M1 Mac mini vs. Surface Pro 9 5G: Full specs comparison

We thoroughly analyzed technical specifications for M1 Mac mini and Surface Pro 9 5G models, including CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

M1 Mac mini Pros

Reasons that M1 Mac mini is better than Surface Pro 9 5G.

Much faster CPU performance

Apple M1 (8C, 8G) inside M1 Mac mini has a 55% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Microsoft SQ3 inside Surface Pro 9 5G.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
M1 Mac mini - Apple M1 (8C, 8G)
7,414
Surface Pro 9 5G - Microsoft SQ3
4,760
Has two more ports and slots

M1 Mac mini has more ports and slots count than the Surface Pro 9 5G. It has eight versus six amount of ports and slots on the Surface Pro 9 5G.

PortsM1 Mac miniSurface Pro 9 5G
HDMIYesNo
headphone jackYesNo
nanoSIM card slotNoYes
power portYesNo
RJ-45YesNo
SSD slotNoYes
Surface ConnectNoYes
Surface Type CoverNoYes
Thunderbolt 3Yes x2No
Thunderbolt 4NoYes x2
USB-AYes x2No
Total86
Much better versatile connectivity

M1 Mac mini has better versatile I/O connectivity than the Surface Pro 9 5G. It has six versus one commonly used port and slot on the Surface Pro 9 5G.

PortsM1 Mac miniSurface Pro 9 5G
HDMIYesNo
headphone jackYesNo
power portYesNo
RJ-45YesNo
Thunderbolt 3YesNo
Thunderbolt 4NoYes
USB-AYesNo

Surface Pro 9 5G Pros

Reasons that Surface Pro 9 5G is better than M1 Mac mini.

Newer manufacturing

2022 vs. 2020

Upgradable storage

Surface Pro 9 5G comes with a single removable M.2 SSD slot that you can replace and upgrade in the future.

SlotsM1 Mac miniSurface Pro 9 5G
M.2
Onboard
Yes x1
About 25% lighter

Surface Pro 9 5G weighed 1.95 pounds, 25% lighter than the 2.6 pounds M1 Mac mini.

WeightM1 Mac miniSurface Pro 9 5G
Pound
2.6 lbs.
1.95 lbs.
Kilogram
1.18 kg
0.88 kg

Key Similars

Similar characteristics share between M1 Mac mini and Surface Pro 9 5G.

Supports the same maximum memory size of up to 16GB

Both laptops supports up to 16GB of system memory.

Max system memory size
M1 Mac mini
16 GB
Surface Pro 9 5G
16 GB

Prices

Here are the latest price updates and offers for both devices.

M1 Mac mini Price
Mac mini Apple M1 chip 8GB Memory 256GB SSD MGNR3LL/A (Renewed)
Mac mini Apple M1 chip 8GB Memory 256GB SSD MGNR3LL/A (Renewed)
By Apple
$384.95
Apple 2023 Mac Mini Desktop Computer M2 chip with 8‑core CPU and 10‑core GPU, 8GB Unified Memory, 256GB SSD Storage, Gigabit Ethernet. Works with iPhone/iPad
Apple 2023 Mac Mini Desktop Computer M2 chip with 8‑core CPU and 10‑core GPU, 8GB Unified Memory, 256GB SSD Storage, Gigabit Ethernet. Works with iPhone/iPad
By Apple
$499.00
$599.00 17% OFF
Mac mini Desktop Apple M1 chip 8GB Memory 512GB SSD (Renewed)
Mac mini Desktop Apple M1 chip 8GB Memory 512GB SSD (Renewed)
By Apple
$409.94
$719.95 43% OFF
Microsoft Surface Pro 9 Price
Microsoft Surface Pro 9 (2022), 13" 2-in-1 Tablet & Laptop, Thin & Lightweight, Intel 12th Gen i7 Fast Processor for Multi-Tasking, 16GB RAM, 256GB Storage with Windows 11, Sapphire Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft Surface Pro 9 (2022), 13" 2-in-1 Tablet & Laptop, Thin & Lightweight, Intel 12th Gen i7 Fast Processor for Multi-Tasking, 16GB RAM, 256GB Storage with Windows 11, Sapphire Microsoft Copilot
By Microsoft
$1,069.99
$1,599.99 33% OFF
Microsoft Surface Pro 9 13" Touch-Screen Intel Core i5-16GB Memory - 256GB SSD Platinum
Microsoft Surface Pro 9 13" Touch-Screen Intel Core i5-16GB Memory - 256GB SSD Platinum
By Microsoft
$960.99
$1,299.00 26% OFF
Microsoft Surface Pro 9 (2022), 13" 2-in-1 Tablet & Laptop, Thin & Lightweight, Intel 12th Gen i5 Fast Processor, 8GB RAM, 256GB Storage with Windows 11, Copilot, Graphite (Renewed)
Microsoft Surface Pro 9 (2022), 13" 2-in-1 Tablet & Laptop, Thin & Lightweight, Intel 12th Gen i5 Fast Processor, 8GB RAM, 256GB Storage with Windows 11, Copilot, Graphite (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$659.59
$749.99 12% OFF

Availability

M1 Mac miniSurface Pro 9 5G
Released20202022
Release DateAnnounced on November 10th, 2020
  • Introduced: October 12, 2022
  • Pre-ordered: October 12, 2022
  • Released: October 25, 2022
Pricing
  • $699
    Apple M1 Chip | 8GB RAM | 256GB SSD
  • $899
    Apple M1 Chip | 8GB RAM | 512GB SSD
Starting at $2,999.99
Applicable Models-
  • Surface Pro 9 with 5G
  • Surface Pro 9 SQ® 3
Generations

Exterior

M1 Mac miniSurface Pro 9 5G
Dimensions7.7” x 7.7” x 1.4” (197 mm x 197 mm x 36 mm)11.3” x 8.2” x 0.37” (287 mm x 208 mm x 9.3 mm)
Weight2.6 lb (1.2 kg)1.95 lb (883 g)
Colors
Silver
Platinum
Keyboard and Trackpad-
  • Not included.
  • Compatible with 
    Surface Pro Signature Keyboard Surface Pro X Keyboard
  • Type Cover Features:
    • Activation: Moving (mechanical) keys
    • Layout: QWERTY, full row of function keys (F1-F12)
    • 4 directional keys; Windows, Brightness and Media Controls Keys;
    • LED backlighting
  • Trackpad:
    • Precision glass trackpad.
    • Trackpad size: 4 x 2 inches (101.6 mm x 50.8 mm)
    • Supports a five-finger multitouch gesture.
  • Surface Slim Pen Storage
    • Magnetic dock
    • Automatically wireless charge Surface Slim Pen

Display

M1 Mac miniSurface Pro 9 5G
Size-13 Inches
Info-
  • 13” PixelSense™ Flow Display
  • Resolution: 2880 x 1920
    5.53M Pixels.
  • Density: 267 PPI
  • Color profile: sRGB and Vivid
  • Dynamic refresh rate: up to 120Hz
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Contrast ratio: 1200:1
  • Touch: 10-point multi-touch
  • Brightness: 450 nits maximum (typical), 5 nits minimum
  • Gorilla® Glass 5
  • Adaptive Color

Ports

M1 Mac miniSurface Pro 9 5G
M1 Mac mini Ports
Image Source: Apple
Back (8)
  • 1 x power port
  • 1 x RJ-45
    1 Gbps
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 3
    40 Gpbs, USB 4.0 (40 Gbps), DisplayPort, Power Delivery
  • 1 x HDMI
    v2.0
  • 2 x USB-A
    USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps)
  • 1 x headphone jack
    Headphone/Microphone
Left (2)
  • 2 x Thunderbolt 4
    40 Gpbs, USB 4.0 (40 Gbps), DisplayPort, Power Delivery
Right (1)
  • 1 x Surface Connect
    Charging, Docking
Bottom (1)
  • 1 x Surface Type Cover
Under Kickstand (2)
  • 1 x nanoSIM card slot
  • 1 x SSD slot
    M.2 2230 NVMe slot

Internal Specs

M1 Mac miniSurface Pro 9 5G
Processor
  1. Apple M1
    8 cores, 8 threads, 3.20 GHz, 10W
  1. Microsoft® SQ3™ with Neural Processing Unit
    8 cores, 8 threads, 3.00 GHz, 8MB Cache, 7W
Integrated Graphics
  1. Apple M1
    Apple M1 iGPU
    8 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz
  1. Microsoft® SQ3™ with Neural Processing Unit
    Microsoft® SQ3™ Adreno™ 8cx Gen 3 GPU
    N/A,
Memory
  • 8GB
    4266 MHz LPDDR4X onboard memory
  • Configurable to 16GB
8GB 16GB
4266 MHz LPDDR4X RAM
Storage
  • 256GB 512GB
    SSD
  • Configurable to 1TB or 2TB
128GB 256GB 512GB 1TB
Removable SSD.
Fans Number--

Connectivity

M1 Mac miniSurface Pro 9 5G
Wi-Fi
  • 802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6 wireless networking
  • IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac compatible
Wi-Fi 6E: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax compatible.
BluetoothBluetooth 5.0 wireless technologyBluetooth Wireless 5.1 technology
Ethernet
10/100/1000 BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45 connector)
-
Wireless WAN-
  • Location: GPS, Glonass, Galileo, and Beidou Support
  • NanoSIM and eSIM support
  • Supports 5G

Battery

M1 Mac miniSurface Pro 9 5G
Size-
  • 47.7 Wh
    Nominal battery capacity.
  • 46.5 Wh
    Minimum battery capacity.
Battery Life-Up to 19 hours of typical device usage
Power Supply150W built-in power supply
  • 39W power supply
  • Supports Fast Charge (0-60% in about one hour)

Software

M1 Mac miniSurface Pro 9 5G
OSShipped with macOS CatalinaConsumer models
  • Windows 11 Home on ARM
Business models
  • Windows 11 Pro on ARM
Built-in Apps
Photos iMovie GarageBand Pages Numbers Keynote Siri Safari Mail FaceTime Messages Maps News Stocks Home Voice Memos Notes Calendar Contacts Reminders Photo Booth Preview Music Podcasts TV Books App Store Time Machine Find My QuickTime Player
  • Preloaded Microsoft 365 Apps
  • Microsoft 365 Family 30-day trial
  • Preloaded Xbox app
  • Xbox Game Pass Ultimate one-month trial

Camera & Audio

M1 Mac miniSurface Pro 9 5G
Camera-
  • Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing)
  • 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p Skype HD video
  • 10.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p full HD and 4K video
Audio
  • Built-in speaker
  • 3.5mm headphone jack
  • HDMI 2.0 port supports multichannel audio output
  • Dual far-field Studio Mics
  • 2W stereo speakers

Misc

M1 Mac miniSurface Pro 9 5G
Inking-
  • Designed for Surface Slim Pen 2
  • Supports Microsoft Pen Protocol (MPP)
    4096 levels of pressure Tilt sensing Best in class latency Paper feel 0.1mm precision magnetic storage
  • Supports Tactile signals with Surface Slim Pen 2
  • The integrated storage and wireless charging for Surface Slim Pen 2 with Surface Pro Signature Keyboard
Sensors-
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
  • Ambient Color Sensor (brightness and color)
Security-
  • Enhanced security with Microsoft Pluton
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
  • Windows 11 Secured-core PC
In the box
  • Mac mini
  • Power cord
  • Surface Pro 9 SQ3 with 5G
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
  • SIM Card access tool
WarrantyYour Mac mini comes with 90 days of complimentary technical support and a one-year limited warranty. Purchase AppleCare+ for Mac to extend your coverage to three years from your AppleCare+ purchase date and add up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage, each subject to a service fee of $99 for external enclosure damage, or $299 for other repairable damage, plus applicable tax.1-year limited hardware warranty
MoreVideo Support
  • Simultaneously supports up to two displays:
    • One display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz connected via Thunderbolt and one display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz connected via HDMI 2.0
  • Thunderbolt 3 digital video output supports
    • Native DisplayPort output over USB‑C
    • Thunderbolt 2, DVI, and VGA output supported using adapters (sold separately)
  • HDMI 2.0 display video output
    • Support for one display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz
    • DVI output using HDMI to DVI Adapter (sold separately)
-

Key Features

M1 Mac miniSurface Pro 9 5G
At Glance
Released in Late
2020
Weight
2.6 lb
1.18 kg
Powered By
Apple M1 (8C, 8G)
8C/8T, 3.20 GHz
Geekbench 5
1,705
Single Core
Geekbench 5
7,414
Multi-Core
With integrated
Apple M1 iGPU
8 Graphics Cores, 1280 MHz
Configurable up to
16GB
Unified Memory
M1 Mac mini Ports
Released in Late
2022
3:2 2.8K
13”
1920p 60~120Hz
Weight
1.95 lb
0.88 kg
Powered By
Microsoft SQ3
8C/8T, 3.00 GHz
Geekbench 5
978
Single Core
Geekbench 5
4,760
Multi-Core
With integrated
Microsoft® SQ3™ Adreno™ 8cx Gen 3 GPU
N/A
Configurable up to
16GB
4266 MHz LPDDR4X
Starting at
$1,299.99
i5, 8GB, 128GB, Win 11 Home for ARM
Up to
19 hours
Battery life for typical device usage.

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