Microsoft Surfaces with new innovations
Shawn Chung - Singapore
Microsoft is the next major consumer tech brand to update its product line in time for the 2022 holidays, with the Surface family getting a major revision - gaining improved Cloud and AI features to enhance your Windows experience.
Microsoft Windows has been the dominant PC OS for forty years, but in 2022 Windows PCs have faced new challenges, with Gartner reporting a historic ‘steep’ market decline in worldwide PC shipments the third quarter 2022, on four consecutive quarters of year-over-year decline. Gartner places this fall in consumer demand as an after-effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many consumers upgraded their existing PC systems for remote work/study from home, and are generally happy with their existing systems.
So calling out the innovation of Surface has become more critical, especially as Surface devices always come with a price premium in comparison to their counterparts from Dell, Lenovo and HP.
In the last decade, Microsoft’s Surface devices have really challenged the conventional definition of the PC, through innovative form factors and new interaction modes that transformed what you expect from a laptop, desktop, tablet and mobile productivity device. Surface and Windows have helped remove barriers, empowering each of us to connect, create, work, learn and play in ways that are new and natural, and will continue to do so for the future.
Surface Pro 9
Surface Pro was the first of its gadget category – A tablet that can replace your laptop, offering touch, e-Ink, a full-size precision touchpad, and a productive keyboard finely crafted and satisfying to touch. Over the years it’s been refined, tuned and perfected, and today the Surface Pro 9 raises the bar as the 2-in-1 to beat, a powerful laptop, versatile tablet and ink-ready studio merged into one device.
The Surface Pro 9 is crafted with high-grade aluminum casing in a new set of beautiful, anodized colors1. On one side you see the iconic built-in kickstand and on the other a gorgeous 13-inch PixelSense display, On the Surface Pro 9, the edge-to-edge display on is stunning. With up to 120Hz refresh rate and a wide range of colors, visual stories are true to life. Underneath the display is an HD camera, Omnisonic speakers, directional microphones and Microsoft’s custom G6 chip that takes inking to the next level with tactile signals. Combined with the new Ink Focus in Microsoft OneNote, or the new GoodNotes app coming in early 2023 to Windows 11, digital ink on the screen feels like writing with pen and paper.
The Surface Pro 9 offers a choice between processors – 12th Gen Intel Core processor built on the Intel Evo platform with Thunderbolt 4, or Microsoft SQ3 powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon with 5G connectivity. 12th Gen Intel Core processor offers incredible power and performance, and verified as an Intel Evo device, the Surface Pro 9 is ready for real-world multi-tasking, full desktop productivity, all-day battery life and intense workloads – with up to 50% more performance than Surface Pro 8.
The Microsoft SQ3 processor provides fast 5G connectivity3, and ultra-long battery life – up to 19 hours. Additionally, it unlocks new AI features made possible through an entirely new Neural Processing Unit (NPU) that is capable of more than 15 trillion calculations per second.
For the 10th anniversary of Surface, Microsoft has partnered with London-based global design house “Liberty” to bring art and technology together to create a special-edition Surface Pro keyboard and laser-etched Surface Pro 9 with an exclusive pattern in a vibrant blue floral inspired by the Windows 11 Bloom – available in select markets, only at Liberty and Microsoft Stores while supplies last.
Surface Laptop 5
The Surface Laptop 5 is sleek and elegant laptop, providing all-day battery life and 12th Gen Intel Core processor with Thunderbolt 4 and is co-engineered and verified as an Intel Evo device for the first time, making the Surface Laptop 5 over 50% more powerful than its predecessor.
Surface Laptop 5’s signature 3:2 PixelSense display comes in 13.5-inch or 15-inch options, each with Dolby Vision IQ, giving you the best possible picture, with vivid colors and sharp contrast in any lighting conditions. The speakers are perfectly tuned and offer Dolby Atmos 3D spatial processing6 to fully immerse you in your content. The front-facing HD camera and Studio Microphones capture you in true-to-life fashion, even adjusting camera exposure in any lighting environment.
From new anodized aluminum colors1 to new capabilities, Surface Laptop 5 gives customers more of what they’ve always loved about this product.
Surface Studio 2+
Microsoft unveiled the first Surface Studio in 2016 and started a new PC trend - powerful all-in-ones to match the design ambitions of creators with a flexible display that could be used for CAD and drawing.
WIth more people requiring a flexible PC to work from home, Microsoft have crafted the elegant and powerful Surface Studio 2+ with a new Surface Studio processing engine utilizing an updated Intel Core i7 H Series processor for up to 50% faster CPU performance than its predecessor. Graphic performance has been doublied with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 discrete graphics , and the Surface Studio 2+ is capable of achieving the most realistic ray-traced graphics when you craft 3D designs or render models. Microsoft has also enhanced and modernized the display, cameras, Studio Mics and ports - including USB-C with Thunderbot 4.
For more details on Microsoft’s Winter 2022 event, visit the Microsoft Newsroom.