Surface Pro 9 Artist Review

Hey, guys. I'm really happy to finally be back with you. I've had a lot going on the past year, but we are back and I will be posting more consistently again. Today we are kicking things off with a review of the Microsoft Surface Pro 9. Last year I actually had entire Surface Pro 8 review filmed for you guys that I never got the chance to finish or get up. In that review I had a lot of things I wanted to talk to you guys about, I didn't end up keeping the machine, but I wanted to make up for it with a review of the Surface Pro 9. We will of course be reviewing the Surface Pro 9 from the standpoint of the creative professional. We will be going over the hardware of the Surface Pro 9, we will be talking about software, and of course we will be talking about performance with Intels 12th generation chipset. We will talk about the accessories like Microsofts Signature Surface Type Cover, and Microsofts Surface Slim Pen 2. We go in depth on the Slim Pen 2, which was something I wanted to show you guys in the Surface Pro 8 review that I didn't get to get up. The Surface Slim Pen 2 brings a totally different pen input experience to the Surface Pro and it has evolved to be something really great. So let's not waste any more time. This is the Surface Pro 9 Artist review.

00:00 Introduction
00:46 I'm BACK!
00:50 Review Start
01:03 Hardware Overview
01:43 Surface Slim Pen 2 Hardware
02:48 Power & Performance
08:46 Display & Speaker thoughts
09:52 Direct Working
10:06 Adobe PS & AI Performance
11:20 Drawing with Slim Pen 2
13:24 Inking with Slim Pen 2
13:36 Tooth Of Pen Tip
14:14 Haptic Engine Of Pen
15:10 Things I don't like
16:10 Battery life
17:12 Can I recommend?
18:09 Outro

Thanks for tuning in!

Find me!

Twitter

Instagram

[CladioJulianoArt]

Hey, guys. VERY IMPORTANT! There must have been a bug in geek-bench when I was running the GPU scores. It seems that they weren’t accurate. The GPU scores that I’m seeing online when searching their index are showing over 13, 000 on the GPU, which is much better than the results I got. I tested the benchmark multiple times, at least 6 times on different days at max power plugged in and the result kept coming back as what was shown in the video. I would have had a very different view of the GPU in the video if the proper results were shown. I also think this happened to me last year on the Pro 8 tests, but it’s hard to remember.

Interestingly the geek bench browser is showing that the Pro 8 i5 reaches over 15K, so I’m not sure why the scores are still behind even the Pro 8. But at 13K-14K and the i7 hitting 17k+ I can say the intel Iris XE has made great strides. Hope you guys catch this comment, I’m really bummed that the scores didn’t come in properly. I also didn’t realize the Pro 8 i5 had a fan either because it ran extra silent, and assumed it had no fan being that previous gens had no fan.

[unexon]

The biggest advantage of Surface Pro 9 over iPad Pro is that Surface Pro 9 runs full Windows 11 system, so all apps, programs and even games (of course those more light, we won't play Cyberpunk 2077 on this - unless via cloud gaming) can be run on it. If someone is in Apple ecosystem then should go for iPad, coz it's all connected there. But if someone is just looking for 2 in 1 laptop for work, consuming media, movies etc. and doesn't want to create full ecosystem (where you have to spend money on other devices) then Surface Pro 9 is a better choice

[homidjohn]

It's so fun to watch him take advantage of the Dial. You never see other YouTubers show it off.

Btw, I wish Microsoft put out their Magic Trackpad equivalent already.

[delasantos]

Just a really great comprehensive review covering all the main points I am interested in such as comparing to the IPad Pro, and all the details of the user experience from a real world practical experience. Thank you for making one of the best SP9 reviews out there ! 🎉

[bjarnehansen]

I have the i7 version and my Geekbench scores are: Single Core: 1680, Multi core: 8094, Open CL: 17766. All at max power option and unplugged. The i5 should not be that much slower.

[ahmedalshair]

Thanks for the review..
You talked about the "balanced mode" that initiates once you unplug the Surface Pro as if it's enforced on users, which is not true and misleading to be honest. You can always control this in the settings to keep the "best performance" mode working even if unplugged.
This of course will have a negative impact on the battery life but will achieve the goal of keeping the performance consistent.

[stephanierianne]

Not sure if I missed this --I would appreciate it if you could indicate how much RAM this version of the Surface Pro 9 had? (8/16/32 GB)? Thanks!

[thekaytouch]

Heya Cladio. Thanks for the review. Please are you able to record time lapses with Clipstudio paint on the surface pro?

[nasergh]

Is this surface have an option to use it with power and without charging the battery so it doesn't get hot in use and no concern about battery life?

[christianr.]

Can’t wait to see how the snapdragon X Elite ends up being for artists. The cool and quiet nature combined with the good battery life and off cable performance sounds awesome

[sebastiandresilva]

Hi! Great review!

Which version is this? Is it 8GB of RAM or 16GB of RAM? I'd like to do occasional simple Premiere Pro edits, and maybe some very light After Effects here and there on the go, while still having a solid device at home with RTX GPU and 8-core processor. Would you say the 8GB version is enough? Besides that, I'll just use it for note taking, annotating pdf documents and basic office work.

[markmoriarty]

I have the Surface Pro 8 i5 and it does have a fan. Only comes on if you are really pushing it and it is not loud at all. Also my Surface does not make any odd sounds as you had. Perhaps you machine was faulty.

[ralbav]

Very good video. Have you suffered the old problem with the pen while you are making zoom in Photoshop? In old version Surface with W10, the stylus only moved the canvas instead of drawing when you made zoom.

[wiz]

Finally a review that goes into detail like I wanted!

I found a new surface pro 9 (i5 8gb 256gb) + keyboard and pen for 1k USD, considering selling my Tab S8 then buying it. (I mainly notetake and study, watch movies, light gaming, edit photos, write)

It's amazing for notetaking for University, that's what I mainly use it for alongside entertainment, but the fact it runs the android version of Office apps and doesn't run windows apps I occassionally use like Photoshop is a bummer (I have to wait till I get home to use my PC) + I could play 2D light games on the go. As for writing, I got a third party S8 type cover and it's pretty bad and the weight of the tablet makes it fall back easily + connecting it with Bluetooth is inconvenient

The battery life sounds worrying though, especially considering it might deteriorate over time.

What do you think?

[pixelpusher]

Very good review! A question: Is Intel Iris X graphics sufficient for Photoshop CC? Somewhere on the Adobe website there is a warning/recommendation as to GPU minimum requirements for PS CC, and I believe Intel Iris X stays below those, which means some functionality (like 3D) in PS CC will be unavailable, and overall PS CC may not run as smoothly. On the other side, there are a number of review videos where PS CC is used on devices with Intel Iris X graphics, and I´ve never heard a reviewer say anything negative about hang ups because of it in PS CC.

Currently, there are good deals for the MS Surface Pro 8. Given the choice, I´d probably go for more RAM (like the top specced 32gb/1tb) and 11th gen Intel CPU instead of 12th gen Intel CPU with less RAM. For Photoshop, 11th vs 12th gen Intel CPU won´t make any noticeable difference I believe.


BTW: Backwards compatibility is amazing. PS and AI CS6 runs without problems under Windows 11, which is good for anyone refusing to get sucked into Creative Cloud. The only thing is that a particular Wintab driver needs to be installed to enable pen pressure sensitivity on MS Surface Pro 8/9 in PS CS6.

[bharat]

Thanks for the detailed review.

How's the experience of working with the Surface Dial + Surface Pen 2?

Is it a worthy addition or a gimmicky tool for you?

[KiteoHatto]

I have the i7 version and the battery life is so bad. I charge it overnight to take it to class in the morning and by the time it's lunch time, i have to charge it again. I get like 3.5 hours IF that of pretty light photo editing, note taking and a sketch. No gaming or watching videos. I don't know if adobe cloud is screwing me over with constant syncing or something or even onedrive.

I wish i got an ipad instead.

[sanwalaftab]

Hi Cladio, Great Review, I have a question, I am game ui ux designer plus sometimes I use aftereffects for some small rendering, not much heavy editing, so surface pro 9 i5 is fine for that, mostly I work on Photoshop and figma. Just looking for budget machine thats why asking about i5 only.

Thanks

[marianmarian]

Very useful video... One question: what is that device you roll to turn around the canvas?

[Eeriekid]

Hi on my galaxy tab the brushes lag whenever i use large brushes. I'm wondering if this device does the same thing when running clip studio paint on the surface? Thinking of switching over to surface if it has better performance