Microsoft Surface Pro 9 to launch with ARM and Intel versions as a successor to Surface Pro 8 and Surface Pro X

Zac Bowden, Senior Editor at Windows Central, has offered a few insights into the Surface Pro 9 and the Surface Pro X. Writing on Twitter, Bowden claims to heard from his sources that the Surface Pro 9 will replace both the Surface Pro 8 and the Surface Pro X. Allegedly, Bowden's sources for having telling him this 'for a while now', implying that this is not a new rumour that has emerged just before a product release.

Hence, the Surface Pro 9 should be available in two variants, one governed by Intel processors and another powered by an ARM-based in-house SoC. Unfortunately, Bowden has not shared any details about what processors Microsoft plans to offer for either Surface Pro 9 variant. An educated guess would suggest Alder Lake-U series processors for the Intel variant, considering the prospect of including a 28 W P-series part in such a small chassis. If the XPS 13 2-in-1 is anything to go by, the Surface Pro 9 will arrive with Core i5-1230U and Core i7-1250U options, which both feature 10 cores and 12 threads.

Details about an ARM-powered Surface Pro 9 are even harder to ascertain. Effectively, the Microsoft SQ1 and Microsoft SQ2 are identical, so we imagine that Microsoft will make big improvements upon these chipsets. Potentially, the company could utilise a version of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen3, which it has already presented in Project Volterra, a mini-PC that debuted in May. Incidentally, Bowden points out that the Surface Pro 9 would be a 10th generation Surface Pro, excluding the two generations of Surface Pro X and the Surface RT. Seemingly, Microsoft will announce the Surface Pro 9 in October during a broader Surface hardware event.

Purchase the Surface Slim Pen 2 on Amazon