Surface Pro 9: What the Surface Pro 8 Should've Been

Рет қаралды 6,962

Күн бұрын

The Microsoft Surface Pro 9 addresses all of the major shortcomings of its predecessor-the Surface Pro 8-and then some. However, it seems to be... "missing" a thing or two. Let's talk Surface Pro 9 and the future of the Microsoft Surface Pro product line.
In this video, we'll be taking a look at all of the major changes with the Surface Pro 9, as well as revisiting the Surface Slim Pen 2 and checking out some of the colorway refreshes for the Surface Pro Signature Keyboards.
I'll see you guys soon-in my review of the Surface Pro 10. Stay tuned. 💖
•••
Chapters
• 0:00 Introduction
• 0:38 Previously on this channel...
• 1:11 Two steps forward, one step backward. But... who actually cares about that one step backward?
• 5:39 CPUs (Part 1)
• 8:36 CPUs (Part 2)
• 10:11 CPUs (Part 3)
• 11:13 Ports
• 12:36 Storage
• 13:36 Button Placements
• 14:35 Battery Life (Intel Configurations)
• 18:20 Everything Else
• 19:37 Surface Slim Pen 2
• 21:10 Colors
• 22:10 My Concluding Thoughts (Part 1)
• 24:47 My Concluding Thoughts (Part 2) + Thanks for watching!
•••
Highlights
• 6:15 Geekbench 5: CPU Benchmark Results
• 6:53 Geekbench 5: Compute Benchmark Results
• 5:39 CPUs (Part 1): Official Start of the Entire 3-Part Section About the CPUs
• 8:36 CPUs (Part 2): i5 vs. i7 Performance on the Surface Pro 9
• 10:11 CPUs (Part 3): Value in the Surface Pro 9's i5 Configurations
• 13:12 Storage Speeds (Results from CrystalDiskMark Benchmarks)
• 21:17 - 21:28 The best part of the video (you can’t convince me otherwise)
• 20:48 - 21:01 Here's the link to my full review of the Surface Pro 8 if you're interested in seeing a much more detailed (and actually "full") review of the Surface Slim Pen 2: • Surface Pro 8 Full Rev...
I fully covered the Surface Slim Pen 2 in my full review of the Surface Pro 8. That's why I went pretty fast recapping my assessment about the Surface Slim Pen 2 in this video (the one you're watching right now about the Surface Pro 9).
• 2:19 Notice the design differences between the Intel-configured Surface Pro 9 (blue unit) and the SQ3-configured Surface Pro 9 ("Surface Pro 9 with 5G" / silver unit)
• 17:04, 21:50 - 22:10 Mentions of the Surface Pro 9 configurations running on ARM (Microsoft SQ3 instead of Intel Core i5 or i7 CPUs)
•••
EJ's Website
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Twitter: @EJYuTech
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Instagram: @EJ.Yu
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Ko-fi: @EJYuTech
ko-fi.com/ejyutech
•••
Hey, I'm looking for laptops to review!
📢 Business Inquiries - Send me an email:
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📢 Everyone Else - What should I review next?
💬 Leave a comment below!
•••
Special thanks to Koe Bennett, Kevin Thai, Van Le, Renee Tang, Drew Ho, ktraw, and jamerduhgamer. You guys have done so much for me, and I whole-heartedly appreciate the invaluable support you've given me throughout the making of this video. And here's an extra special thank you to Koe Bennett once again for creating the original music heard throughout this review and for granting me permission to use the really cool sound at the beginning of the video as part of my intro.
Music made by Koe Bennett. ♪
Intro sound made by Koe Bennett. ♪

Пікірлер: 48

@EJYu 2 ай бұрын

Better late than never, right? 👉👈 Thanks for watching! If needed, you can expand this pinned comment to find some timestamps that I've typed up for your convenience. Timestamps can be found in the description as well. *Note:* This video is *not* a review. ••• Chapters • 0:00 Introduction • 0:38 Previously on this channel... • 1:11 Two steps forward, one step backward. But... who actually cares about that one step backward? • 5:39 CPUs (Part 1) • 8:36 CPUs (Part 2) • 10:11 CPUs (Part 3) • 11:13 Ports • 12:36 Storage • 13:36 Button Placements • 14:35 Battery Life (Intel Configurations) • 18:20 Everything Else • 19:37 Surface Slim Pen 2 • 21:10 Colors • 22:10 My Concluding Thoughts (Part 1) • 24:47 My Concluding Thoughts (Part 2) + Thanks for watching! ••• I'm always looking for feedback, so please don't hesitate to let me know what you like or dislike about my review down here in the comments section! I'm also still trying to get back into the swing of things, so any constructive feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all so much in advance! ••• So... yeah! How've you all been? It's been a while! Yeah, I know. I'm pretty late to the party again, like how I was with my Surface Pro 8 review. But... like I said at the top of this pinned comment: better late than never, right? Haha. In all seriousness though, I want to thank you guys for sticking around and believing in me despite the long turnaround times for new videos. I've been working on my Surface Pro 9 video since the day it came out back in October of 2022. And ever since then, it's been a battle to get this video done. But recently, I was able to pull through and finally set aside the time to finish it. And I'm super happy about that, despite not releasing this video when I originally intended to-which would've been about a year ago from today-and despite not releasing this video as a review like I originally intended it to be. With that said, I really need to figure out how to make my video editing workflow significantly more efficient. Making these long-form tech videos take me a really long time to make. (And if you've been following the channel the past few years, then... this should come off as no surprise.) But I still really want to make tech videos because, y'know, *this* is just what I like to do "for fun." I've been acknowledging-for quite a while, actually-that I *really* need to give my videomaking process a major overhaul if I'd like to continue making tech videos without neglecting the importance of having a work-life balance. So... wish me luck! I have a pretty difficult journey ahead of me.

@lordneojacks 2 ай бұрын

this is one of best reviews i have ever watched in a long time. everything is paced excellently and the insights are amazing. amazing job.

@EJYu 2 ай бұрын

Thank you so much! I'm really glad that you enjoyed watching my video! One piece of feedback for myself is that I should've filmed *more* footage of myself actually *using* the device. Not to say that I didn't use any-I did-but I definitely could've used a lot *more* of that type of B-roll to visually complement some of the topics that I audibly cover throughout my video. I say this because, after rewatching this video a bunch and also hovering my mouse across the video player very quickly numerous times, I realized that most of the footage that I used is noticeably repetitive (i.e. similar composition, similar things on the display, and definitely not to mention an all too similar *lack* of anything going on while I ramble on, etc.) for a lot of the sections. So... yeah, I do think that I could've done better there. But I'm happy that you still enjoyed the video! I'll try my best to do better next time and hopefully my newer videos from this point onward will continue to impress in some way!

@RemofRenaissance 2 ай бұрын

Appreciate your good work, thank you 👍🏾. I pulled the trigger on a SP9 around a year ago (and haven't watched this in full - will enjoy in the evening!) but due to cost I went for an 8GB model and although I have anxiety over throttling actually it seems to hold up well for the work I do on data models (Power BI / Excel / etc).... I hate throwing money at the issue but interested to see how the Core Ultra and Snapdragon iterations benchmark and if it looks right that could be a second chance to fix the situation and get a 16GB iteration with one of those chipsets

@EJYu 2 ай бұрын

And I really appreciate you checking out my video! Thank you so much the support! I'm really interested in that too. Seeing Microsoft finally use current-gen Intel CPUs in the "Surface Pro 10 for Business" was *very* surprising, but what's even *more* surprising is that they're the new Intel Core *Ultra* CPUs. That gets me really excited for the future because it implies that they're *trying* not to use last-gen hardware anymore-at the very least, last-gen CPUs in particular. But also, little details here and there (like the port selection remaining the same, the battery life not properly being disclosed, etc.) still have me a bit skeptical about the way they'll handle future Surface Pro generations. I'm really curious to see where things pan out from here.

@aznpoke 2 ай бұрын

WOO! Can’t wait for this review 🎉🎉

@EJYu 2 ай бұрын

IT'S OFFICIALLY UP NOW 🎉🎉

@JacquiG1 Ай бұрын

Do you mind me asking how you upgraded the ssd...I thought I read in the manual that the new ssd has to be the same size as the original. I've got an SP9 256gb and will probably want to upgrade it. Thank you, I really enjoyed your review and it helped me make the decision to leap.

@EJYu Ай бұрын

Oh, I think I know what you're a bit confused about. So, when people say that the SSD needs to be the same "size," they're literally referring to the *physical* size of the drive itself. *Not* the *storage capacity* of the drive. So, the storage capacity of the new drive in question can be whatever you want. (e.g. 512 GB, 1 TB, etc.) However, you HAVE to replace the SSD in your Surface Pro 9 with the same (physical) sized M.2 2230 NVMe SSD because no other SSD will (quite literally) fit inside of the Surface Pro 9. "M.2" = What the *form factor* of the SSD in question needs to be. "2230" = The *literal, physical size* that the M.2 SSD needs to be. Numbered like this b/c it literally represents how the drive is measured: 22x30 (22 mm by 30 mm). Hope this helps!

@alexmorgan5760 23 күн бұрын

Have you got a link of the ssd you have installed? I’ve bought the i7 16gb 256gb ssd and would like to install maybe a tb. Find it mad that it’s about £600 more online.

@lordneojacks 2 ай бұрын

a video about the ARM based devices would be amazing, i would love to hear what you have to say about it

@EJYu 2 ай бұрын

Yeah! I've been really wanting to make a video on the ARM based devices as well! This has actually been on my mind for a *very long time,* but... I just don't have the time to make a video worth watching right now. It's really unfortunate because I have so much to say about them too. I've been meaning to make an updated Surface Pro X review (a couple years ago) to talk about the SQ2-especially now that deals on the 2020 Surface Pro X w/ the SQ2 are so much better-and I also originally had plans to talk about the SQ3-configured Surface Pro 9s either in *this* video or in its own separate video. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to follow through with any of those plans, but I'm totally down to talk about it here in the comments!

@lewisgareen9958 2 ай бұрын

Yo. Thanks for doing the review. Thought you wasn't gonna do it. Should we expect surface pro 10 review anytime soon? Cause it was announced some days ago

@EJYu 2 ай бұрын

Hey! Thanks for watching my new video! Yeah, I spent a really long time on this, and that's completely on me. But it's here now! The Surface Pro 10 is definitely on my radar. I'm just not sure if I'll have the time to get to it. I've been (extensively) looking into the "Surface Pro 10 for Business" that just got announced last week. It's interesting to say the least. Really hoping that I'll be able to make time for a video on it. I have a lot of thoughts... but also a lot of questions. If I *am* able to make time for a Surface Pro 10 review, what kinds of things would you like me to cover? What would *you* want to see in a good Surface Pro 10 review? (And if anyone else sees this comment and would like to chime in, please do!)

@Zackelsh Ай бұрын

Battery diffference between the pro 9 and pro 10 business. Looking to buy my first 2 in 1 tablet so is it worth to buy the 10 business?

@MTFORESTER Ай бұрын

I plan on getting the somewhat new Alienware M18 R2 laptop with a 4090, I9 INTEL Processor, 64gb of ram, 16 GB of graphical memory and with a mouse, mousepad and the computer it'll be almost 4,000$ after taxes. Should I get it? I've read conflicting opinions some people say that Alienware is terrible other than their laptops which are supposedly decent, others say everything they make is garbage and to get a Razer or ASUS but the ASUS from what I've found doesn't have the same amount of RAM as the Alienware

@RyanQue-qw7ex 17 күн бұрын

I'm torn between surface pro 9 i5 8GB ram vs surface pro 8 i7 16GB ram. If both are offered for the same price point which do you think is better?

@GALVIN4487 2 күн бұрын

Same

@nathachai.b 2 ай бұрын

The moment we all have been waiting for

@AminoobTheGamer 2 ай бұрын

13:52 EJ THE ACTOR!!!??

@EJYu 2 ай бұрын

IKR!!!?? HOLLYWOOD, I'M COMING FOR YOU 🫵 Dang though, I wish I could've refilmed that scene today 😭 I've lost SO much weight since then and look so much better now, ughh

@michaelhurst7347 Ай бұрын

Thanks

@Vleoc 2 ай бұрын

so it has shorter battery life than the pro 8?

@AminoobTheGamer 2 ай бұрын

19:49 EJ after March submission loading

@EJYu 2 ай бұрын

WHAT!!

@lewisgareen9958 2 ай бұрын

Why no Egpu tests?

@EJYu 2 ай бұрын

Honestly, I just didn't have the time to fit anything eGPU-related into the video, so... I wasn't thinking about it too much, as a result. I did *originally* plan to have eGPU tests and related discussions in this video (back when I first started working on this), but... many of the results were so close to the numbers from my Surface Pro 8 review and the time constraints that were imposed on me (due to other things happening in my life) were kicking my butt so hard that I just had to drop it completely. With that said, I do genuinely think that there are much more *important* conversations to have about the Surface Pro 9 right now-which are all of the things that *did* end up making it in this video. But regardless, that did come at the cost of cutting out other arguably-still-important talking points-which unfortunately did include discussions about using the Surface Pro 9 with an eGPU. So, I deeply apologize for not doing eGPU tests in my video-that's completely on me. Hopefully I'll have time to include them for next time. That's also why the title of my video doesn't have the word "review" in it. I *currently* (meaning, as of this comment) *don't* consider this video a review. I had to cut out way too many things from my original plan for this video to the point that I don't really consider this a proper "product review" video. Albeit, I'm thinking of putting it back in the title because it has a lot of... "qualities" (so to speak) of a good review; but, regardless, this still doesn't cover a lot of topics that an *actual* good Surface Pro 9 review should have-which is why I'm still sitting on the idea of even putting review back in the title. I'm considering it, but... haven't actually *done* it yet for a reason.

@johnmartin8481 2 ай бұрын

Are you going to review the Surface Pro 10?

@EJYu 2 ай бұрын

It's definitely on my radar! I'm just not sure if I'll have the time to get to it. I'm trying to "ease back" into making videos since making videos of this quality is... *a lot* of work (and, unfortunately, a lot of money that I'd have to spend as well). However! If I *am* able to make time for a Surface Pro 10 review, what kinds of things would you like me to cover? What would *you* want to see in a good Surface Pro 10 review? (And if anyone else sees this comment and would like to chime in, please do!)

@user-xl4xy4xg8r Ай бұрын

"what the surface pro 8 should have been" is clickbait. The surface pro 8 is absolutely fine. 2 years later and its still a great device.

@EJYu Ай бұрын

Respectfully, no - I genuinely don't think that this title is clickbait, and watching this video should have made that pretty obvious as the reasoning behind my use of that title is more or less discussed immediately (0:38) and then supported by various facts and commentary presented throughout the video. Your remark about longevity is very importantly missing the point of this video. The conversation was never about longevity. There's a bigger picture here. I recommend that you check out my Surface Pro 8 review from a while back: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/r62dYJp8uNKdkZs.html I don't think that the Surface Pro 8 is as bad as you may think that I'm portraying it to be. But it's also (very clearly) not without its flaws. The Surface Pro 9 fixed a lot of that (despite the Pro 9 also having its own fair share of imperfections) - hence, the title of this video.

@brownfox1540 2 ай бұрын

I feel like reviews like these are incomplete until you do an honest comparison of iPadOS vs Windows vs Android. As a tablet, the windows tablet ecosystem is severely lacking.

@billymania11 2 ай бұрын

LOL! Many of us don't consider a Surface to be an ecosystem type device. It's self-contained and used as a standalone full-fledged laptop.

@brownfox1540 2 ай бұрын

@@billymania11 When I said ecosystem, I meant software ecosystem. Ipad has a software ecosystem of touch optimized apps. Surface pro is a tablet where 99.99% of all the software made/maintained is for keyboard+mouse. Touch is an afterthought. With the surface pro, you end up with a useless tablet and an ergonomically compromised laptop. Worst of both worlds.

@billymania11 2 ай бұрын

Many of us on our side view iPads as interesting devices that seem to be suitable for content consumption. The Surface can be and is used for all manner of use cases. For someone like you to say the Surface is useless is amusing. Even childish.@@brownfox1540

@Zackelsh Ай бұрын

⁠@@brownfox1540interesting take. I have Only used iPads and want to get a windows tablet due to the iPads limiting factor. Would you say the surface pros are not worth due to the software ecosystem?

@user-xl4xy4xg8r Ай бұрын

You don't seem to realize the Surface is for adults who do actual work, it's not made for iPad kids.

@Ecirroh1 2 ай бұрын

So no headphone jack, and another iteration without current-gen CPUs... Nice

@EJYu 2 ай бұрын

I know right... 🙄 The fact that we had to deal with this for so long. Fortunately, the "Surface Pro 10 for Business" that just got announced last week now have current-gen Intel CPUs-and they're actually the new Intel Core *Ultra* CPUs-so I think that's *very* cool. But the port selection seems more or less unchanged from the Surface Pro 9, and that-among other things-worries me quite a bit when it comes to the *consumer* Surface Pro 10 models that are supposedly (i.e. rumored) to be announced in May. I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens with that.

@Ecirroh1 2 ай бұрын

@@EJYu hoping for the best

@user-zq9se9vr2g Ай бұрын

you like furry huh, good taste bro

@almazy6362 12 күн бұрын

There is so much aggression and whining in your review, can't even watch

@bobbydemondukes Ай бұрын

Too bad these are pure garbage. 🤣

@user-xl4xy4xg8r Ай бұрын

Least obvious apple user

@Vleoc 2 ай бұрын

so it has shorter battery life than the pro 8?

@EJYu Ай бұрын

Not exactly. I wouldn't say that battery life _on average_ is worse than the Surface Pro 8. (It's more or less the same.) But it's admittedly not an impressive amount, and I tried my best to carefully word the "battery life" section of this video (14:35) to reflect that without undermining (at the very least, my feelings about) the effectiveness of this device's battery saving features-which I do genuinely think helps a lot-alongside general battery saving practices. Recall in this video that I said to expect about 5 - 6 hours of battery life on average for light to moderate usage (14:48). I stand by that claim quite a bit. I've had the Surface Pro 9 since it came out-pretty much-and, since then, I've felt like I've been comfortably getting approximately that duration of battery life (5 - 6 hours) on a full charge "for the most part." Now, of course, there naturally have been outliers here and there. And I've even mentioned that I was able to get an absolute maximum of about 9 hours of battery life at some point in time (15:36), albeit with some arguably extreme battery saving practices. But *that* duration of battery life has always been the gut feeling that I've had (prior to when I started properly attending to the monitoring of my battery life for the purposes of this video). So then I started monitoring my battery usage to confirm it, eventually confirmed it (basically confirming: yeah, my screen-on time is usually about 5 - 6 hours), and then used that for this video. TL;DR for the paragraph above - I get 5 - 6 hours of battery life on my Surface Pro 9, with my absolute maximum duration of battery life being about 9 hours. Okay, that's all cool maybe. Interesting, at the very least. But here's the thing… That was more or less the same with my Surface Pro 8. (See: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/r62dYJp8uNKdkZs.html) And the same thing with my Surface Pro 7+ (back when I had one). And the same thing with my Surface Pro 6. And the same thing with my 2017 Surface Pro. (This was the "Surface Pro 5" btw - it didn't have the "5" in its name at the time). And that was even the same thing with my Surface Pro 4. And all of this-EXACTLY this-was why I felt the need to include "everything else" that I said in the remaining parts of the battery life section of this video (i.e. all that extra fluff about this topic having a "much more complicated [answer]") (15:50 - 17:00). Battery life's not "worse" than the Surface Pro 8. It's still very much decent. But it's also still-admittedly-very much unimpressive. Hope this helps! Sorry for the late reply.