p webcam compatible with Windows Hello and a 10-megapixel rear camera.

There are more differences inside. Both tablets have the same number of physical ports, but the supported protocols are slightly different – you get one Surface Connect port and two USB-C ports that support Thunderbolt 4 on the Intel Surface version and USB 3.2 on the Arm version. Neither tablet has a headphone jack, which is still rare, but we’ve also seen it in newer versions of the Dell XPS 13.

The Surface Pro 9 with 5G apparently supports 5G, in addition to Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1, and also includes Microsoft Pluton compatibility that the Intel version doesn’t.

The Intel version of the Surface Pro 9 starts at $1,000 for a configuration that only comes in Platinum and includes a Core i5-1245U processor , 128GB of user-upgradable memory, and 8GB of non-upgradable RAM. For $1,099, you can upgrade the storage to 256GB and choose from Platinum, Graphite, Forest, or Sapphire finishes. Also available are a slightly higher clocked Core i7-1265U processor upgrade (but with the same number and type of cores), 16GB and 32GB RAM upgrades, and 512GB and 1TB storage upgrade options that top out at 2600 US dollars for the maximum version..

As a general rule, any Type Cover or Surface Pen accessories you decide to buy will cost extra – they are not included in the base price of any tablet.

There are fewer options available for the Surface Pro 9 with 5G, which is only available in platinum and starts at $1,300 for the 8GB RAM and 128GB user-expandable storage version. The 256GB version is $1,400, while the 16GB RAM version is $1,600 (there’s no 32GB option on the Arm model).

Microsoft hasn’t revealed the specs for the SQ3 processor, but it’s most likely a slightly modified version of the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3, an octa-core processor that Qualcomm says has 85% faster performance and a 60% faster GPU. performance than the 8cx Gen 2 that was the backbone of the Microsoft SQ2. The company has also played with the chip’s “neural processing unit,”or NPU, to speed up AI and machine learning workflows.

One Microsoft-branded Arm-based device that we haven’t heard from again? Project Volterra, the developer-focused mini-desktop that Microsoft announced at its Build developer conference back in May. It’s likely that Volterra will use the same Microsoft SQ3 processor (both Volterra’s press release and today’s Surface issue talk about NPU availability and capabilities in the same terms), but other than that, we don’t know much – Microsoft spokesperson repeated that “later there will be something to share.”