Microsoft Surface Pro 9 review – tablets are now equal to laptops

Apple was right. But Microsoft did it. Interesting, isn’t it? A while back, Apple released a controversion ad, where a kid asked the question – “What is a computer?”. This referred to the iPad, which was allegedly able to do anything a desktop could. However, computers and laptops are still ruling the world, while the iPad is nothing more but an unfinished accessory.

Well, the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 is now here to take the helm. With its 12th Gen 15W Intel CPUs, it has enough power to do everything a “regular” laptop can. You get a full Windows experience with essentially no clampdowns on anything.

Yes, there are some limitations. Some are more obvious – like the lack of a physical keyboard. Others, are hidden from the eye but could impose a performance hit – the tiny space for cooling.

The first one can be fixed – Microsoft sells (and sometimes bundles) a keyboard “folio” with the Surface Pro 9, as well as a dedicated Pen.

In addition to that, there is the display, which is crammed with interesting tech. It has a diagonal of 13 inches, can go up to 120Hz, and has a Gorilla Glass 5 cover. Anyways, let’s not give all the information at once in the intro. Let’s see what you get with the standard packaging of this device, and check out its performance.

You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/microsoft-surface-pro-9-intel-wifi/

Contents


Specs Sheet

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 (Intel/Wifi) - Specs

  • LP129WT2-SPA6
  • Color accuracy  2.1  1.1
  • HDD/SSD
  • up to 1000GB SSD
  • RAM
  • up to 32GB
  • OS
  • Windows 11 Home, Windows 11 Pro, Windows 10 Pro, Windows 10 Home
  • Battery
  • 47.7Wh, 47.4Wh
  • Body material
  • Aluminum
  • Dimensions
  • 287 x 209 x 9.3 mm (11.30" x 8.23" x 0.37")
  • Weight
  • 0.87 kg (1.9 lbs)
  • Ports and connectivity
  • 2x USB Type-C
  • 4.0, Thunderbolt 4
  • Card reader
  • Ethernet LAN
  • Wi-Fi
  • 802.11ax
  • Bluetooth
  • 5.1
  • Audio jack
  • Features
  • Fingerprint reader
  • Web camera
  • Front Facing FHD + 10.0 MP Rear Facing
  • Microphone
  • Dual Far-Field Studio Microphones
  • Speakers
  • 2x 2W Stereo Speakers with Dolby Atmos
  • Optical drive
  • Security Lock slot

All Microsoft Surface Pro 9 (Intel/Wifi) configurations

#CommissionsEarned

What’s in the box?

Inside the package of our configuration, we find only the paperwork, a 65W charger with Microsoft’s proprietary connector.


Design and construction

Unsurprisingly, this device features a very good build quality. It is very resistant to flex. To help with that, Microsoft has made the casing from aluminum, while the display cover is made out of Gorilla Glass 5.

This machine is super thin – 9.3mm. Yes, it is a tablet, and its weight is pretty representative of that – 879 grams.

Ultimately, the main event about it is the kickstand. It can be used at almost every angle, and it ensures stability. Above it, you will find the Microsoft logo, accompanied by a 10MP camera, which can shoot 1080p and 4K videos.

On the front, there is a 1080p Web camera. In addition to that, you get an IR face recognition scanner, which enables Windows Hello functionality.

Ports

In terms of ports, you get two Thunderbolt 4 connectors on the left, while the right is populated only by the Surface Connect charging plug. Plus, on the bottom side, you get a proprietary keyboard attachment connector.



Upgrade options

Surprisingly, Microsoft has made changing the SSD on this device really easy. You just need to pop a door on the back of the device – right behind the kickstand. Then, undo the single Torx screw to remove the 30mm M.2 PCIe x4 SSD.

Keep in mind that it is wrapped in a protective encasing, which makes it a bit harder to take out the SSD. Nevertheless, it would be a good idea to reinstall it when you insert the new SSD.


Display quality

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 has a 120Hz IPS panel, model number LP129WT2-SPA6. Its diagonal is 12.9 inches (32.8 cm), and the resolution is 2880 x 1920 pixels. The screen ratio is 3:2, and we are looking at a pixel density of – 268 ppi, and a pitch of 0.09 х 0.09 mm. The screen turns into Retina when viewed at distance equal to or greater than 33cm (13″) (from this distance one’s eye stops differentiating the separate pixels, and it is normal for looking at a laptop).

The viewing angles are excellent. We offer images at 45° to evaluate image quality.

Also, a video with locked focus and exposure.

We measured a maximum brightness of 454 nits in the middle of the screen and 452 nits as an average for the whole area, with a maximum deviation of 3% (the following measurements are made with the sRGB Color profile and HDR turned off). The Correlated Color Temperature on a white screen is 6480K – almost matching the optimal for the sRGB standard of 6500K.
In the illustration below you can see how the main display performs from a uniformity perspective. In other words, the leakage of light from the light source.

Values of dE2000 over 4.0 should not occur, and this parameter is one of the first you should check if you intend to use the laptop for color-sensitive work. The contrast ratio is good – 1320:1.

To make sure we are on the same page, we would like to give you a little introduction to the sRGB color gamut and the Adobe RGB. To start, there’s the CIE 1976 Uniform Chromaticity Diagram that represents the visible specter of colors by the human eye, giving you a better perception of the color gamut coverage and the color accuracy.

Inside the black triangle, you will see the standard color gamut (sRGB) that is being used by millions of people on HDTV and on the web. As for the Adobe RGB, this is used in professional cameras, monitors, etc for printing. Basically, colors inside the black triangle are used by everyone and this is the essential part of the color quality and color accuracy of a mainstream notebook.

Still, we’ve included other color spaces like the famous DCI-P3 standard used by movie studios, as well as the digital UHD Rec.2020 standard. Rec.2020, however, is still a thing of the future and it’s difficult for today’s displays to cover that well. We’ve also included the so-called Michael Pointer gamut, or Pointer’s gamut, which represents the colors that naturally occur around us every day.

The yellow dotted line shows Microsoft Surface Pro 9’s color gamut coverage.

Its display covers 99% of the sRGB/ITU-R BT.709 (web/HDTV standard) in CIE1976.

And the “Vivid” preset shows even higher color coverage.

Our “Design and Gaming” profile delivers optimal color temperature (6500K) at 140 cd/m2 luminance and sRGB gamma mode.

We tested the accuracy of the display with 24 commonly used colors like light and dark human skin, blue sky, green grass, orange, etc. You can check out the results at factory condition and also, with the “Design and Gaming” profile.

Below you can compare the scores of Microsoft Surface Pro 9 with the default settings – left, and with the “Gaming and Web design” profile – right.

The next figure shows how well the display is able to reproduce really dark parts of an image, which is essential when watching movies or playing games in low ambient light.

The left side of the image represents the display with stock settings, while the right one is with the “Gaming and Web Design” profile activated. On the horizontal axis, you will find the grayscale, and on the vertical axis – the luminance of the display. On the two graphs below you can easily check for yourself how your display handles the darkest nuances but keep in mind that this also depends on the settings of your current display, the calibration, the viewing angle, and the surrounding light conditions.

Response time (Gaming capabilities)

We test the reaction time of the pixels with the usual “black-to-white” and “white-to-black” method from 10% to 90% and vice versa.

We recorded Fall Time + Rise Time = 26 ms.

After that, we test the reaction time of the pixels with the usual “Gray-to-Gray” method from 50% White to 80% White and vice versa between 10% and 90% of the amplitude.


PWM (Screen flickering)

Pulse-width modulation (PWM) is an easy way to control monitor brightness. When you lower the brightness, the light intensity of the backlight is not lowered, but instead turned off and on by the electronics with a frequency indistinguishable to the human eye. In these light impulses, the light/no-light time ratio varies, while brightness remains unchanged, which is harmful to your eyes. You can read more about that in our dedicated article on PWM.

Microsoft Surface Pro 9’s display doesn’t use PWM above 120 nits. Below this value, the flickers have a small amplitude and high frequency (30 kHz), which makes the screen comfortable for long periods of use in this aspect.

Blue light emissions

Installing our Health-Guard profile not only eliminates PWM but also reduces the harmful Blue Light emissions while keeping the colors of the screen perceptually accurate. If you’re not familiar with the Blue light, the TL;DR version is – emissions that negatively affect your eyes, skin, and your whole body. You can find more information about that in our dedicated article on Blue Light.

Gloss level measurement

Glossy-coated displays are sometimes inconvenient in high ambient light conditions. We show the level of reflection on the screen for the respective laptop when the display is turned off and the measurement angle is 60° (in this case, the result is 107 GU).


Buy our profiles

Since our profiles are tailored for each individual display model, this article and its respective profile package are meant for Microsoft Surface Pro 9 configurations with 12.9″ LP129WT2-SPA6.

*Should you have problems with downloading the purchased file, try using a different browser to open the link you’ll receive via e-mail. If the download target is a .php file instead of an archive, change the file extension to .zip or contact us at [email protected].

Read more about the profiles HERE.

In addition to receiving efficient and health-friendly profiles, by buying LaptopMedia's products you also support the development of our labs, where we test devices in order to produce the most objective reviews possible.

Office Work

Office Work should be used mostly by users who spend most of the time looking at pieces of text, tables or just surfing. This profile aims to deliver better distinctness and clarity by keeping a flat gamma curve (2.20), native color temperature and perceptually accurate colors.

Design and Gaming

This profile is aimed at designers who work with colors professionally, and for games and movies as well. Design and Gaming takes display panels to their limits, making them as accurate as possible in the sRGB IEC61966-2-1 standard for Web and HDTV, at white point D65.

Health-Guard

Health-Guard eliminates the harmful Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) and reduces the negative Blue Light which affects our eyes and body. Since it’s custom tailored for every panel, it manages to keep the colors perceptually accurate. Health-Guard simulates paper so the pressure on the eyes is greatly reduced.

Get all 3 profiles with 33% discount


Sound

Microsoft Surface Pro 9’s stereo speakers produce a sound of very good quality. Its low, mid, and high tones are clear of deviations.

Drivers

You can find more information and support for the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/surface-pro

Battery

Now, we conduct the battery tests with the Windows Better performance setting turned on, screen brightness adjusted to 120 nits, and all other programs turned off except for the one we are testing the notebook with. Here, the 47.7Wh battery pack lasts for 10 hours of Web browsing, or 7 hours and 30 minutes of video playback.


CPU options

The Microsoft Surface Pro 9’s Intel version can be found with the Core i5-1235U or the Core i7-1255U.

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 (Intel/Wifi) CPU variants

Here you can see an approximate comparison between the CPUs that can be found in the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 (Intel/Wifi) models on the market. This way you can decide for yourself which Microsoft Surface Pro 9 (Intel/Wifi) model is the best bang for your buck.

Note: The chart shows the cheapest different CPU configurations so you should check what the other specifications of these laptops are by clicking on the laptop’s name / CPU.


GPU options

In terms of graphics, you get what’s integrated inside your processor.

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 (Intel/Wifi) GPU variants

Here you can see an approximate comparison between the GPUs that can be found in the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 (Intel/Wifi) models on the market. This way you can decide for yourself which Microsoft Surface Pro 9 (Intel/Wifi) model is the best bang for your buck.

Note: The chart shows the cheapest different GPU configurations so you should check what the other specifications of these laptops are by clicking on the laptop’s name / GPU.


Gaming tests

cs-go-benchmarks

CS:GOHD 1080p, Low (Check settings)HD 1080p, Medium (Check settings)HD 1080p, MAX (Check settings)
Average FPS139 fps88 fps58 fps

DOTA 2HD 1080p, Low (Check settings)HD 1080p, Normal (Check settings)HD 1080p, High (Check settings)
Average FPS130 fps80 fps57 fps

Temperatures and comfort

Max CPU load

In this test we use 100% on the CPU cores, monitoring their frequencies and chip temperature. The first column shows a computer’s reaction to a short load (2-10 seconds), the second column simulates a serious task (between 15 and 30 seconds), and the third column is a good indicator of how good the laptop is for long loads such as video rendering.

Average P-core frequency; Average E-core frequency; CPU temp.; Package Power

Intel Core i5-1235U (15W TDP)0:02 – 0:10 sec0:15 – 0:30 sec10:00 – 15:00 min
Microsoft Surface Pro 93.32 GHz @ 2.78 GHz @ 75°C @ 46W3.06 GHz @ 2.54 GHz @ 82°C @ 42W1.91 GHz @ 1.79 GHz @ 64°C @ 19W
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 (13.5″)3.35 GHz @ 2.84 GHz @ 69°C @ 44W3.27 GHz @ 2.78 GHz @ 80°C @ 42W2.24 GHz @ 2.17 GHz @ 71°C @ 22W
ASUS Vivobook 15 (X1502)2.91 GHz @ 2.49 GHz @ 78°C @ 39W2.62 GHz @ 2.37 GHz @ 81°C @ 33W2.30 GHz @ 2.19 GHz @ 68°C @ 27W
Acer TravelMate P2 (TMP215-54)3.67 GHz @ 3.09 GHz @ 90°C @ 55W2.83 GHz @ 2.55 GHz @ 85°C @ 33W2.59 GHz @ 2.44 GHz @ 84°C @ 28W
HP EliteBook 650 G93.26 GHz @ 2.80 GHz @ 89°C @ 45W2.63 GHz @ 2.39 GHz @ 91°C @ 32W2.25 GHz @ 2.15 GHz @ 79°C @ 24W
HP EliteBook 640 G93.27 GHz @ 2.77 GHz @ 90°C @ 45W2.53 GHz @ 2.32 GHz @ 90°C @ 30W2.32 GHz @ 2.17 GHz @ 74°C @ 24W
HP EliteBook 840 G93.09 GHz @ 2.75 GHz @ 83°C @ 46W2.73 GHz @ 2.46 GHz @ 89°C @ 37W1.58 GHz @ 1.67 GHz @ 61°C @ 17W
Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 43.28 GHz @ 2.77 GHz @ 84°C @ 44W3.18 GHz @ 2.77 GHz @ 90°C @ 44W2.49 GHz @ 2.28 GHz @ 77°C @ 28W
HP Pavilion Plus 14 (14-eh0000)2.85 GHz @ 2.43 GHz @ 77°C @ 39W2.34 GHz @ 2.10 GHz @ 75°C @ 29W1.84 GHz @ 1.79 GHz @ 65°C @ 20W
Lenovo IdeaPad 5 (15″, 2022)3.60 GHz @ 3.08 GHz @ 73°C @ 55W3.44 GHz @ 2.95 GHz @ 88°C @ 51W2.80 GHz @ 2.49 GHz @ 69°C @ 35W
Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 33.20 GHz @ 2.77 GHz @ 83°C @ 44W3.10 GHz @ 2.71 GHz @ 94°C @ 43W1.89 GHz @ 1.95 GHz @ 72°C @ 20W
Acer Aspire Vero (AV14-51)3.63 GHz @ 2.87 GHz @ 84°C @ 55W2.73 GHz @ 2.36 GHz @ 81°C @ 33W2.49 GHz @ 2.23 GHz @ 79°C @ 28W
MSI Modern 14 (C12M)3.17 GHz @ 2.69 GHz @ 77°C @ 45W3.10 GHz @ 2.61 GHz @ 81°C @ 45W2.69 GHz @ 2.45 GHz @ 78°C @ 35W
Dell Latitude 15 55303.57 GHz @ 3.02 GHz @ 94°C @ 52W2.03 GHz @ 2.09 GHz @ 76°C @ 21W2.24 GHz @ 2.19 GHz @ 64°C @ 23W

The Surface Pro 9 produces a very good performance in the first two checkpoints. This makes it great in real life because we don’t think that long extreme conditions are something characteristic of its potential users.

Comfort during full load

Interestingly, the device remains dead silent for about 10-15 seconds into the test. Then, the single fan makes use of itself and starts spinning producing not too much of a noise. On the other hand, pretty much the entire chassis gets heated during extreme workloads, with the hotspot being right in the center of the back, where it reaches 46-47°C.


Verdict

The laptop is dead, long live the tablet. Windows 11 is now fully prepared to host a tablet as a laptop replacement. You only need to buy yourself a dedicated keyboard, and a stylus, and you won’t be needing to use the clunky notebooks anymore.

Well, this is not entirely true, but the concept has now been refined. The only issues we found with the Surface Pro 9 are completely fixable. This includes the narrow port selection, which is home to only two Thunderbolt 4 connectors.

Also, upgradeability is almost nonexistent. But hey, you still have easy access to the single M.2 PCIe x4 slot, via a trap door on the back. However, you still need a Torx-head screwdriver to extract the SSD and put in a new one. Oh yes, and the device only fits 30mm units.

Microsoft Surface Pro 9’s touchscreen IPS panel has a high resolution, wide viewing angles, and a good contrast ratio. Furthermore, its backlight is comfortable in terms of PWM and covers 99% of the sRGB color gamut.

Its default settings are producing colors that are pretty close to the standard. However, our Gaming and Web design profile makes the color accuracy right within the standard for sRGB. This renders the device usable for color-sensitive work. Also, let’s not forget the 120Hz refresh rate, which makes everything super smooth. And the fact that its refresh rate is dynamic is good for the battery life.

Interestingly, the battery has dropped down to 47.7Wh from 51.5Wh last year. However, the Web browsing times have increased to 10 hours, while playing HD videos on a loop will still get you about 7 hours and 30 minutes of screen time.

You see, Microsoft speaks great words about its Pen. It even says that it feels like pen on paper. Well, we were not able to test that, because there is no such unit found in the packaging. And as you know, the Surface Pro 9 is not too cheap. However, if you find yourself a good bundle, or you own the Pen itself, we would love to see your opinion in the comments below the review.

You can check the prices and configurations in our Specs System: https://laptopmedia.com/series/microsoft-surface-pro-9-intel-wifi/

Pros

  • Quad-channel LPDDR5 memory
  • A lot of power
  • Great speakers
  • Decent battery life
  • Covers 99% of sRGB
  • Accurate color representation with our Gaming and Web design profile
  • No aggressive PWM
  • Work-friendly 3:2 aspect ratio and a touchscreen usability
  • Very quiet
  • SSD can be upgraded


Cons

  • No SD card reader
  • Memory is soldered
  • Premium price tag

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