It seems that Microsoft is in the works of merging its two different lineups of Surface Pro Products into a singular product line. For now, we’ve been accustomed to the Surface Pro X, which is backed by the Qualcomm SQ1 ARM chip while the regular Surface Pro features an Intel CPU.
By bringing both product lineups together and combining them to form a single series, consumers will be introduced to the future model that’s being called the Surface Pro 9 and it will come in both ARM and Intel variants, for that matter.
Surface Pro 9 to Feature Intel and ARM-Based Variants
Windows Central’s Zac Bowden shared some interesting news about the upcoming ARM variant for the Surface Pro. His statement, sourced from Microsoft insiders, claims that Microsoft is preparing to make the Surface Pro 9 available in two variants.
What’s surprising is that the company has not yet taken into consideration an AMD solution for its user base. With the power efficiency and performance of AMD’s Zen 3 and Zen 4 architecture-based processors, it’s unwise for Microsoft to deprive customers of a more power-efficient CPU option. But it is possible that future AMD chips such as those of the Zen 4 line-up might be reserved for future iterations of the Surface Laptop Series.
For the SOC used for the ARM variant of the Surface Pro 9, predictions point in the direction of the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 assuming that the launch happens prior to Qualcomm’s annual Snapdragon Summit where future chips are scheduled for an announcement and release date.
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We assume that Microsoft will make a name change to the ARM variant, giving it a title the likes of the SQ3 while introducing some minor changes into the mix, the likes of tuned CPU and GPU clock speeds. Currently, there’s only one laptop out there that’s powered by the 8cs Gen 3 which is the Lenovo ThinkPad X13s. When it comes to conversations about raw performance, Qualcomm’s latest chipset for Windows notebooks falls short of Apple’s M1 chipset, let alone the M2.
Been hearing from my sources for a while now that MS is planning to merge the Surface Pro X under the main Surface Pro line this fall, meaning the Surface Pro "9" will be available in both Intel and ARM flavors for the first time. Big milestone for WoA!
— Zac Bowden (@zacbowden) August 28, 2022
Ignoring the cross-platform competition, the raw performance for the ARM-powered Windows laptop seems to be pretty decent for the most part. Though given the generational leaps made by Apple throughout the years, and now with the M1 and M2 chips, we hope to see Qualcomm get their head in the game and become a bit more serious in this category. It would probably be good to see Qualcomm give Apple a run for their money in the future.
For the ARM variant of the Surface Pro 9, we’d have to see incredible feats of optimization and features for it to become a considerable investment for people in the notebook space looking for an ARM-based laptop. We might get to see features like 5G connectivity for the newer model. But other information on the Surface Pro 9 is currently bleak in terms of clock speeds, upgrade options, and design changes.
As for the launch date, there’s speculation that Microsoft could host an event sometime in October so, make sure to keep your eyes peeled and your reminders set as we’re on the lookout for any upcoming Surface Pro 9 news.
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The post The New Surface Pro 9 to Feature Intel and ARM variants, Possibly Utilizing Qualcomm’s Top of the Line 8cx Gen 3 SOC appeared first on Appuals.com.
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