Microsoft Surface Pro 9, 13" Wifi i7/32GB/1TB Platinum, W10P, 2YR

The new chassis introduced in 8th generation is just stunning to hold. The iPad has had this right for a while now, so it's great to see the Surface now looking similar. The stand, facial recognition, display resolution and really all the features are working like a dream. NOTE: There is a magnetic tab on the back to allow easy upgrade of the SSD.There is no dedicated graphics card which means it does fall short as a gaming PC. I feel it is perhaps a little more powerful than an XBox 360/ PS3.Having spent some time customizing Windows 11 I am now relatively satisfied with the experience but am hoping to see some further improvements.All in all I feel the Surface is now vastly superior to android tablets and the iPad, since it can do the same things and also ... MoreThe new chassis introduced in 8th generation is just stunning to hold. The iPad has had this right for a while now, so it's great to see the Surface now looking similar. The stand, facial recognition, display resolution and really all the features are working like a dream. NOTE: There is a magnetic tab on the back to allow easy upgrade of the SSD.There is no dedicated graphics card which means it does fall short as a gaming PC. I feel it is perhaps a little more powerful than an XBox 360/ PS3.Having spent some time customizing Windows 11 I am now relatively satisfied with the experience but am hoping to see some further improvements.All in all I feel the Surface is now vastly superior to android tablets and the iPad, since it can do the same things and also runs niche applications for university/ work.

Microsoft Pro 9 was on special fortunately. Salesman helped explain features after first asking and assessing what my device needs were. He was well informed and able to explain it simply for a relatively competent technology user, although, one becoming a dated user these days!My son and daughter-in-law supported me and knew exactly the requirements our home system needed and asked for required items. Salesman knew his stock and responded quickly and efficiently.I have used device in short periods and yet to look forward to developing digital art for my art practice. I tried the drawing pen and loved the responsiveness of it.Sadly, the tablet case was too small once to keyboard cover was fitted. so bought another one and using PBTech zipped satchel for our tablet.

A better experience than previous SP9 5G

This is my second Surface Pro 9 5G. I've been a long time user of Surface and really preferred my Surface Pro X SQ2 for how light and thin the device was, how modern the experiences are with Windows 11, and as I used the device within the Microsoft ecosystem of apps, it performed well with a great display and battery life. I wanted the upgrade to 5G and the new hardware-software experiences with the new SQ3 processor. Everything has worked so far....despite 3 hours of upgrades to windows, device firmware updates, and loading all the apps from the Microsoft store. I thought there would be more configuration with the Surface App for performance and experiences but the three camera and audio experiences that come with neural computing meet the hype. 5G experience still ... MoreThis is my second Surface Pro 9 5G. I've been a long time user of Surface and really preferred my Surface Pro X SQ2 for how light and thin the device was, how modern the experiences are with Windows 11, and as I used the device within the Microsoft ecosystem of apps, it performed well with a great display and battery life. I wanted the upgrade to 5G and the new hardware-software experiences with the new SQ3 processor. Everything has worked so far....despite 3 hours of upgrades to windows, device firmware updates, and loading all the apps from the Microsoft store. I thought there would be more configuration with the Surface App for performance and experiences but the three camera and audio experiences that come with neural computing meet the hype. 5G experience still seems spotty but I need more time with different carriers and different regions to see if that is still worth the $$ upgrade. Build quality is less than my SQ2 device - extremely noticeable gap between the kickstand and the housing. The housing has a nice bright color to it but out of the box it looked dirty and I thought it came from the fact that there was no protective film around it. Turns out that the aluminum is very blotchy and grainy- does not look refine as my SQ2. There also continues to be plastic discoloration around the device. Overall, a better experience than my first Surface Pro 9 5G but still not what I thought I was getting for the latest and greatest product from Microsoft.

Aspirational product with poor quality

I was super excited for this product for various reasons - the promises of 5G, new user experiences, and a progression from Surface Pro X SQ2 (which is an amazingly thin, modern Surface experience). The front facing camera could not be initialized during Windows 11 out of box experience, Solved after device firmware upgrade afterwards but then I needed to setup Windows Hello again. I could never get the Amazon App store loaded. This cut the productivity of the device significantly. Then when comparing it to my Surface Pro X SQ2 - the build quality was less than expected. See picture that shows larger gap between the kickstand and the housing and poor color match between the kickstand and the housing (reference is my SQ2). See the gap around the display where the ... MoreI was super excited for this product for various reasons - the promises of 5G, new user experiences, and a progression from Surface Pro X SQ2 (which is an amazingly thin, modern Surface experience). The front facing camera could not be initialized during Windows 11 out of box experience, Solved after device firmware upgrade afterwards but then I needed to setup Windows Hello again. I could never get the Amazon App store loaded. This cut the productivity of the device significantly. Then when comparing it to my Surface Pro X SQ2 - the build quality was less than expected. See picture that shows larger gap between the kickstand and the housing and poor color match between the kickstand and the housing (reference is my SQ2). See the gap around the display where the gloss adhesive shows through - hugely distracting as I am always looking at the display. And notable discoloration in the plastic around the product. This product could be so much more.... I wish it was a slim as the SQ2 and reliable as the SQ2.

Disappointing, expensive, gets hot, eats battery

Plus: looks and feels high quality. Screen is pretty good and sound too.Minus: Eats is own battery running fan just to browse internet.Windows 11 is still awful, it is oversimplified so believe it or not, unintuitive. MacOS on 12 year old iMac so much nicer (not biased as I use both platforms) This PC has been rebooting itself randomly for days now, despite being updated.Windows 11 is still not well enough nuanced for a small touch screen scenario like this. Start bar and "advert bar" are awful. It is slow to launch apps and that is inexplicable given its all Solid state,The battery is not that good and for what I paid at launch, this should have better thermal control. It has to cool itself just to charge! Waste of energy.Would I have something else? not ... MorePlus: looks and feels high quality. Screen is pretty good and sound too.Minus: Eats is own battery running fan just to browse internet.Windows 11 is still awful, it is oversimplified so believe it or not, unintuitive. MacOS on 12 year old iMac so much nicer (not biased as I use both platforms) This PC has been rebooting itself randomly for days now, despite being updated.Windows 11 is still not well enough nuanced for a small touch screen scenario like this. Start bar and "advert bar" are awful. It is slow to launch apps and that is inexplicable given its all Solid state,The battery is not that good and for what I paid at launch, this should have better thermal control. It has to cool itself just to charge! Waste of energy.Would I have something else? not sure, its a premium feel but I can use my phone for the entire day without charging and this thing boils itself and does not last anything like as long as claimed, and is really not the touch screen user experience I hoped for. But then I hate iOS which is weak for cross platform integration.Should prob have gone macbook pro and missed out the on screen drawing ability which was the main reason for buying it, but would not swear so much!

Great Performance, Only Downside is Battery

When I purchased the device I wasn't expecting the highest processing power seeing that is equipped with a 1255U, but surprisingly the surface definitely is powerful enough for everything you are going to be doing on the Surface. Even when using the "Recommended" power mode it can do most things fine.Even playing some lighter 3D games was not a problem, as long as you are fine with not maxing out the settings, and changing the resolution from 2880 x 1920 down to a more reasonable size.My only negative is the battery life, having 10 cores on the surface can eat away at your battery pretty fast however using the power saving mode, turning off the dynamic refresh rate on the display, and managing the brightness seems to help quite a bit. If you are planning to go a ... MoreWhen I purchased the device I wasn't expecting the highest processing power seeing that is equipped with a 1255U, but surprisingly the surface definitely is powerful enough for everything you are going to be doing on the Surface. Even when using the "Recommended" power mode it can do most things fine.Even playing some lighter 3D games was not a problem, as long as you are fine with not maxing out the settings, and changing the resolution from 2880 x 1920 down to a more reasonable size.My only negative is the battery life, having 10 cores on the surface can eat away at your battery pretty fast however using the power saving mode, turning off the dynamic refresh rate on the display, and managing the brightness seems to help quite a bit. If you are planning to go a full day at school or work with the device, I recommend bringing a charger to stay safe but it will last 6-7 hours most days when using it under light and moderate loads.

More than what I expected

Did research before I purchased the product to compare to what i was replacing. Nice to say it exceeded all of my expectations and then some. You are getting a Windows product that dosen't make you feel like you are missing out on some of the convinces of Android. From the face ID unlock and smooth pen input with adequate palm rejection you are getting the best of both worlds. PC sync runns smoothly and device connections with intelligent Bluetooth pairing it handles majority of tasks like its nothing at all. ESIM connected fairly easy with great 5g speeds. The intuitive interface makes windows 11 not so bad and it's a battery sipper lasting longer than I expected. Glad this will be my daily driver for years to come.

Surface Pro 5G is a winner!

I purchased the Surface Pro 9 5G to replace my iPad Pro as my daily laptop/tablet. So far, the experience has been stellar. My iPad Pro 11" M1 has been listed for sale, and I am returning my iPad Pro 12.9" M2 + Magic Keyboard, which costs a ludicrous $1,800 out the door (5G enabled modeled).I'd also like to mention that when it comes to the reviews I read on this device, both with out-of-touch tech YouTubers and here on Best Buy, I think individuals need to do their research before making a purchase. I see complaints that specific applications do not work with the device, which is true because when you buy the SQ3 version, it runs an ARM processor, which has much less compatibility than devices running Intel/AMD processors with an x64/x86 architecture. So if you ... MoreI purchased the Surface Pro 9 5G to replace my iPad Pro as my daily laptop/tablet. So far, the experience has been stellar. My iPad Pro 11" M1 has been listed for sale, and I am returning my iPad Pro 12.9" M2 + Magic Keyboard, which costs a ludicrous $1,800 out the door (5G enabled modeled).I'd also like to mention that when it comes to the reviews I read on this device, both with out-of-touch tech YouTubers and here on Best Buy, I think individuals need to do their research before making a purchase. I see complaints that specific applications do not work with the device, which is true because when you buy the SQ3 version, it runs an ARM processor, which has much less compatibility than devices running Intel/AMD processors with an x64/x86 architecture. So if you have some applications that are must-haves for you, check to see if the apps are compatible with ARM before buying and then complaining, saying it doesn't work. I'd also consider doing some research to improve your tablet experience on the Surface Pro. For example, 3 must-have apps for me (found in the Microsoft Store) are Legere, Awesome Tube (aka A-Tube), and Gesture Sign. The first two apps are lightweight alternatives with tablet interfaces in mind for Reddit and YouTube rather than using the website. Gesure Sign allows you to create and add gestures to help you navigate the OS. With that being said, we can move on to the review.What I love about the Surface Pro 9 5G:1. Gorgeous display. 120hz is a plus, especially since all my devices (except my TVs) run at 120/165hz. The display is smooth enough with 60hz for me not to notice the difference, which is saying something. Apple is the only manufacturer I've seen pull off these smooth 60hz screens.2. 5G connectivity. Having a laptop that doubles as a tablet and staying connected to the internet at all times is fantastic. Thankfully I already had an active tablet line with my carrier, so popping the SIM card out of my iPad and into my Surface worked without any issues.3. Battery life is FANTASTIC. Depending on what you're doing, you can easily pull off 12 hours of mixed usage with this thing.4. Cool to the touch and silent. The fanless design of the SQ3 Surface Pro 9 is fanless, which keeps the device silent at all times, and it runs very coolly to the touch.5. Webcam is much improved from what I remember when I last used a Surface Pro (the Surface Pro 7). The webcam is so crisp, and the SQ3 brings many features that I most likely won't use but are lovely to have and practical.6. The ability to switch out the SSD is a great addition. I am not sure if you could do this on other Surface Pro models, but I love that I can do it on this one!7. SQ3 is snappy. The OS is fast in boot speeds, navigation, and waking the device from sleep.--What I don't love:1. I think the experience of using the device with the keyboard attached to the lap could be better. It's not bad, but it could be better.2. Not the product's fault, but it would be nice to see Microsoft work harder to improve the tablet experience. Windows 11 still isn't the best operating system for using full touchscreen and gestures without a keyboard/mouse/trackpad.3. I wish the base model came with 16GB of RAM. Thankfully, much of my workflow consists of Word documents and programs that are accessed via the browser, but if you do any tasks that require you to have a billion apps open, you should step up to the 16GB version.That's about it for my negatives. Can't complain; I can only nitpick, which is awesome! The Surface Pro 9 5G is a winner!

The Surface for me

This year’s Surface pro 9 has absorbed the Pro X into its lineup. Plenty of reviews trashed the Surface pro 9 Arm version. I will offer my opinion. After owning both the intel and arm version.Why the Arm version succeeds:Ever since the pro x launched the surface has been redesigned into a very attractive device. Bottom and top bezels are large, but the sides are slim. It looks like one of the better looking tablets.The battery life it was separates the arm version from the intel. It offers battery life well over 10 hours and sometimes up to 14 depending on settings. While the intel version can get around 6-9 range. I find the arm version to be more consistent with battery life as well. I can hit the targeted 10 hours regularly without any adjustments. Intel ... MoreThis year’s Surface pro 9 has absorbed the Pro X into its lineup. Plenty of reviews trashed the Surface pro 9 Arm version. I will offer my opinion. After owning both the intel and arm version.Why the Arm version succeeds:Ever since the pro x launched the surface has been redesigned into a very attractive device. Bottom and top bezels are large, but the sides are slim. It looks like one of the better looking tablets.The battery life it was separates the arm version from the intel. It offers battery life well over 10 hours and sometimes up to 14 depending on settings. While the intel version can get around 6-9 range. I find the arm version to be more consistent with battery life as well. I can hit the targeted 10 hours regularly without any adjustments. Intel version you would have to squeeze it to get the 9 hours. The Intel version is fine, just not as long lasting.The next big difference is that programs have to be compiled to run on arm or go through an emulation. This can be good and bad. The good is that since you are restricted to the programs you can run security is better on the arm devices. The bad of course is less programs.The device is fanless so you do not have fan noise and less heat. The fan’s on the Intel model did not bother me, but I do like how cool the arm version stays.5G access is something that I will not use often, but it is nice if you want it. I can also go on and get a prepaid sim to use for a trip if wanted.Why it fails;Price is the biggest. Starting at 1299 you are paying top dollar for this tablet. When I say tablet I mean it as there is no keyboard included. So that will set you back a minimum 150. That is a lot of dough. Then you have the intel version priced at $999 starting.App compatibility is the next big issue. My needs are basic and I use Edge already on all my devices. I am not able to download google drive so that is something for me although I can access it online. Again you can get the intel version for less that does not have this issue. Performance suffers with apps that get emulated. There is a performance loss on non-native arm apps.Color options are only available on intel models with cool colors like forest green and sapphire blue. The arm version is stuck with platinum.What the reviewers get wrong: Performance. I mentioned performance above but the arm version itself is a good performer at 1100/5800 Geekbench 5 score. Reviewers will make it sound slow because you know Apple’s M2 has a higher score. The reality is that it is almost inline with last year's core i7. It is plenty fast. Again as long as you stick with arm native apps. I recommend this device for someone who wants to couch browse and do word processing. Yes, you can do this on many devices but only a few are premium, have high refresh rate, screen this size and run windows and have awesome battery life.There is one thing that I found with the arm version that I cannot verify and only comes from my own observation. It feels almost as fluid as an Apple, Samsung or ChromeOS device. I am not talking about performance, just how the touch screen moves. When I scroll with the intel version it does not feel as responsive. The arm version though I can do the thumb flick and watch the page scroll away. Again this is not scientific because there are a number of variables like the screen protector I had on, any updates applied, and settings.Conclusion: For me it comes down to a trade off of more battery life with less performance on the arm version of the surface. I also forgot to mention the camera effects you only get on the ARM version but to me those are more small differences. Most people I would recommend the intel version as it is the safe bet. If you know what you are using and the arm version sounds good then it is not a bad choice, just look for sales.

Why isn't it better ?

MS Surface Pro 9 with Cellular - all my opinionFolks, I have computers, tablets, and cell phones of every brand and I'm always disappointed with the MS Surfaces.I bought a new Surface Pro 9 8GB 256 SSD. It should be a lot better ?!1) I couldn't get the NordVPN Secure Network to work at all and Nord had to give up.2) The new mail app Outlook is terrible, It is too scaled down.3) Messaging is either impossible to setup with Verizon Message+ or it never did work. You must download the Message+ app from Amazon and even they said it might not work.4) I couldn't get Phone Connect to work at all, gave up.5) Many apps are free but is that good - no, I personally couldn't get ones I've paid for to work.In summary, I believe you should be a Computer Engineer to ... MoreMS Surface Pro 9 with Cellular - all my opinionFolks, I have computers, tablets, and cell phones of every brand and I'm always disappointed with the MS Surfaces.I bought a new Surface Pro 9 8GB 256 SSD. It should be a lot better ?!1) I couldn't get the NordVPN Secure Network to work at all and Nord had to give up.2) The new mail app Outlook is terrible, It is too scaled down.3) Messaging is either impossible to setup with Verizon Message+ or it never did work. You must download the Message+ app from Amazon and even they said it might not work.4) I couldn't get Phone Connect to work at all, gave up.5) Many apps are free but is that good - no, I personally couldn't get ones I've paid for to work.In summary, I believe you should be a Computer Engineer to wrestle with this Surface or have an Engineer in your family. I'm both for over 50 years but admit this is a level of engineering that isn't simple at all.OK, buy it because it's fairly light, sturdy, attractive and has some average functionality but prepare for a lot of confusion.