The Laptop Company Product News and Updates

Thoughts on the new Surface Laptop 5 and Pro 9

17/10/2022

Microsoft has just announced the new Surface Laptop 5 and Surface Pro 9 tablet for Business. These feature major performance improvements for users, as well as continuity for existing fleet owners.
We have a summary of features, differences and improvements for procurement teams and fleet managers below. General availability is scheduled for October 25th.

Surface Laptop 5

The updated Surface Laptop 5 continues the class-leading industrial design of the Surface Laptop range with more performance, and better usability where it counts.

Key specifications

Display
13.5 or 15" PixelSense™ display
Dolby Vision IQ™® support
Individually colour calibrated
400 nits high brightness
Touch screen
Surface Pen compatible

Sight and sound
720p web cam
Windows Hello facial recognition
Omnisonic speakers, Dolby Atmos®

Ergonomics
Backlit keyboard, Glass touchpad
Alcantara® keyboard option for 13.5" model (colour-dependent)

Performance
Intel® Core™ i5-1245U or i7-1265U
2x P-cores + 8x E-cores
Intel® iRIS® Xe 80EU or 96EU
8, 16 or 32GB memory
Up to 1TB removable SSD storage

Connectivity
USB-C® 4 + Thunderbolt™ 4 port
USB-A 3.1 port
Surface Connect port
3.5mm audio jack
Wi-Fi® 6, Bluetooth® 5.1

Design
Aluminium chassis
Clamshell laptop

Full Specifications >

Surface Pro 9

Following a major update for the Surface Pro 8, the new Pro 9 adds more power with Intel Hybrid Performance Architecture. Surface Signature Pro Keyboard and Surface Slim Pen 2 with wireless charging (pictured) are available separately.

Key features (Intel model)

Display
13" PixelSense™ Flow display
Up to 120Hz Dynamic Refresh Rate
Touch screen
Dolby Vision IQ™ support
Surface Slim Pen 2 compatible

Sight and sound
5MP front + 10MP 4K rear camera
Windows Hello facial recognition
Stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos®

Optional detachable keyboard
Surface Pro Signature Keyboard
Backlit keys, Glass touchpad
Stow+charge for Surface Slim Pen 2

Performance
Intel® Core™ i5 1245U or i7 1265U
2x P-cores + 8x E-cores
Intel® iRIS® Xe 80EU or 96EU
8, 16 or 32GB memory
Up to 1TB removable SSD storage

Connectivity
2x USB-C® 4 + Thunderbolt™ 4
Surface Connect port
Wi-Fi® 6, Bluetooth® 5.1

Design
Aluminium chassis
Adjustable kickstand tablet
Gorilla® Glass 5

Full specifications >

New features for both

Intel Performance Hybrid Architecture

In place of four identical processor cores, the new Surface Laptop 5 and Pro 9 feature two high performance P-cores for fast single-core performance and application responsiveness. These are paired with 8x efficient E-cores for high performance multi-core processing and low-power consumption for background tasks. When used with Windows 11, Intel Thread Director intelligently allocates processes to specific cores for optimal performance.

Benchmark comparison

+29%
Single Core

+42%
Multi Core

In Passmark, the Intel Core i5 in the new Surface Laptop 5 and Pro 9 provides an average 29% improvement over previous models. This increases to 42% for multi-core performance in Windows 11 using Intel Thread Director.

Graphics

Intel® iRIS® Xe is carried over from the Surface Laptop 4, Surface Pro 7+ and Pro 8.

Buyer advice for performance users:
Intel iRIS Xe on the Intel® Core™ i7 features 96 Execution Units against 80 for the i5 at a higher clock speed. This results in around 25% higher benchmark scores for i7 models in 3DMark 3DM11. We recommend the i7 model for power users, including content creators and data visualisers.

New features for Surface Laptop 5

USB-C® 4 + Thunderbolt™ 4

Offers double the USB-C bandwidth of previous models. Supports DisplayPort Alt Mode for connecting up to 5K resolution external DisplayPort monitors without image compression. Thunderbolt 4 adds support for external graphics controllers (including NVIDIA and AMD workstation eGPUs), high speed storage arrays, and high performance docking stations and monitors that support for up to 4K external monitors and daisy-chaining. The Surface Laptop 5 maintains a USB Type-A port for legacy peripherals, including wireless keyboards.

Discontinued features for Pro 9

4G LTE mobile data with Intel

The option of 4G-LTE mobile data is being discontinued in the Intel version of the Surface Pro 9. Mobile data will be available on the Surface Pro 9 with 5G powered by Microsoft SQ3. This is an ARM-based Windows 64 bit model. The Surface Pro 9 with 5G replaces the Surface Pro X, and removes the Intel processor, Intel iRIS graphics and Thunderbolt 4 features found on the non-5G models. Microsoft has extended availability of Surface Pro 8-LTE and Surface Pro 7+ 4G (while stocks last) for buyers who need mobile data and Intel-based processors. If you wish to evaluate the ARM-based models, please speak to us.

3.5mm audio port

Microsoft has removed the 3.5mm audio jack from the Surface Pro 9.
Affected users will need to either replace their headset with a Bluetooth equivalent, use a USB-C to audio adapter, or connect their 3.5mm headset to a docking station for use at their desk.

USB-C ports now on left

While retaining the overall look and feel of the Surface Pro 8 and Pro X, the Surface Pro 9 has moved the position of the USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports from the right hand edge to the left. While this will provide ergonomic benefits to right-handed users, left-handers may be less impressed. This also means that the Surface Pro 9 requires different protective cases and covers from previous generation devices. Despite this, compatibility with the Surface Pro Signature and Surface Pro X Keyboards is maintained, as is the Surface Pen.

Procurement advice

Windows 11 optimised features

Dynamic Refresh Rate (PixelSense Flow)
Intel Thread Director (Hybrid performance core management)
Haptic feedback with optional Surface Slim Pen 2

The new Surface models are optimised for Windows 11 with the features above only available on the new operating system. Thankfully, our testing has proven the transition from Windows 10 to 11 to be achievable for most users, this is something we are progressively migrating internally for our own staff.
If you would like to know how we are helping teams across the country migrate to Windows 11, with UXx optimal end-user experiences and Modern Fleet Management from The Laptop Company, please get in touch. We are also able to roll back Windows 11 devices to Windows 10 for teams that need this before migrating.

Mobile Data

Microsoft has removed the option of 4G LTE mobile data from the new Intel-powered Surface Pro 9, this feature is now available with Microsoft SQ 3 ARM models only. For teams that require Surface Pro devices with Intel processors, Microsoft is extending availability for the Surface Pro 7+ model, and the Surface Pro 8 with mobile data will be available while stocks last. Mobile data is not available on Surface Laptop, Laptop Go or Laptop Studio models.

Surface Laptop 4 and Pro 8 Deals

You may wish to take advantage of current deal pricing for Surface Laptop 4 and Surface Pro 8 devices while stocks last, these offer a similar look and feel and competitive performance for standard users.