Microsoft Refreshes Surface Line With New Chips, Including Arm-Based Silicon
For the first time, Microsoft is releasing a Surface tablet that can be configured with an Intel processor or an Arm-based chip.
During its Surface event today, Redmond introduced the Surface Pro 9, which looks identical to last year’s model. However, the new version can be configured with an Intel 12th Generation “Alder Lake” Core chip or Microsoft’s own Arm-powered SQ3 processor.
The change means the Surface Pro X—which previously contained the SQ processors—might be dead. Instead, Microsoft is elevating its Arm-based chips to one of its main Surface products.
It also means consumers will need to carefully look out for the processor differences in the 13-inch tablet hybrid. The Intel-powered Surface Pro 9 uses the x86 architecture, meaning it can natively run Windows apps meant for Intel or AMD-powered chips. The Arm-based SQ3 chip, on the other hand, can only run x86 Windows apps with an emulator. So you may face some sluggish performance or compatibility errors with certain software. But on the plus side, Arm chips generally offer more battery life than Intel-based silicon.
If you buy the Surface Pro 9 with the SQ3 chips, the device also supports 5G mobile connectivity and can run up to 19 hours on a single battery charge, according to Microsoft. But the same model doesn’t come with Thunderbolt 4 connectivity. For that, you’ll need to opt for the Intel-powered Surface Pro, which features two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4.
The Intel-based model will start at $999, with a Core i5 chip, 8GB RAM, and 128GB of storage. Then they'll scale up to $1,899 for the Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB version or $2,599 for the Core i7, 32GB, 1TB model with many other configurations in between.
The Arm-based Surface Pro 9 will cost a
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