Enlarge / Microsoft's Surface Pro 9 is actually two totally different computers that look the same from the outside. (credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft is introducing a pair of typical, iterative updates to its Surface Pro convertible tablet PCs today. One is a modest upgrade to the Surface Pro 8, with 12th-generation Intel processors that promise much-improved performance for things that benefit from lots of CPU cores. The other is a refresh of the Surface Pro X, with a new Microsoft SQ3 Arm processor provided by Qualcomm.

The catch is that both of these tablets are now called "Surface Pro 9," an admission on Microsoft's part that it knew about the number 9 all along (and also possibly an effort to stop people from thinking that a Surface Pro X is one better than a Surface Pro 9).

The vanilla Surface Pro 9 is the more traditional Intel version, while the "Surface Pro 9 with 5G" includes an entirely different processor and the Arm version of Windows, with all that entails—a performance penalty for the vast majority of third-party Windows apps, but also the promise of better battery life. Both Surface Pro 9 models will be available on October 25.

Enlarge / Microsoft's Surface Pro 9 is actually two totally different computers that look the same from the outside. (credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft is introducing a pair of typical, iterative updates to its Surface Pro convertible tablet PCs today. One is a modest upgrade to the Surface Pro 8, with 12th-generation Intel processors that promise much-improved performance for things that benefit from lots of CPU cores. The other is a refresh of the Surface Pro X, with a new Microsoft SQ3 Arm processor provided by Qualcomm.

The catch is that both of these tablets are now called "Surface Pro 9," an admission on Microsoft's part that it knew about the number 9 all along (and also possibly an effort to stop people from thinking that a Surface Pro X is one better than a Surface Pro 9).

The vanilla Surface Pro 9 is the more traditional Intel version, while the "Surface Pro 9 with 5G" includes an entirely different processor and the Arm version of Windows, with all that entails—a performance penalty for the vast majority of third-party Windows apps, but also the promise of better battery life. Both Surface Pro 9 models will be available on October 25.

Enlarge / Microsoft's Surface Pro 9 is actually two totally different computers that look the same from the outside. (credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft is introducing a pair of typical, iterative updates to its Surface Pro convertible tablet PCs today. One is a modest upgrade to the Surface Pro 8, with 12th-generation Intel processors that promise much-improved performance for things that benefit from lots of CPU cores. The other is a refresh of the Surface Pro X, with a new Microsoft SQ3 Arm processor provided by Qualcomm.

The catch is that both of these tablets are now called "Surface Pro 9," an admission on Microsoft's part that it knew about the number 9 all along (and also possibly an effort to stop people from thinking that a Surface Pro X is one better than a Surface Pro 9).

The vanilla Surface Pro 9 is the more traditional Intel version, while the "Surface Pro 9 with 5G" includes an entirely different processor and the Arm version of Windows, with all that entails—a performance penalty for the vast majority of third-party Windows apps, but also the promise of better battery life. Both Surface Pro 9 models will be available on October 25.