Microsoft Surface Pro 9 ARM review - The high-end ARM convertible disappoints

Basically, the two versions of the Surface Pro 9 look practically identical in terms of their exterior. Since it is cooled passively, the ARM model only lacks the fan vents. It is also only available in dark gray or silver color. The size of the case is identical, so that the same keyboards can be used. The ARM model is only 6 grams (~0.2 oz) heavier. In addition, the charger is weaker at 39 watts but also slightly lighter (210 vs. 260 grams, ~7.4 vs. 9.2 oz). The maintenance flap on the back, which is very easy to open in the Intel model, requires a SIM tool again in the ARM model.

In the new Surface Pro 9 ARM, Microsoft uses the SQ3 SoC, which is another name for a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 that is also used in the Lenovo ThinkPad X13s, for example. The Adreno 690 GPU serves as the graphics card, and the SoC can be supported by either 8 or 16 GB of RAM. For the SSD, you can choose from 128 GB up to 512 GB, but it is also possible to replace the compact M.2-2230 SSD later as well.

There are no specific power modes, and we are also unable to reliably measure neither the clock speed nor the TDP of the processor. According to Qualcomm, the consumption lies at 7 watts. However, under load that should increase to almost 30 watts, judging from the power consumption of the device.

Compared to our earlier test of the Surface Pro X with the SQ1 SoC, Microsoft now supports the emulation of 64-bit applications, allowing us to also run significantly more benchmarks. But as before, it still doesn't support all applications.

The Qualcomm 8cx Gen 3 chip is an ARM processor with four performance (up to 3 GHz) and four efficiency cores (up to 2.4 GHz), which roughly corresponds to the design concepts of the Apple M2 and the current Intel mobile processors. 

The multicore performance of the 8cx Gen 3 is basically not bad at all, corresponding to the approximate level of the old Surface Pro 7 with Core i7-1065G7. However, the problem is the weak single-core performance, which is also easily noticeable in everyday operation. The Surface Pro 9 simply has no chance against the modern Intel CPUs or even Apple's own ARM processors such as the Apple M2 here.

The CPU performance is not reduced in battery operation. You can find additional CPU benchmarks in our technical section.

In addition, we also want to take a brief look at the efficiency of the Qualcomm processor. While the 8cx Gen 3 is able to place just barely ahead of the competitors from Intel and AMD in the single-core efficiency, this doesn't help much, since the single-core performance is very low overall, which has an effect on the subjective performance of the device.

The efficiency is really bad in the multi-core test. We can confirm this, since despite its mediocre performance, the device pulls 40 watts from the outlet under full load, so around 30 watts go to the processor. We cannot really call this efficient at all.

We were limited in terms of the synthetic tests, since even the cross-platform CrossMark crashed repeatedly. Instead, we show the browser benchmarks, but the performance is also very weak overall here as well, reflecting also the subjective performance impression. While the operation is basically smooth, even with simple tasks such as opening the settings, there can be some significant stutters, and the device is quickly overtaxed by complex applications. Those who are familiar with the MacBook Air with the M1/M2 SoC, for example, expecting a similar performance here, will definitely be disappointed.

The compact M.2-2230 SSD comes from SK Hynix and offers a storage capacity of 256 GB, 180 GB of which are still available after running the device for the first time. The transfer rates of the PCIe 3.0 SSd are okay and sufficient in everyday operation, particularly considering the low CPU performance. In addition, the transfer rates remain constant even after longer loads. You can find additional SSD benchmarks here.