Surface Pro 1 vs. Surface Pro 9 5G: Full specs comparison

We have comprehensively analyzed the technical specifications for the Surface Pro 1 and Surface Pro 9 5G models. Our report includes intricate details such as the CPU, memory, storage, battery life, display quality, and other features.

Surface Pro 1 Pros

Reasons that Surface Pro 1 is better than Surface Pro 9 5G.

More versatile connectivity

Surface Pro 1 has better versatile I/O connectivity than the Surface Pro 9 5G. It has three versus one commonly used port and slot on the Surface Pro 9 5G.

PortsSurface Pro 1Surface Pro 9 5G
microSD card slotYesNo
Mini DisplayPortYesNo
Thunderbolt 4NoYes
USB-AYesNo

Surface Pro 9 5G Pros

Reasons that Surface Pro 9 5G is better than Surface Pro 1.

Much newer manufacturing

2022 vs. 2012

Much faster CPU performance

Microsoft SQ3 inside Surface Pro 9 5G has a 368% better multi-core CPU performance score than the Intel Core i5-3317U inside Surface Pro 1.

Geekbench 5 multi-core score
Surface Pro 9 5G - Microsoft SQ3
4,760
Surface Pro 1 - Intel Core i5-3317U
1,017
Supports larger memory

Surface Pro 9 5G supports a larger memory capacity than the Surface Pro 1. It supports up to 16GB versus 4GB of system memory on the Surface Pro 1.

Max system memory size
Surface Pro 9 5G
16 GB
Surface Pro 1
4 GB
Supports faster memory

Surface Pro 9 5G supports a faster memory speed than the Surface Pro 1. It supports up to 4266MHz versus 1600MHz of system memory on the Surface Pro 1.

Memory type and speed
Surface Pro 9 5G - LPDDR4X
4,266 MHz
Surface Pro 1 - DDR3
1,600 MHz
22% larger display

Surface Pro 9 5G has a 13-inch screen size 22% larger than the 10.6-inch Surface Pro 1.

Display size
Surface Pro 9 5G
13-inch
Surface Pro 1
10.6-inch
Has one more port and slot

Surface Pro 9 5G has more ports and slots count than the Surface Pro 1. It has six versus five amount of ports and slots on the Surface Pro 1.

PortsSurface Pro 1Surface Pro 9 5G
microSD card slotYesNo
Mini DisplayPortYesNo
nanoSIM card slotNoYes
SSD slotNoYes
Surface Charging ConnectorYesNo
Surface ConnectNoYes
Surface Touch/Type Cover ConnectorYesNo
Surface Type CoverNoYes
Thunderbolt 4NoYes x2
USB-AYesNo
Total56

Prices

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

Surface Pro 1 Price
Microsoft Surface Pro 9, 13" 2-in-1 Tablet & Laptop, Thin & Lightweight, Intel 12th Gen i7 Fast Processor for Multi-Tasking, 32GB Ram, 1TB Storage with Windows 11, Platinum Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft Surface Pro 9, 13" 2-in-1 Tablet & Laptop, Thin & Lightweight, Intel 12th Gen i7 Fast Processor for Multi-Tasking, 32GB Ram, 1TB Storage with Windows 11, Platinum Microsoft Copilot
By Microsoft
$2,049.99
$2,599.99 21% OFF
Microsoft Surface Pro 9 with 5G LTE 13" 120Hz 2-In-1 Tablet, Microsoft SQ3, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Windows 11 Pro, Platinum
Microsoft Surface Pro 9 with 5G LTE 13" 120Hz 2-In-1 Tablet, Microsoft SQ3, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Windows 11 Pro, Platinum
By Microsoft
$1,590.18
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
$659.99
$749.99 12% 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, Graphite 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, Graphite Microsoft Copilot
By Microsoft
$1,098.99
$1,599.99 31% 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
$954.99
$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
$659.99
$749.99 12% OFF

Availability

Surface Pro 1Surface Pro 9 5G
Released20122022
Release Date
  • Introduced: June 18, 2012
  • Not available for pre-ordered
  • Released: February 9, 2013
  • Introduced: October 12, 2022
  • Pre-ordered: October 12, 2022
  • Released: October 25, 2022
Pricing
  • Intel® Core™ i5
    • $899 - i5 | 4 GB | 64 GB
    • $999 - i5 | 4 GB | 128 GB
Starting at $2,999.99
Applicable Models-
  • Surface Pro 9 with 5G
  • Surface Pro 9 SQ® 3
Generations

Exterior

Surface Pro 1Surface Pro 9 5G
Dimensions10.81” x 6.81” x 0.53” (275 mm x 173 mm x 13.46 mm)
Width: 10.81” (275 mm)
Height: 6.81” (173 mm)
Thickness: 0.53” (13.46 mm)
11.3” x 8.2” x 0.37” (287 mm x 208 mm x 9.3 mm)
Weight
  • 2 lbs (910 g)
1.95 lb (883 g)
Colors
Dark Titanium
Platinum
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Surface Type Cover
    • Not included
  • Keyboard:
    • Activation: Moving (mechanical) keys.
    • Layout: QWERTY, full row of function keys (F1-F12).
    • 4 directional keys; Windows and Media Controls Keys.
  • Trackpad:
    • Two-finger multitouch gesture 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

Surface Pro 1Surface Pro 9 5G
Size10.6 Inches13 Inches
Info
  • Resolution: 1920 x 1080 (2M Pixels)
  • Density: 208 PPI
  • ClearType Full HDDisplay
  • Aspect ratio: 16:9
  • Touch: 10 point multi-touch
  • Surface Pen support (1st Gen)
  • 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

Surface Pro 1Surface Pro 9 5G
Surface Pro 1 Ports
Image Source: Microsoft
Left (1)
  • 1 x USB-A
    USB 3.0 (5 Gbps)
Right (3)
  • 1 x microSD card slot
  • 1 x Surface Charging Connector
  • 1 x Mini DisplayPort
Bottom (1)
  • 1 x Surface Touch/Type Cover Connector
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

Surface Pro 1Surface Pro 9 5G
Processor
  1. Intel® Core™ i5-3317U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 1.70 → 2.60 GHz, 3MB SmartCache, 17W
  1. Microsoft® SQ3™ with Neural Processing Unit
    8 cores, 8 threads, 3.00 GHz, 8MB Cache, 7W
Integrated Graphics
  1. Intel® Core™ i5-3317U
    Intel® HD Graphics 4000
    16 Execution Units, 350 → 1.05 MHz
  1. Microsoft® SQ3™ with Neural Processing Unit
    Microsoft® SQ3™ Adreno™ 8cx Gen 3 GPU
    N/A,
Memory
4GB
Dual Channel Memory
8GB 16GB
4266 MHz LPDDR4X RAM
Storage
64 GB 128 GB
SSD
128GB 256GB 512GB 1TB
Removable SSD.
Fans Number--

Connectivity

Surface Pro 1Surface Pro 9 5G
Wi-Fi
  • Wi-Fi 4: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n compatible.
Wi-Fi 6E: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax compatible.
Bluetooth
  • Bluetooth Wireless 4.0 technology
Bluetooth Wireless 5.1 technology
Wireless WAN-
  • Location: GPS, Glonass, Galileo, and Beidou Support
  • NanoSIM and eSIM support
  • Supports 5G

Battery

Surface Pro 1Surface Pro 9 5G
Size42 Wh
  • 47.7 Wh
    Nominal battery capacity.
  • 46.5 Wh
    Minimum battery capacity.
Battery Life7-15 days of idle lifeUp to 19 hours of typical device usage
Power Supply
  • 48W proprietary power supply
    • USB-A output: 5W
    • Surface Charger: 43W
  • 39W power supply
  • Supports Fast Charge (0-60% in about one hour)

Software

Surface Pro 1Surface Pro 9 5G
OS
  • Windows 8 Pro
  • Upgradable Windows 10 Pro
Consumer models
  • Windows 11 Home on ARM
Business models
  • Windows 11 Pro on ARM
Built-in AppsMicrosoft Office 30-days trial
  • Preloaded Microsoft 365 Apps
  • Microsoft 365 Family 30-day trial
  • Preloaded Xbox app
  • Xbox Game Pass Ultimate one-month trial

Camera & Audio

Surface Pro 1Surface Pro 9 5G
Camera
  • 720p HD LifeCam front-facing camera with TrueColor Technology
  • 720p HD LifeCam rear-facing camera with TrueColor Technology
  • 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
  • Single microphone
  • Stereo speakers
  • Dual far-field Studio Mics
  • 2W stereo speakers

Misc

Surface Pro 1Surface Pro 9 5G
InkingSupports Surface Pen
1,024 levels of pressure
Wacom Active Pen technology
Can be attached to charging port
Included with purchase
  • 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
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
  • 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
  • Surface Pro (1st Gen)
  • Surface Pro Pen
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
  • Surface Pro 9 SQ3 with 5G
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
  • SIM Card access tool
Warranty
  • One-year limited hardware warranty
1-year limited hardware warranty
More
  • Casing: VaporMg
  • Kickstand: 1 position at 22°
  • Physical buttons: volumes, power
-

Key Features

Surface Pro 1Surface Pro 9 5G
At Glance
Released in Mid
2012
16:9 FHD
10.6”
1080p 60Hz
Weight
2 lb
0.91 kg
Powered By
Intel Core i5-3317U
2C/4T, 1.70 → 2.60 GHz
Geekbench 5
460
Single Core
Geekbench 5
1,017
Multi-Core
With integrated
Intel® HD Graphics 4000
16 Execution Units, 350 → 1.05 MHz
4GB
1600 MHz DDR3
Surface Pro 1 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.

Comments

Ask questions or share your thought and experience about the comparison between Surface Pro 1 and Surface Pro 9 5G.

Loading Comments...