Surface Pro 9 5G Review - Should I buy it?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 มิ.ย. 2024
- This is a full review of the Surface Pro 9 5G - the latest SQ3 ARM based Surface. This is for people who are wondering if the Surface Pro 9 would work for them.
"I'm not a video editor, but I am an office worker. Could I use the Surface Pro 9 5G with its ARM based SQ3 processor or do I need to stick with Intel?"
"I'm not a TH-camr, but I want to know if this computer can run the office apps that I use every day. Is it usable? Will it allow me to print and do Teams calls with really great battery life and no heat? Should I buy it? And why should I?"
This review will address all those concerns and more.
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Finally, a review that understands the strengths and limitations of Windows on ARM and the SQ chip.
The SQ chip is the one I'm interested in as a potential Pro 8 i5 replacement. Bit bummed that it got thicker and heavier than the Pro X but hoping it's meant much better battery life.
Visual Studio Preview on ARM is getting better and better but also I use Windows 365 now for most Windows dev so an always on 5G device is pretty perfect potentially.
I have a Macbook Pro M1 Pro for mobile app dev now so don't really need a powerhouse Windows device for that, W365 handles Web dev nicely for workloads that don't run on ARM.
Great use case for Win 365.
@@oztabletpc quick question....wasn't sure from the video did you say the 5G/ARM version doesn't have a fan? or just that it doesn't really come on? From what I can see in videos so far the 5G version still has the vents same as the Pro 8 did?
@@DanielHarrisCodes No vents and no fan on the 5G. No need for them too!
@@oztabletpc that's great to know. Really tempted to replace my i5 Pro 8 with the Pro 9. I think I read its as thick and heavy as the Intel model so I wasn't sure if they had just given them all vents even if not needed.
I just want to research more into the battery life. Also the Pro X went into hibernate too soon for me (compared to previous gen ARM tablets) so I'm hoping the SQ3 has allowed for true always on like iPad and older WoA tablets like the HP ones
Upgraded from thr surface pro 8.
I gave the surface pro 9 5G a college try. Owned it for a month and ran into too many glitches to the point where microsoft support suggested I return the device. I ended up purchasing the Intel variant and was significantly more pleased.
Unfortunate because i prefer a fanless, better battery life device. Ill give it another shot in the next arm based surface tablet when theres more native support.
Thank you Sir (note I actually haven't watched this yet but excited to see you've posted a review as know your work is always comprehensive)! Look forward to watching.
Finally! A real life review! Well put together, sir. Like you said, most TH-camrs aren’t real world testing this. And it really shows. Some of us don’t need to run everything on earth.
In reality, that’s why I bought my Pro X. I only needed it to run Office, TH-cam, and note taking stuff. Remote Desktop is a huge plus! Arm has had some limitations to me, but I do enjoy the way it is currently tracking.
Funny thing is, I can run SketchUp on my Pro X. And it’s surprisingly very usable😂 AutoCAD is still too much though.
Absolutely outstanding review by somebody who's not just reading the press release. Well done!
Thanks for your excellent and real world based review of the arm based SP9.
I am really glad I found this review… it’s helped me so much more than the last 10 reviews. It was chock full of useful information.
I've noticed the JW App on your Surface. Keep up the good work!
Thanks Bro! 😁
Thank you for a great review.
WOW! This was mind blowing! Just an amazing review. Loved that you came at it from the perspective of its INTENDED audience...imagine that. Great job 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Glad you enjoyed it!
well done, you should do more reviews
That's a VERY good review, thank you sir!
Wonderful as always 🙏🙏
This was a great review, makes me very seriously reconsider the ARM based SP9. I had a mediocre experience with the original SPX. I absolutely loved the hardware, but there were so many apps which just didn't work. This was before 64-bit emulation though, but I'd be deeply concerned about apps I use regularly not working, and so I'd have to buy it somewhere I could return it if need be. My main things are some specialized apps we use at work, and things like our work VPN. Those were complete no-gos on the SPX, but I wouldn't know without trying if that's still the case.
Interesting feedback. I'd think that a VPN client would need native ARM support. Not sure though, worth investigating.
Great review! I was gonna switch my 8 to the 9 ARM but since I use adobe premiere pro in work on a m1 mac (eeew) sticking to my pro 8 for now
Great job OZ. Your comment @ 4:40 about CHROME being a power hog is spot on as well that EDGE got the edge. (I use it on MAC as well) ARM is the saving grace for all future computers and Intel / AMD should be shut down for good. Microsoft CEO has no clue how to get partners on board to make the SQ shine. Microsoft still uses 32 bit applications for god sake , including its own Office. Windows 11 however is a total loss with its tiny UI on this tiny screen. I just returned the HP Tablet that was overheating with Intel in it but also because of the inherent un-usability of the small interface.
Microsoft Surface Pro 9 with ARM processor is starting to look like viable alternative to its Intel sibling. I have M1 12.9-inch iPad Pro with 2 TB storage, 5G and magic keyboard. It has exceptional performance but is crippled by iPad OS 16 to be an oversized iPhone only able to run smartphone grade apps! I just got a Microsoft Dev Kit 2023. It has the same processor as the Surface Pro 9 except no 5G or touch based interface, but it does have 32 GB RAM and 512 GB storage for a third of price. I got it to experience what it would be like to run a Windows 11 ARM computer. So far, I have been impressed. The number of Windows apps with native ARM binaries is growing, and those apps, like Edge, Microsoft Office 365, Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio 2022, and Windows subsystem for Linux, all feel snappy, with the performance remarkably like what you would experience on a system with an 8th gen Intel Core i7 processor, but significantly more power efficient. And even the Intel x86 emulation was better than I was expecting. The real plus point for the Surface Pro 9 5G over the M1 iPad Pro is it runs a desktop class operating system which makes it a real tablet computer unlike the iPad. I hope Qualcomm and ARM quickly resolve their licensing disagreement regarding Nuvia, so we can see the new ARM laptop processors designed by the ex-Apple Silicon engineers responsible to the M1 series processors in the next gen Microsoft Surface Pro products. This is what I would like to replace my M1 iPad Pro white elephant with!
The iPad Pro is an art tool. For what I use it for it’s the perfect device and as it’s a complimentary tool to my at home work set up, the simple OS is a lot better and also gives more performance to the apps I use that do use the power. The RAM and processor come in handy when drawing big files, animating 4k sequences, and sculpting high poly models. If that’s not you, than the iPad isn’t for you. Desktop art apps translate very poorly to a small 13” screen, so the redesigns for the form factor are much appreciated :)
For most people that complain about the iPad really should just buy the Surface, rather than wait for apple to make a tablet for you. It was never supposed to imitate a regular keyboard mouse computer experience.
I have the surface pro 8, as I’m a tech geek and like to play around with tech and I like the SP8, but if I’m in a hurry the iPad is more efficient for my work on the go.
IPad Os has come along way. With external monitor support and Stage Manager, the experience is very desktop like. You really have to know what kind of work-flow you need before considering any platform. I have a Mac as well, but I tend to use the IPad for almost any of my tasks, even when I’m at home. For desktop Os, anything less than a 17inch screen just feels too cramped for my tastes.
Would be great if you could compare the surface pro 8 LTE vs. the pro 9 w/ 5G, having a hard time deciding between the two. Great video otherwise!
Charismatic, knowledgeable, and honest. Brilliant review which focuses on productivity rather than virtual benchmarks. Do you think the microphone array on the Intel SP9 is as good as the SQ3 version or inferior? Thanks in advance.
The Mics are the same. The NPU makes the difference, but I'm not sure that it's a game changer yet.
@@oztabletpc thanks! I'm assuming it's a marginal difference then. I have an i5 SP8 and SPX, I guess I should sit tight and get the most out of them for a while. Thanks!
Need you to review the Surface Pro 9 with the Intel I7 processor. Trying to decide if I should upgrade my Surface Pro 3 to the Pro 9.
Great review. The Sales teams at MS are clueless. How does this compare to the Lenova Yoga Book 9i please? Especially in terms of ports NPU? Also I think you cannot use Dropbox ?>
I don’t say this often, a great review. Can you do one on the intel version?
I just bought a SP9 5g. Some nice features. However I’ve found the voice to text dictation feature in MS Office very slow. Have you experienced any issues like this with slow performance? It is puzzling because I assume Microsoft 365 is a native ARM version?
Such a better review than the tech TH-camrs. I haven't seen you review the Laptop Studio. Do you think it would give a similar use case as the Pro 9 in terms of the way you use it? I'm a software developer so the slightly bigger screen and better keyboard would help and the inking I do would be minimal but I would want it in a sort of tablet mode some times.
I haven't reviewed the Laptop Studio as I don't love the form factor. Too heavy and not portable enough for me. That said, my video editing team here use them as thier use case is different to mine.
@@oztabletpc I find it hard to figure out what surface would be good for me and they all have similar prices (at least now with the sales going on). I was thinking surface laptop, but you make good points about the Pro 9 and the way I could use it to replace my iPad and current laptop.
@@oztabletpc It's almost 2Kg. What!
I use the SP X and I have never had any issues using any software or printing. I've been using Windows 11 since early beta and have never had a problem with it. This review is very good but the game ender for me is that it doesn't have WIFI as well as Cellular. My Surface Pro X has everything you've mentioned but I have Wifi AND a Mobile phone connection.
Think you may have misunderstood that. No Surface is without WiFi. The Pro 9 5G (ARM) is WiFi and 5G. Intel is WFi only.
The NPU related to video encoding/decoding is the single main reason I’m getting the Pro 9 5G.
Brett - Great video as always. I’m currently using a Surface Pro X SQ2. Is the performance of SQ3 & better battery life, worth the cost of the upgrade to the Pro 9 5G.
I use my ProX mostly with Office, Teams, & Zoom.
For me it would be....potentially. If you ink a lot the 120hz does make a noticeable difference. It was a big driver behind my Pro 8 purchase as I had experienced 120hz inking on iPad Pro 11" (2018 model). Outside of inking I'm not that bothered about 120hz personally, you can't really see it when typing into Word or Visual Studio for example.
It has much better battery lifetime and yes, the performance, sound and camera so much better. It is not as good as the Macbook air in terms of performance, but this time this device is perfect for productivity tasks there are no slowdowns.
@@thewaya1082 you're sure the battery is much better over the Pro X? Thought they were about the same. That is much better than the Intel Surface Pros.
@@bradavon oh yes, it is better for sure. I’m getting between 10-13 hours with 120 refresh rate.
Excellent review with extensive explanations of positives and negative attributes. Unfortunately, the ARM devices aren't ready for prime time, barely works with own native Teams app (if I understood your comments correctly)! Why didn't Microsoft partner with printer manufacturers before releasing ARM devices? I'm guessing another three generations before I'd serious consider upgrading. I'm also disappointed that Microsoft-Intel is losing the arms (no pun intended) to Apple.
I used to use a Pro X daily and it always handled Teams fine, there has been a native ARM version for ages. Never had any issues with my time on ARM when it came to Office or Teams. I think in the video it was only mentioned there was the odd glitch but that could easily have been teams
There s something always bothering me. If this device has an ARM chip that means it should behave like a phone or tablet like iPhone or android. I've never really found any videos showing how it handles background tasks when the screen is shut down. Is it receiving messenges and then turning the screen to show it or just ring a bell or something. Or if I play some music on Spotify shut the screen will it play in the background or just freeze? Or even WSA. After turning the screen will it work in the background or reset and load WSA again like in the Intel version?
I'm strongly considering dedicating to a new digital note system and this seems to be the ticket. But, I have a big question. Most of my meetings have handouts that I'm used to taking notes on. How do I capture the hand outs and then take notes on the Surface Pro using Notes and our something else?
sweet review. i am still with my surface pro 7+.
do not feel Microsoft has made me upgrade yet.
It has been a long while since you posted this video, so not sure if you'll respond. But I'm thinking about purchasing a Pro 9 5G and was wondering if a year later you'd still recommend the 5G. Are there continued compatibility issues with the ARM processor or has there been continued improvement? Also, are you still posting?
Still using it. Very few issues. Love having 5G. We're working on a big project at the moment, but will get back to posting soon!
Hi. Would you say emulation performance is much improved? I have a Pro X SQ1 and that's my only negative. Its not much of a negative to be honest. My apps are either Native ARM or run fine under emulation. My only app that lags is Facebook Messenger for Windows but it's hardly essential.
don't use Facebook
Is it possible to use it as a mobile phone e.g. calls, sms, android apps?
Please review Surface Pro 9 with Intel, i7 processor vs this
Is Excel Pivot work in SurfacePro 9 5G (ARM) ?
Is it worth upgrading from the Surface Pro X?
Surface pro 8 intel LTE or would you recommending Arm (an upgrade?) to 5G, on the road often, in construction pulling up plan on the road and marking up on job site etc, I currently have an pro 7. Thinking might be safer to stay with Intel? Your thoughts?
Really depends on the apps that you use. What do you use for plans?
@@oztabletpc bluebeam 70% of time use adobe as well. We need to open files with revit/Cad maybe once per fortnight. Thank you
It's been a while but I tested Bluebeam on the Pro X and it seemed to do fine. I have not tested Autocad though.
Nice... but does 5G work?
I was very enthusiastic about 4G LTE and 5G connectivity on laptops, hoping I could get around the hassle of "facebook" log-in for cafe wi-fi:s when on the road. This spring, I spent some time in one of the largest cities in Spain. My cell phone plan included 150 Mbps connection speed (4G) for my cell phone, with a plan from another European country. What did I experience?
* typically 2-3 Mbps outdoors in city centers (e.g., Barcelona). Some places 15 kbps, one time 50 Mbps.
* connection speed indoors: from 0 kbps (somewhat away from windows/street) to a couple of Mbps (sitting in the window ...)
Overall, a *very* disappointing experience which made me re-think my need for LTE/5G in laptops. Or was the problem that I didn't subscribe to a local provider?
I had a SIM. card from a 4G provider, so I didn't get to test 5G this time,. But 4G was great. Plenty of speed - I never noticed it being slow at all.
I suspect that your issue is with the provider.
Can you tell me if I can write on surface pro X like a normal notebook.. I mean replace it when I go to school😊
I have Adobe fresco on my Pro 8 and I'm not sure the lightroom you installed was ARM version
You can't choose. The CC app does it for you. So if it's wrong, it's still an issue from Adobe. Pro 8 is Intel, no problem with Lightroom on my Pro 8.
Sorry if this is a dumb question; would the SP9 with SQ3 have any issues running a dual monitor setup?
I support and applaud dumb questions! 😁 The Pro 9 5G can happily do 2x 4k monitors. I do have occasional minor issues with monitors on the Pro 9, but it is certainly not a performance problem.
ARM battery life on my 2020 SPX is disappointing.
After two years of Window updates, battery life has decreased from over 12 hours to 7.5 hours.
My SP8 gets over 12 hours using the same settings (40% brightness, battery saver on, background apps closed).
I'm amazed you can get 12 hours from the Pro 8. As the owner of an i5 Pro 8 the battery life is the worst thing about it; although for my personal workflow it works okay as I tend to be in offices and near power anyway, disconnecting from power just to go to meetings.
@@DanielHarrisCodeshow many hours in your workflow?
Can it support autocad? 🤔
In my opinion still way to expensive to what it is.... BUT surface pro 9 has been made to help consumer to repair their device (check on iFixit) and it's really great ! Compared to previous surface pro it's really a must ! (but hey for the price it's quite normal to be able to change the battery and the screen). Regarding performances, I can't tell. I have the surface pro 8.... and compared to my ipad pro 2018 it's so less responsive and quick even with using Microsoft app like OneNote (love this app by the way, one of my favorite ^^). For me it's still better on my ipad pro than on my surface pro 8. Just waiting microsoft would make it even better regarding performances...
I've got a Pro 8 and a 2018 iPad Pro 11" and I've seen both the Windows and iOS versions of the app slow down .
I use both depending on the situation - My Pro 8 with the larger screen is superb for my daily notes when I'm in a formal setting like an office; but my iPad Pro 11" just feels better if I'm working from home and planning out my day in OneNote on the couch
I heard they moved the headphone jack to the bottom.
Does anyone know if the earlier Surfaces with the ARM architecture are still getting updates? I foresee this becoming a problem.
Yes, my SQ2 Pro X has Windows 11 22H2. No waiting for carriers to release updates on windows. No issues.
Refreshing to see a review that doesn’t say “oh not good for editing 4K video and gaming”. Sure, no one would actually ask that…
It's incredibly frustrating most reviewers base the quality of a product based on how well it works with Chrome. Yes it should be native by now but it's by means the deal breaker these reviewers claim it to be. They all also infer All Apps perform poorly when that's so far from reality. And also downplay the major battery and no fan benefits. I've happily used the Pro X SQ1 for 2 years and I'm not compromising on apps.
I use Autohotkey on my windows computers. Does anyone know if Autohotkey will run on the 5G device?
"and you could forget about things like printing". Microsoft should switch to CUPS like every other operating system, or offer a service like Airprint. These things just work and they save the user a lot of headaches. It also saves Printer manufacturers the headache of having to make a Windows driver.
They do, and it's called Universal Print. If your org is up to date they'll be using it already and there'll be no issues. But many folks in SMEs will not have that infrastructure. Microsoft (usually) support legacy way longer than throw-away competitors.
@@oztabletpc I'm saying they should support CUPS. Everyone except for Microsoft uses it and it's infuriating. Even Google Cloud Print and Apple Air print use it on the backend. It's free and open source and has drivers for devices dating back to the early 80s. I can't understand why printing is still so crappy for the average Joe on Windows.
@@segaboy9894 LOL, I'd never heard of CUPS. But then again, I don't print! Nice of Apple to create an open standard for once.
@@oztabletpc FTR, it didn't come from Apple. Cheers anyway! The Pro 9 5g is a nice bit of kit!
@@segaboy9894 no? The cups.org website copyright statement is all Apple.
How does phone link app work on arm?
Great 👍
Would you say 8gb of ram is enough?
These days, 16 is ideal. Chrome would use 8Gb all by itself.
Is it worth upgrading from PRO X SQ2?
Not sure yet.
Clip Champ is 32-Bit only. It maybe a PWA anyway but still annoying it's not even 64-Bit
Yes, although the exe is really just a wrapper for the web browser, so it'll be mostly running as ARM 64 native via Edge.
I have been using AirPrint on iOS for many years and is so much easier and I wonder if the Surface will get a great feature like that. It makes life so much easier.
As for OneNote, that seems moot as I have that on my iPad and it can do what the SP9 does. That is not SP9 specifics, so not sure why this was highlighted?
As for the SP9X, it is way too expensive and really hard to recommend. It is around £1600 for the base model if you include keyboard and pen. I still think the Intel SP9 is a better deal, but if you can get a cheaper SP8 then that is what I would buy as the SP9 is a very iterate upgrade, if an upgrade at all? I have had the SP8 for a year and is a solid device but I still head over to my iPad when doing tablet stuff as it is just much better.
Please explain what "tablet stuff" is? Also, why would anyone own a iPad that can only run 1.9 million smartphone apps and can't run full verisons of Adobe or MS Office, instead of a Surface Pro that run 35 million computer programs. Finally, OneNote is not designed for iPads and run much better on a SP...
@@msp5138 …OneNote runs on iPad but also full on every other Windows machine, so including it as if it was an SP9 feature seems strange.
Tablet specific apps are what the iPad excels at, and as it is a tablet, made from scratch as a tablet, makes it years ahead of a SP9 as that lacks the quantity and quality of tablet apps. The iPad is not a laptop, so I do not care if it does not run X86 apps. I use a Mac/SP8 for that. Windows tablets started before the iPad existed, but whilst the iPad has since sold over 400 million units, the Surface Pro has barely crossed the starting line. The de facto truth is that the iPad and Tab S line are the best tablets, and the Surface Pro is an also ran.
@@andyH_England In short, you have not mentioned anything of value about tablet mode. The fact is that tablet mode is a unless feature now that tablets can run Windows programs. As for IPads, unit sales have plummeted from 70 plus million to 40 plus million over the last 8 years AND you will never see an iPad being used in a public library, university libdrary, university class room, business meeting, airport, coffee shop, or anywhere else adults work. However, you will see children and grandparents using iPads all the time for watch videos and movies.
Good point about print. Cloud print / Universal print as it is known in the Windows world is a great solution for orgs that have infrastructure up to date. But legacy support is really where Windows stands out. And it's good to see that plain old non-cloud printers are working well on WoA now.
Perhaps I didn't make the OneNote inclusion clear enough. The inking experience in the Beta channel is now where it needs to be to take advantage of the Slim Pen 2 and 120Hz. But the combination of Surface dual mics, transcription and Slim Pen 2 has the potential to completely eliminate raised screens in in-person meetings. So I wanted to know if the SP9 5G would do the job. And it did it well.
For orgs working in the MS ecosystem it is an incredibly compelling proposition.
This video seemed more about vocab and good command over English, than the product itself. Albeit, I learnt some English and thank you for that !
- Firstly. youtube reviewers (I'm not) post reviews from the viewpoint of various users (work, study) on the laptop. And many do an amazing work.
- Just because one printer drivers are available, may not mean there is compatibility with other printers or projectors - Just as admitted in the end but it is not about just "mileage" anymore, a lot more.
- Microphone is NOT one of the top on list because usually, it is managers who are on speakers in office. Normal people use a certain device called headphone to accommodate and not disturb others. Hence it can never be on top of the list.
- Disadvantages are not listed in the video tbh about the laptop, but only covers incompatibility over other apps (may be I missed something ?)
I was looking for a more technical review.
Just dont understand the crazy price for this model.
My iPad Pro doesn’t feel pro anymore
Windows on arm. i buy one surface pro 9 5g.. fanless
Wrong information at 0:58 and 7:38 Min.: The Pro 9 SQ3 ARM has NO Thunderbolt. And publisher mentions, he is not a professional TH-camr. Sure? Despite 43,000 followers? And although the video seems to be a very professional elaborate sales video? Payed by Microsoft?
You are correct, I made a mistake on the Thunderbolt ports. They are only on Intel as it turns out. As for the rest of your comment, "wrong information." This video is not sponsored by Microsoft. And TH-cam is not my work focus as explained in the video.
Honestly, it's justa costlier rebranded 8