Microsoft's "most powerful Pro" is about to be superseded by a state-of-the-art ninth-gen 2-in-1 Windows tablet (right on schedule), and if you feel like you can't wait a few more weeks to find out what surprises and upgrades the Surface Pro 9 holds in store, Roland Quandt has you covered.
The almost always reliable and well-informed leaker is revealing a wealth of details on Microsoft's next big iPad Pro/MacBook Air alternative in a new WinFuture report (translated here), and although there's obviously no way to be sure this intel will ultimately check out, everything certainly sounds plausible and (almost) entirely unsurprising.
A welcomed new splash of color
While most power users and long-time Surface fans might think the Pro 9's already rumored jump to 12th Gen Intel "Alder Lake" processors would prove the biggest change over last year's 11th Gen Tiger Lake-based Pro 8, today's reveal makes us more excited for a... color expansion.
Compared to some of the best Android tablets out there, which are available in an assortment of attractive paint jobs, the Surface Pro 8 only comes in two somewhat boring platinum and black hues. But "evidence" of some sort is apparently pointing to a grand total of four colorways being prepped for the fast-approaching Surface Pro 9.
This is the black-coated Surface Pro 8 with a matching Type Cover.
While the familiar aforementioned black and platinum shades are reportedly not going anywhere, Microsoft might also be working on a "Forest" flavor vaguely described as a "kind of green" and a very interesting "Sapphire" model likely to be a "more or less strong blue."
It remains to be seen, of course, if the availability of these two additional color options will be limited in some way to certain regions or configurations and if Microsoft can release all four versions at the same time shortly after a product announcement event expected to take place on or around October 11.
A relatively small upgrade in power, a big price, and lots of questions
Just like its 2021 predecessor, the Pro 9 may not come in a budget-friendly Intel Core i3 variant (at least for general consumer use), instead possibly starting at a rather extravagant €1,300 in Europe with Core i5 processing power and a speedy 256GB solid-state drive paired with 8 gigs of RAM.
That's pretty much guaranteed to translate to a $1,299 price point stateside, but before you panic, it might be wise to wait and see if perhaps Microsoft will release a slightly lower-end 128GB storage configuration at a slightly more reasonable $1,199.
That Intel Core i5 chip, by the way, should provide roughly 20 percent more raw power than a comparable processor found under the Surface Pro 8's hood. If you want all the details, the Surface Pro 9 is expected to pack Core i5-1235U and Core i7-1185G7 processors composed of two high-performance and eight energy-efficient cores each. Unfortunately, the new 12th Gen i7 beast may only upgrade its forerunner's muscle by "up to 12 percent", which doesn't exactly sound like a game-changing improvement.
Meanwhile, the 13.5-inch "PixelSense" display is unlikely to get any sort of upgrade, retaining last year's resolution of 2880 x 1920 pixels and admittedly nice 120Hz refresh rate support. There are no words on battery life or camera enhancements yet, which doesn't necessarily mean they won't happen, while the memory count could curiously cap off at 16GB, down from the 32 gig ceiling of the Pro 8.
Last but certainly not least, the Surface Pro 9 is also tipped to borrow the ARM-based architecture from a Surface Pro X family that could thus go extinct for SQ3-powered versions with built-in 5G connectivity and unknown price tags. Otherwise put, there's still some mystery and intrigue surrounding Microsoft's next "most powerful Pro."
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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