Microsoft Surface Pro 9 Review (Intel)

[@rokko_fable]

Lisa you are my favorite tech reviewer. Have been for many years. None of that weirdness of young people trying to be cool or using obnoxious music etc. and I don’t trust most of the main sites.

[@rokko_fable]

I tried the Surface pro X. Awesome hardware but windows on arm is still pretty bad. Almost any other OS performs better. And if you want windows specific applications, better to stick with Intel or amd for worry free compatibility. This with a thunderbolt dock and egpu and monitor could be awesome. Expensive though.

[@rokko_fable]

@PinmaAmnip some people enjoy watching weird videos. It's just not for me. I like this simple straightforward and pleasant style. Not trying to bring anyone down. I think it's great when young people pursue their passion. Best of luck to them.

[@mobiletechreview]

Thanks, though that makes me feel kinda old ;). I like what folks of all ages do in the tech space on KZbin, but yeah, we are definitely low key on the flashy bits... just not my personality (even when I was younger LOL).

[@boev770]

Well said. I also am a big fan of the t-shirts.

[@noah-j00]

@PinmaAmnip yeah so cringy . as if like OP was never young people lol

[@jt.8144]

Wow by far the most thorough review I've seen on KZbin. This is as Practical and Realistic as it gets.

[@ccroy2001]

I know Lisa and all the Surface fans know this, but the Surface port is also a data port, not just power. Since I'm on my 2nd Surface device I took a deep breathe and hit "buy" on the Surface Dock 2. I will say a docked Surface does make for a nice home office PC.

[@reflectionrecon]

Not to many talk about the dock, to me the dock makes these device lendendary .

[@asdesuk]

I didn't go down the MS dock route but rather a third party usb-c dock with power delivery. Less than half the price, works really well and has more ports. I don't have anything connected to the proprietary port at all on my surface pro 7.

[@ccroy2001]

@@mobiletechreview Lisa, Actually while I love the Dock 2 it's still a bit clunky detecting my monitor at times lol. I have a Surface Go 3 tablet which only has 1 USB C port so the dock is nice in that it leaves the port free.

[@firstNamelastName-ho6lv]

The dock is super nice, the magnetic connection is actually really sweet.

[@tbolende]

Love you consistently include Civilization tests and screen grabs in your videos. Also, Lisa you rock

[@SamTheBattleshipp]

This Surface is so much nicer than the Surface RT, which is what I used back in 2013-14. Really has become a nice tablet/computer now, and the pen integration makes it even better!

[@ednasdiscomachine6049]

I love your reviews, Lisa. I have the last Surface Pro and it's my go to working device. Expensive, but so worth it.

[@nasergh9354]

I want to buy pro 9? I don't know wait for pro 10 or buy pro 9. Is pro 10 battery will be better than 9?

[@akinoz]

@@nasergh9354just buy Pro 11 with X Elite. You won’t be disappointed.

[@knicks2030]

I had wanted a Surface device since it came out but could not never justify the price or use case. I got a new job this year and as a traveling rep always on the road and showing people things, the device is super portable, quick to turn on, and the perfect size to use. In a small laptop bag, I can do work from anywhere and at home I hook it up to my monitor and have 2 screens. I have the Surface Pro 8 (only upgrade was the 256 storage and I got it referbushed from Best Buy which saved almost $200) and it lived up to the hype. The versatility is unmatched. On the road and at home I use a full size Bluetooth keyboard that still fits in my bag and a mouse. I did end up buying a 3rd party "Surface" keyboard, but 90% of the time use the Bluetooth keyboard and mouse so it is like a regular computer. That Bluetooth keyboard can also be paired to my Fold 4 by pushing a button so it makes everything more versatile and cheaper because the keyboard only cost $35. I can use a full mouse too so for about $100 I have more power and saved a lot more than going all Microsoft accessories.

[@mochikinzy4912]

its horrible. They are a scam with the battery claiming "up to 16 hours of battery life" but thats if you have nothing opened and have the lowest settings on as possible. The MOST you will get is 6 hours with only ONE tab open..

[@peymanpourshafei1933]

Your reviews are always direct and honest. I fully trust your views on the new devices.

[@Arcynite]

Got the Pro 8 for my first Surface product and been absolutely loving it the past year. The updated location of the power and volume button is long overdue imo. With the current placement, you have to be mindful of the direction it's in when in a backpack.

[@kristiankivijarvi3870]

I also have Surface Pro 8, using it as a desktop replacement, tablet, laptop, drawing device and occasionally for gaming. It's just so insanely versantile and well built, with slim and light body on top. It's been awesome mostly, but at the same time plagued with problems like heating (just watching KZbin for long enough makes it warm to the touch, not to even speak of photoshop, drawing becomes uncomfortable without external fans), 4K 60hz not working with Microsoft "approved" drivers, random blue screens, etc. But, it's just the form factor I want, I wouldn't trade it to anything else at the moment despite these problems (which I've actually managed to solve mostly, except for the blue screens, but they occur quite rarely so whatever.)

[@abzy4368]

Just buy a case for it. That solves accidentally pressing the buttons

[@panzalvyu]

How is the battery working? How many hours can lasting?

[@Arcynite]

@@panzalvyu Haven't actually counted, but I usually use it about an hour each day and recharge it every 1.5 weeks when it gets low under 20%.

[@svn7298]

Im watching your wideo from a Surface Pro 4! Running a 27 inch HD monitor and a sound system from the head phone connector. Still working like a dream after all theese years of many hours of daily use. Shows the quality of theese machines. 😎

[@wendelynmusic]

Prices have gone up a lot. I really don't think the Surface price is as bad as people say. I've had a few Surface products over the years and except for the Pro X (Big mistake for my usage to go to an Arm chip) I've been super happy with my Surface products. I have the Studio Laptop and it has been perfect for my music making needs. I just love it. When I look around at prices they're all comparable these days. And with Surface you just get what you pay for.

[@mochikinzy4912]

No they are horrible. They are a scam with the battery claiming "up to 16 hours of battery life" but thats if you have nothing opened and have the lowest settings on as possible. The MOST you will get is 6 hours with only ONE tab open..

[@RemofRenaissance]

Nice to hear a mention on the hover feature. Was thinking myself, this is something the surface has been doing for years without much fanfare. Good review, was watching to get a feel for what “graphite” looks like but enjoyed from start to finish.

[@cebrinali]

Lisa is such an honest, straightforward reviewer. Totally trust her… and I love, love, love her t-shirts! Just the right touch. Thanks the review!

[@yayo1986]

As always, a great review, been waiting for a proper review about the surface 9

[@MrDucatiV4]

Thank you Lisa for a an amazing review! I really like this Surface Pro 9 laptop, but the pricing is way too expensive!

[@who432]

Thanks for not discounting headphone jack users like others do.

[@heatherhutchinson3625]

Thanks so much for one of the first video interviews from major channels.

[@sl8472]

Im so glad you are still making these review!!! Been a fan so many years now!!!!

[@josiahmoorhouse8036]

The complete lack of Ryzen U-Series chips in these devices continues to blow my mind. They would absolutely destroy Intel in performance/watt in this form factor, where it really counts. What is the stranglehold that Intel has on Microsoft here?

[@Merlin-wo4dj]

Maybe Thunderbolt? Personally I would love to see Ryzen in this form factor

[@nathanlester9985]

Been watching your channel for years. And this has been another great influenced purchase, haha I absolutely love it!! Got mine with the i5 in Forest Green with the color matching Signature Type Cover and Slim Pen 2 combo 🥰😎

[@a.nonamouse2986]

The gold standard for tech info, and always the one I consult first. Very helpful and thorough as always. Thanks!

[@ruzb4539]

MobileTechReview is quite frankly the best tech review channel out there! Keep up the great work

[@ricarmig]

The SP9 = SP8 with updated internals. And the best thing about the SP9 is that the SP8 gets cheaper. I own a SP8 i5 (959€ with keyboard on a sale) and it's fabulous, shame that those products are absurd expensive! I also find nasty from MS not to make an AMD version with at least "Van Gogh" chips... it would be much better than those from Intel.

[@theglowcloud2215]

SP9 drops the headphone jack. No fucking thanks.

[@lacosta021]

but the sp9 has a faster chip?.. is it that better?

[@kristiankivijarvi3870]

@@theglowcloud2215 Yes, and I don't personally like the placement of the USB ports or the power connector being higher up. My setup kinda requires the ports to be on the right side...

[@Zesty_Soul]

Hey Lisa, Your reviews are the most comprehensive. Thank you so much. In this video though, you barely mentioned Qualcomm SQ3, and the neural processing that enables some video and audio effects. Wanted to know what your opinion would be for someone who uses the laptop for browsing, MS Office, PDFs and video calls. I am an MBA student, and these are my uses. Just that I have 20-40 of these windows parallely opened. I wonder if I should go for the SQ3 just because it has the neural thing (and give up on Thunderbolt 4, and compatibility issues), even though I don't need 5G in my laptop. Also, is neural AI thing available only in SQ3+5G or in SQ3 alone also?

[@YouGotPropofol]

Will get the surface laptop 5, 13”. All around best device. Light without any compromises in software and hardware.

[@constantinnicolae9850]

Big congrats! Shockingly pleasing and info packed. Quite fair too, mentioned competitors and everything. Thumbs up, first time I watched ur vid. 👏

[@PotentChr0nic]

Great review! My only disappointment with the Surface Pro 9 is the lack of new display tech. Really hoping the next version will have a miniLED or OLED/QD-OLED display.

[@johngraves6878]

In addition to all the other stuff, I really wanted to know how functional it is as a mobile device. What about the LTE version for cellular connectivity? Can it navigate with GPS? I think you should put more pauses and expressiveness into your review, with all due respect.

[@primarygavr]

I managed to buy a SP7+ with the keyboard cover included at a decent price ($650), got interested mainly because it (still) has microSD support (I use a 512gb card). Battery life is not bad...but is not great. When I saw that the SP8 (now also SP9) has a bigger display I inmediately thought these were bigger and chunckier but oh my, they are (almost) the same size. Unfortunately, even so, apparently the keyboard case for the SP7 and below is not compatible so thats a bummer.

[@DarcyWhyte]

Thanks for the review... Can it be charged with a USB C so I don't have to carry the monster brick that it comes with?

[@EternalLust]

I can't wait to get mine I'm going with the Intel version. It'll be my first surface device.

[@reianae.smiley8573]

I'll go with the Intel version, too.

[@MrDankec]

U will be disappointed with battery life,only 4 -5 hours

[@Snotnarok]

I used to be big with the Surface line, I had a Pro 2 and Pro 4 and swapped that for the Book for a while. But I'm really not digging how they listened to reviewers and ditched the included pen and jacked that price up so much. I remember so many reviewers asking why it was included and to ditch it to cut costs. That's, NEVER the case. Apple ditched the headphone jack and charger, did the price go down? Of course not. Oh but you can get these dongles for a considerable mark up! I got these things to draw on And it was nice to get the tablet & pen for $1k but now it's an extra $130 for the pen?? On top of removing the headphone jack and the price being as high as it is, this is just out of my consideration anymore. I went with a Lenovo Yoga 730 a few years ago on sale for $550, got their official Lenovo pen which uses wacom tech in it (meaning it's usually expensive as heck) for $30.

[@blayzej]

unquestionably one of the best tech reviewers, no person. will you review the ARM 5G version?

[@MMuraseofSandvich]

I haven't seen any Surfaces in the few schools I've been to, but then, these are schools who probably can't afford Surfaces for every student and instead use much more affordable Chromebooks. My boss used to use a Surface, he kinda liked it, but it apparently fought him too much because he ended up using either an iPad or a larger laptop.

[@TheMinimumPC]

THE ONLY tech review I actually trust. Simple, exactly what you need, discusses exactly the questions I have about the product… thanks ❤️

[@pheezus]

I think you hit the nail on the head, there really is nothing like the Surface products across the Windows ecosystem. Once you use them and get used to them, the other brands kind of just feel mediocre?

[@rana2985]

Which one is better surface pro 9 or iPad for medical school?

[@The10thManRules]

There she is. The real Amy on Big Bang Theory. The MS9 is awesome. I really like the i5, 32gr, 512SSD version.

[@KatAisling]

Just got my Surface Pro 9 today, my first Surface ever, after wanting one for years. While I'm bummed for no headphone port, but otherwise am absolutely in love with it. I picked up the i7 version and it runs flawlessly. Also, knowing it runs Civilization well is seriously good news!

[@Dr.B2KP]

Can you please let me know if you can charge via USB C ?

[@PhazonBlaxor]

Does it heat up easily? SP8 heats up with the most mundane of tasks, like watching KZbin. It took me months to figure out how to limit wattage for the CPU to make it usable as a tablet. Now it's awesome though, wouldn't switch it for anything else.

[@PhazonBlaxor]

@@Dr.B2KP I'd assume you can, at least I charge my SP8 with USB-C all the time.

[@adamheetun3775]

Hi! Does it get really warm?

[@KatAisling]

@@adamheetun3775 While it isn't SUPER hot, it does get decently warm under use. It isn't a danger or anything, but can be noticeable.

[@SameelJabir]

Surface Pro : Is it good for POWER BI Desktop and other washboarding + coding + visual studio ? What's your thoughts ? TIA from Dubai

[@zahidcool08]

Love your reviews. Very thorough. Great work :)

[@Biochem1921]

Hi Lisa. Thank you very much for the review. May I ask you, what program/app did you use in this review for drawing? Thank you again.

[@mobiletechreview]

Photoshop.

[@Biochem1921]

@@mobiletechreview Thank you.

[@myronachtman4304]

Thank goodness for KZbin offering 0.75 playback speed. With this, I was able to follow your review coherently.

[@Dan-xo9ly]

Is there still the problem of heat destroying the internals over time? My surface 5 (with i7) is suffering a slow death due to the heat cooking a ram module. It's not economical to fix because to get at the ram you have to break the screen to get at the internals.

[@JeffreysDharma]

Great review, Lisa! I really want to upgrade from my Surface Go 2... but, I'm not sure if I'm convinced yet. Also, what was that note-taking app you tested the pen with?

[@yopiferdiawan7887]

it seem that it was Microsoft Journal for note-taking

[@osubuckeye2004]

Would you mind doing a comparative video between the Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro 360 and the Microsoft Surface Pro 9? Cannot decide which is the better purchase. Thanks.

[@nadhasthirundhitan]

Excellent review , adv congratulations towards 1M subscribers

[@mezahemalmeshaikhi8384]

Nice and complete explanation I wish you much success I have a question? Which program did you use to draw and write in this video?

[@ikuyimii8415]

Good work review as always Lisa! Love it's detailed as always ❤️ Are you planning to review the HP Dragonfly Folio G3? I am curious specially about the pen 😳

[@lionelb8227]

I can’t think of another thing that can do it all like the Surface. It may be pricey, but it is so good ! Don’t regret buying it every time I use it

[@reianae.smiley8573]

Honestly, I agree 100%.

[@mochikinzy4912]

its horrible. They are a scam with the battery claiming "up to 16 hours of battery life" but thats if you have nothing opened and have the lowest settings on as possible. The MOST you will get is 6 hours with only ONE tab open..

[@abbey6149]

Would you recommend getting the 16GB RAM or will the 8GB RAM suffice? This is for medical school purposes. Would appreciate anyone that replies as well, thanks!

[@airrwalker]

Get the 16GB RAM

[@iu1191]

Still the most in-depth, informative, and sassy reviewer on the web. You have been doing it for the longest in my life. I appreciate what you do and how you do it. I always go back to your videos repeatedly because I will think "I'm sure she covered what I was thinking about", and you in variably have The thing is, though, I will end up watching the whole video. Thanks for the effort you put in and your masterful voiceover. I am so used to it now - it has become the standard, and I have returned to it. Surface Pro 9. I got an SP8 and really liked it, but the SP9 came out while I was in my return period, so without thinking, I returned it and, for not much more, got the Pro 9. The updated chip made it worth it, but I lost the headphone jack. I have had a surface since the RT machine, and almost everyone since, and I have never used the headphone jack - However, I felt cheated when the SP9 arrived without it. Also, SP9 has a slightly smaller battery - which I don't understand. It has more fan dependency because the chip is more powerful, but the PC as a whole seems less efficient. As I don't push the machine to the limits of its power, I don't benefit from the power bump but get the downside of worse battery life. I suspect I am in a vast group. The 13-inch screen is to die for, and almost everything else about its use is fab. I would absolutely always have a surface. The pen input, the versatility, and the build quality all together make the price easier to swallow. I have gotten them second-hand many times, so I don't usually feel the initial pinch. With all my complaints, I would not give up pen input for more excellent battery life, but I would love an all-day battery. My colleagues with MacBook Air devices do not need to bring their chargers or power cables, and they have confidence their laptop will last the whole day - or at least the 3 hours they will be at the cafe. I have no such belief. I bring an extra kilo of kit. I need a power cable and a power bank to charge it if I can't find a free power outlet. That is simply No Bueno! for a tablet device! I am NOT on the edge. I am NOT wavering. I still love the surface, but I wonder if I am now just a fanboy who can't get past the upsides. For me, it works, the battery is handled, and I have a good backpack that deals with the weight, BUT I crave the day when I can take the surface and just the surface to work or a meeting across town, knowing all will be fine. Thanks for the video. Excellent - even a year after it was released.

[@subspaceanomaly]

agreed. at least the charge transformer is small and light, unless you're working in the wild there will be sockets around, I'm surprised people carry a battery pack around in an urban setting at least. I have a pro 4 with a cracked screen and falling apart keyboard so looking at getting the 9 used, but from your comment it sounds like getting the 8 might be the more sensible purchase. Is that the case? I'd use it for a bit of everything, web browsing, drawing/design and some 3d modelling.

[@iu1191]

​@@subspaceanomaly Everything you have said makes sense. I tend to carry the charger with me and usually find a place to plug it in. Also ...If you are using the trackpad and the USB-C port to charge it, the trackpad will eventually be impacted and stop working as efficiently while connected to a charger or a battery. It does not affect the Bluetooth mouse if you are using it. BTW - that has been a challenge for machines of this type forever, and I have always had this challenge. Regarding getting the SP8 or SP9: I would normally say, "Get the SP8 'cos you will not see any performance benefit from going to the 9". However, the issue I have now, and I am leaning towards getting an SP9 for my wife instead of an SP8, is the battery life degradation. If you picked up an SP8 now, that is used - that battery has been used for a year or more. That will degrade it, and because the SP battery is not its best feature - starting from a degraded battery is something you might notice. If you were purchasing a new SP8, you would not have a problem and I would probably say "go for it". Beware of refurbished SP8s. They do NOT swap out the battery as it may have only degraded by about 20%, and they couldn't justify junking the battery for that. It does mean that you get a machine with only 80% chargeability on a machine that, even at 100%, is lacking compared to other machines of its type. What do you think? BTW...I am still enjoying my SP9. I love using it. Love taking it with me. I love it as a tablet and a PC and use it a lot. I also have a surface laptop studio, which is my desk machine, but I keep both synced so I can start a project on one and go out to complete it on the other. It works excellently. I use them with an ASUS external screen (especially in coffee shops, etc). It makes for a compact setup, and I can get much done. I would not be without my Surface Pro. It is a fabulous machine, and I am open to finding one that serves me better, but I have not found anything that either does or seems that it could. I have a Kindle tablet that is great when I use it but I hardly use it. I wanted to get a Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra 14.6", but I need help thinking of something I would do with it that I don't already have and do with the SP9. An iPad wouldn't help me, and no other Windows or Android tablets do anything special that I need. I thought about getting a remarkable 2. OneNote and the SP9 do the same job, and I can organise the notes in ways that the remarkable cannot. Seriously - I don't see what else I need or could fit into my life that the surface does not already do ....even with all its faults. I have the i7 16gb and I updated the SSD to 1TB. I think I'll probably update that to a 2 or 4-TB SSD towards the end of this year. I hope that is helpful. (Pls forgive the typos if any are left.)

[@subspaceanomaly]

@@iu1191 very helpful, thankyou for your time writing that. I've been looking on ebay (in the uk) and used surface pro 8 prices are barely 10% lower than almost new pro 9s despite at this point they could be almost 3 years old.. My use case and general finances don't really support a big splurge but it is looking like there isn't much logic to over spending on a used one either. I've also been looking at first gen surface studio laptops.. they seem great. If I wasn't planning on travelling most of the year I would get one of those but was surprised to read that the surface pro 9 is actually more powerful than the old laptop studio. The other thing putting me off is my surface pro 4 has no fan and have read that people with the 8 and 9s have them sounding like aeroplanes just playing a youtube video. Though I put this down to a vocal minority complaining (justifiably) online when reviewers say the fan only turns on under heavy load. But good call on the battery argument, I had thought of it instinctually but not practically. I'll just try and grab a 9 but wait it out a bit for a deal. Hopefully the 10 will be the fanless wonder machine it pretends to be.. Sounds like you have enough gizmos.. enjoy them and stop looking at new gadgets would be my advice, as you say, the surface does it all.

[@bonifaciomagdiwang1697]

Is this Surface Pro 9 can handle. Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator?

[@Kalafinwë]

I bought the surface a few time ago but I paid 1800$ for everything included (Intel i7, 16GB RAM and 512GB storage), it was on sale. Now I have a flicker screen problem when my surface is not plugged, but rather is on battery. I always use Dark mode for everything, and I see faint brightness changes that are really bothersome. Even with automatic brightness and dynamic change turned off. I'll try to get it fixed, so far I do not know how.

[@abcd-hw8io]

What does it mean by “all android apps” in the ad. Is there an app for that?

[@Yomachaser]

I've got plastic allergies and I'm looking for whether or not whole chassis is metal. Like is the kickstand metal too?

[@normbro1787]

Are the i7 for sure fanless? Do you know if it is also true for the i5?

[@XexalSeyer]

I just bought a surface pro 7 thanks to your review, I intend to use it for art. Hopefully the jitter isn't too bad, I don't do slow lines anyway, my art is really sketchy. Exccited to have a mobile tablet with me, I tried lugging my Wacom Cintiq 13HD with me when I went to my moms for the holidays but it was just too cumbersome. So, I wanted a small, lite tablet to take with me around. Here's hoping.

[@marielpacheco]

Hello, how loud is the fan in the pro9 i7? Does it start up frequently?

[@shankhanilsarkar2161]

Really detailed review of surface pro 9. 👍🏻

[@DarkSoul-ds2]

Surface was the reason I started watching your channel with the Pro 2 or RT

[@iMaxPatten]

As I understand it Microsoft made the Surface line to show its vendors a benchmark to compete with and give them some R&D lessons to help catch up to Apple. They've certainly held up their end of the bargain and made the WIndows space more interesting with every new Surface product, as well as iteration on the lovely Pro line. That ARM processor story needs to mature though; Apple is wildly ahead there.

[@GurmeetSingh-fr8uo]

Worth upgrading from surface pro 8?

[@josh3326]

She never fails to dissapoint. Great video as always!

[@reianae.smiley8573]

In spite of what people say, the Surface Pro 9 is not as pricey as it seems. Despite the price, it'll be worth it. I'm saving up to get the Intel Evo Core i5 version with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

[@AndrewHelgeCox]

Could you review the 27" 4K touch-enabled, INNOCN 27P1U PRO, as a drawing pen display please? It has a stand to put it into a drawing position and uses aluminium. Looks nice but does it make wobbly lines?

[@Gonzax]

The prices are getting a bit crazy, to be honest, and the lack of a SD card slot is a big no for me. I need more storage and I am not willing to shell out the insane money they're asking for a 512gb/1TB version. Until they add a card slot I don't see myself buying another surface product. Too bad because I really love my Surface. Great review, as usual, by the way, always very informative.

[@hahaiseewhatyouredoing9086]

I thought its SSD itself is upgradable, tho it uses the rare 2230 M.2 type.

[@Gonzax]

@@hahaiseewhatyouredoing9086 Yeah and I suppose it also voids the warranty. It's more money, anyway though still a better option than buying a 512GB version, provided you can find that type of SSD, that is.

[@commentarytalk1446]

That's the exact problem with the placement of this product: It's BUSINESS-ORIENTATED in price for the given performance in a more sleek and light package. Imho, the 2-in-1 should be about iPad Air size or... Surface Go size: * 10.5 /11" screen size * 450g (device only) ideally and thin * ARM CPU with strong battery life (and price : performance ratio ie consumer competitive) That should bring the price down, improve the p : p ratio and battery life and size for use as tablet AND laptop mode while leaving enough room for the extra cost of type-cover and pen which is very important to note. The sheer total weight of such above 450g + 150g (typecover/pen) = 600-700g range is significiantly lighter than the SP line (this vid) and so much easier to use eg hold in hands comfortably and use on lap ("lappable"). Only major snag is typecover keyboard is very cramped. A light-weight portable bluetooth keyboard (fullsize) accessory should be a good addition too for even better power-user / business-user while still being a media-focused device for travel. Clearly both Apple and Microsoft (iPad Air M1 and Surface Go) don't want to transition 2-in-1s to this just yet !!

[@celaskon17]

@gonzax You will not void the warranty just by swapping the SSD on the SP9. Its very easy to swap it and you will not damage the device in any way. The process is simple - remove the magnetic cover, unscrew the single screw, replace the SSD with a new one and put it back together. Optionally you can add a thermal pad on the new ssd. If something happens with the device and you need to return it, just put back in the original SSD and send it to MSFT. Regarding SD card slot vs swapping out the SSD. I would always rather choose the swappable SSD. You can always buy a cheaper version of Surface and swap the SSD. I was using SD card with my SP7, which extended the space of the device, but its extremely slow and way less reliant than using a SSD. If you are for example a photographer that often needs to transfer data from your camera, I would also not want an SD card slot on my surface pro. It was too fragile and bad placement for everyday use (surface book was fine). Just buy a dongle/hub for this scenario.

[@Gonzax]

@@celaskon17 That is very interesting, SSD is clearly better, I know, but I use that space mostly for comic books and books as I use the tablet a lot for reading and speed is not important to me but what about the O.S? How do you install it? I don't have another licence, is there any way around that? Also I've been looking at prices for SSD's and they're neither easy to find, that particular type, nor cheap, though the possibility of doing that swap in the future is something I hadnt thought of and it's a very interesting feature, thanks for the info. I still think there was no reason to remove the SD card slot but if I ever find a SSD at a good price then I'd probably buy the Surface 9.

[@chriswilcox8977]

On mains power and the performance options set to full, the 1255u kicks, it ends up around 30% higher on Geekbench than those scores you have 😎

[@andyH_England]

Indeed, but this should be tested as a laptop, not as a desktop chained to a power supply. I never use my SP8 on power, and want to know what I get in optimised settings on battery, as of course battery life is important when out and about. Window's OEMs cheat by reducing performance to fake battery life, yet get a pass by their true fandom.

[@mobiletechreview]

For PCs, we test it as the manufacturer ships it (their default power plan), since most users never change it from factory settings. We always benchmark with a PC plugged into AC given the significant performance drop when unplugged.

[@msp5138]

@@andyH_England You don't own a SP8...

[@msp5138]

@@mobiletechreview How do you know most users never change it from factory setting? Intel and Android users aren't Apple users...

[@Leroset]

@@msp5138 Because the vast majority of purchases are businesses, schools, and lay people. Believe it or not, us tech-savvy people are still the minority of the population.

[@JohnSmith-gb8hd]

How is the performance and battery life of the Intel version on battery saver mode compared the ARM version on recommended mode?

[@KROMO50]

Just got the i7 16 ram is 256Gb for 999$

[@nasergh9354]

I7 doesn't have fan? Is 256 enough? Your windows how much storage and ram use default?

[@ismaelrivera1999]

Lisa great review as always. Does Microsoft put a unit that is fanless just as the Surface 6?

[@mobiletechreview]

For Surface Pro 9, all except the Core i7 are fanless.

[@busterspark4410]

Hey lisa what games are you playing these days?

[@shizhengyang8232]

How much is the total amount you paid for all that?

[@HM-qf8ml]

Can u use the keyboard flat or does it have to be up magnetized to the bezel at that angle to function? Also when the keyboard IS flat does it charge the pen?

[@PhazonBlaxor]

Yes and yes.

[@dardaraveiga6512]

Lisa I always look at your reviews if I am in the market for sum new. Keep up the unbiased honest tech reviews…and you are and always will be hip and young at heart 😇💪🏻🙏🏻✌🏻

[@jovanjovanovic3623]

Thanks a lot on review, Lisa! I am looking for a new latop, I am thinking for more info and several month review of ARM procesor Surface 9.. One question, Lisa, where do you find your nice T-shirts... I really want to buy one bunch of it :)

[@tienjeww]

Love the reviews, always very in depth with the technical specs! Also love the t-shirts! Where do you get them from! 😂

[@JoeyHoogendoorn]

After 3 years, my Surface Pro 6 battery is dead. Not sure if I was just unlucky. It worked great the first year, but the battery life decreased pretty rapidly after.

[@ThePianist51]

I guess it is the heat the device is producing when plugged in… Dame happened to my Dell Latitude 5285…. 😅

[@msp5138]

So why didn't you reach out to MS? Could it be because you are making stuff up?

[@kristiankivijarvi3870]

How many cycles you had? Did you use it plugged in a lot? Both can kill any lithium-ion battery in the long run - which is why I've set my Surface to kiosk mode to limit charge to 50% whenever I'm at my desk/home (which is 95% of the time for my use, so yeah). I did something similar with my late 2016 MB Pro 13" and it still has 85% of the original capacity left, even after +5 years of use. I've been using SP8 since last summer, so around 4 months now I think. I'm only at 59 cycles and still at 100% battery health even with heavy daily use, so it really helps a ton if you take care of your battery.

[@JoeyHoogendoorn]

@@kristiankivijarvi3870 Thanks. Yeah quite a few cycles, although the battery life definitely reduced by more than 50% after year 1 which is where I didn't leave it plugged in much and prob had 1 cycle a day. I would expect the battery life to drop maybe 15-20% in that first year but it was definitely a lot more. Leaving it plugged in a lot is definitely also the culprit since year 2, although at one point I had to do this more often. You've definitely done the right thing setting yours up that way. My new laptop (M1 MacBook Pro) has significantly better battery life and currently just going through 1 cycle every couple of days, while only charging to 80-90% each time. I'll see how it holds up though. My previous laptop which was a massive Elitebook workstation also did much better, despite the significantly higher number of cycles (poor battery life at the start) and being plugged in very often.

[@JoeyHoogendoorn]

@@msp5138 Why would I make this up? It was definitely fine in my warranty period (1 year) and because I mostly use the device at home, I was ok just plugging it in a bit more often once battery life got lower. Outside the warranty period I doubt Microsoft would do much about it. Doesn't mean I can't be disappointed and share my long term experience (I feel like we aren't getting much of those on KZbin). Feel free to share yours so people can make an informed decision based on a range of long-term experiences. The real performance drop as a result of this is only noticeable since 4-5 months ago, with the battery no longer charging beyond 0%. Running software like Lightroom has become impossible as a result of this, which was ok before that. It's been almost 3 years though, so maybe this is to be expected and hence I got a new laptop. If I was a student now, I'd probably still consider getting another for notetaking and the fact this is 3 generations newer. Other than that I realised I do not need the touchscreen, now that I work full-time and do not use touch or pen input much.

[@sadev101]

some time ago you were thinking of showing videos of you making artwork. are you doing that already? and if so where / what channel. would love to see and learn from your art making. [found you on deviant art, love the work]

[@treeriders]

No headphone jack why? 😭

[@AniketSen-dn5ij]

Hi there L, mad respect from India, here the i5 and the i7 models are separated by a whopping premium of $500, although I am not a very power hungry user, or a content creator, just a researcher....still when I do research, I can have in excess of 20 tabs open and a few excel, word and Pdfs open... I have an Xbox and hence gaming is not a need at all with this device....I still rock a MacBook Pro i5 8th Gen with Touch Bar, which seems to be failing on me anytime soon, it has gotten sluggish especially after the latest Ventura Update, I am done with Macs and I always wanted a surface for the longest time I remember.....although getting an M1 or an M2 makes a lot of sense, I am asking you honestly, If I were to switch to a Surface, would this be a good year to do so...? I am eyeing the i5 12th intel model with the keyboard and pen that costs roughly $1800....Please Advise!

[@helios3722]

Omg this is the best review about the surface .. the first one saying that make no sense comparing a surface device to ipad or a mac book . They are completely different devices that have different uses .

[@kallex7741]

You deserve more subs Lisa!

[@lawrencepatricio5776]

Love your channel. and I love your shirts! 😁😁

[@yhyperlover]

great review! btw where do you buy a math shirt like that?

[@Mong-Yun_Chen_54088]

Could they give up AMD-chip Surface, plz

[@histrionicman]

Thanks, Lisa. Great job, as usual.

[@giovannialfano5979]

The Surface is not that expensive. Let me explain: 1) there are always discounts for teachers/students/parents of students 2) you can sell your previous Surface at a very decent price. 3) the combination of the first 2 points let you buy the new one at a very good price

[@ufade2]

I actually got mine at best buy with a student, parent, teacher discount 10% off. If you call they will yell you no. I should up with it in my cart with the discount added and they did it for me.

[@msp5138]

Don't waste your time. KZbinrs aren't interested in telling the truth...

[@kristiankivijarvi3870]

I bought SP8 (LTE business model) for my business last summer, basically -50% off new with tax benefits counted in. It's not really that bad honestly.

[@hemant-sathe]

My experience with surface pro 5 is very worse on repairability. It’s extremely difficult to get battery replacement after about 3 years of short life. The guys don’t want to take risk of removing the screen. I feel the money spent on this is not worth. It’s been extremely difficult to use this device on dead battery and directly connected to power. For some reason the cpu is now restricted at 16% and it’s nearly useless. Went for a regular laptop now. Never likely to buy a surface pro again.

[@BarryPiper]

Can somebody suggest a work-around for the lack of headphone port? Where I teach I often have to jack-in to the sound system via a stereo/phono plug that is dangling from the equipment in the rooms.

[@mgpdevil]

You are the best Lisa. Keep spoiling us with great content!

[@joevincentfranco]

Awesome review as usual

[@abcdelicious4420]

I'm late to the party, but I plan to get the Surface Pro 9 this week. I am not a heavy duty gamer or editor so I think the i7 CPU should be fine for me. I was playing around with this at Best Buy and the hybrid concept of the tablet/laptop is appealing to me, digging the kickstand and the hardware is stunning to me. I also like how light how it is and how nice it looks when when it's all folded up. I think I can get one in mint condition for about $1000 or $1100 and it comes with the detachable keyboard so I think it's a very competitive price. I just need a good/portable device for work and to watch KZbin/movies off so I think this fits my needs. 💻💻❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@atobpe]

Lisa - are you sure about the Geekbench scores? If single core score is 1154, that is about the same performance as the 9th or 10th generation i7 intel chips. Shouldn't it have a higher single core score?

[@SuperHyphyOne]

Most windows machines need to be connected to power to achieve full performance. Maybe that’s why it is as lower.

[@mobiletechreview]

The single core score on the default power plan while plugged in is quite low in Geekbench. I ran the test 15 times over the course of 2 days with reboots in between, always the same. I've seen similar scores from a few reviewers with Intel models. I assume it's MS' tuning that's the cause. Will it change with updates? Maybe. Multicore is much stronger.

[@stonei0]

tomsguide tested this same i7 SP9 and got 1633/8541 on the Geekbench scores. Were the drivers up to day?

[@andyH_England]

@@stonei0 Was toimsguide on the default power mode as well and not on the charger? I think if you plug it in and use max performance you can get higher than in this video, but during normal usage you will never see that performance on default mode.

[@stonei0]

@@andyH_England In her comment above she states her device was plugged in. On default mode laptops should go max performance while plugged in.

[@AbiyBattleSpell]

Hmm so how’d u think a iPad Pro m1 with clip studio be versus this surface device with clip studio?

[@makasete30]

Same as it’s always been. Surface can do more. Full operating system with touch and pen. iPad. 9(very?)Limited OS but powerful app ecosystem. Better touch. Pen around the same for artists. Better camera, better standby battery. Apple have made minimal changes to the OS and that’s what holds it back. But they still serve different markets. The iPad is the best tablet you can get. The surface pro is the best hybrid you can get.

[@AbiyBattleSpell]

@@makasete30 forgot to mention with pen I’m dumb. That’s the only thing I care bout as a artist.

[@curiousBPM]

Hands down my favourite tech youtuber. :)

[@Aratolotl]

Thanks for the objective and thorough review.

[@soomincho3810]

Can anybody tell me the game that's running on the background? Just interested.. :)

[@clarenceg.7789]

This keyboard is blue or grey one?

[@pitbul2877]

wait are single core and OpenCL scores lower than SP8??