Microsoft Surface Pro 9 review – Making laptops ever more nervous

Choosing between a laptop and a tablet is becoming increasingly more difficult. Devices like the stunning Microsoft Surface Pro 9 just illustrate how blurred the line between the two devices is becoming. Okay, so there are some challenges that laptop wannabees like this slate have to overcome. Turns out, it’s really easy to do that.

But it still leaves you with a choice to make. Do you grab the shiny Microsoft tablet that needs a keyboard cover but puts far less weight on your back or do you opt for the shiny Microsoft notebook that doesn’t have the detachable bits? Okay, fine, you can choose other brands too. But do you have to?

Aesthetic choice

The answer, judging by the review machine we were allowed to use for a while, is ‘not really’. The Surface Pro 9 really is just a 13in tablet, impressively engineered in that manner Microsoft is so fond of these days. The box contains the slate, the charger, and a couple of extras, but the Keyboard Cover/Stylus and Surface Arc mouse arrive in their own packaging. Again, that’s not a problem if you pick up the right deal for the device.

Alone, it’s an uncomplicated piece of machinery. There are minimal buttons and ports around its bevelled edges. The 13in 2,880 X 1,920 touchscreen turns the Surface Pro 9 into an easy-to-navigate oversized tablet, though the responsiveness of the screen still loses something to controlling a stock Windows interface. It really does work better with a mouse (and nobody liked Windows 8, so there went that idea).

The one thing Microsoft got really right with this thing? The kickstand around the back is a solid strip of aluminium, with a rubber stopper to keep your display from slipping around on slicker surfaces. It would battle on tables with large gaps, sure, but Microsoft’s hardware will handle most environments without sweating.

Why choose?

There are various flavours of Microsoft’s new convertible tablet available in South Africa, ramping the cost up to R45,000 if you go full Core i7. Our review model wasn’t quite as overpowered. There was an Intel Core i5-2135U processor in the middle of it, backed by 8GB of RAM and 256GB of solid-state storage. That’s close to what you’d get from your average high-end smartphone except the chipset is differently optimised. Yes, yes, we know the actual difference.

As does Microsoft, which is why the company’s Surface Laptop 4 is almost exactly the same thing. That one’s 13.5in display may have a lower resolution but all of the other specs are identical. That’s right down to the processor, the Intel XE integrated graphics, all of it. Plus there’s, you know, a keyboard attached right out of the box. Finally, the Surface Laptop 4, is actually a little cheaper to buy if you factor in the extras you need to make the Surface Pro 9 into a functional laptop.

Happily, that’s an option. Microsoft’s keyboard cover is intelligently designed to make the most of its lightweight surface. Powerful magnets hold it in place, allowing users to reinforce the floppy(ish) cover for a more stable typing experience. The only objection we could muster is that the trackpad on the keyboard cover is smaller than we’d like. It’s still perfectly functional. Besides, Microsoft’s stylus is an excellent piece of tech on its own.

Mightier than the sword? 

The Surface Slim Pen 2 is an oddly-shaped stylus, a distant cousin of the carpenter’s pencil (except you don’t sharpen it with a chisel). That design takes some getting used to but once you do, you’ll notice just how detailed it’s possible to get with the Pen on the Surface Pro 9’s touchscreen. Pressure variation is fine enough to extract a range of responses without feeling like you’re about to gouge a track on that lovely screen. We’re not saying it’ll replace an actual pen or pencil on paper but it’s close. It’s very close.

Add to that all of the usual functions of working on a new Windows machine and we’ve got a winning combination here. The Windows OS is as powerful and flexible as ever, provided you’re using a decent interface device. We don’t like the combination of Windows and touchscreens without something to stick between the two. Sue us.

And then there’s the generous battery life — which Microsoft claims is more than eighteen hours but if you’re using this like a regular human being it’ll be less than that. Twelve to fifteen hours is more likely, but maybe we were hammering the video playback harder during load shedding than is typical. It’ll last out the day at work, even if Eskom gives you the extended finger. Which… could happen a lot in 2023.

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 verdict

But we’re still left with the question: The Surface Pro 9 or the Surface Laptop 4? In terms of power, it doesn’t matter. The operating systems are the same and, if you choose the right models, so are the specs. The 13in Pro 9 has a slightly better resolution but also a slightly smaller screen footprint. You’ll probably pick up one of these convertibles with the Keyboard Cover included so the actual format becomes a coin flip. We’d tend to opt for the all-metal construction, handing the win to the Surface Laptop 4, but there’s also a case to be made for not lugging the extra weight around on your back. If that’s you, this’ll perform just as well as a laptop. For a little bit more money.