While it seemed like we knew everything about Microsoft's Surface Pro 9, a new rumor has emerged from the folks at WinFuture. The new Windows tablet is set to arrive with Intel's U-series CPUs, contrary to previous rumors of P-series processors. Also, it might actually come in different colors.

Surface Pro 9 specs

According to the report, the Surface Pro 9 will come with 15W processors, which is actually what it's always come with. Intel's 28W P-series is new to 12th-Gen, and we've been seeing it in a lot of laptops that have traditionally come with U-series chips. But while they're more powerful, they can cause issues with sustained performance if the chassis isn't built to accommodate it, and it comes with a tax on battery life.

The Surface Pro 9 using a 15W option is beneficial on both counts. Being a tablet, the chassis is slim, so it might not benefit from a processor with a higher TDP. Being so slim, it also has a smaller battery than many laptops.

The two processor options, according to the report, are the Intel Core i5-1235U and Core i7-1255U, and the lack of a Core i3 option - which the Surface Pro 8 also lacked - probably means that Microsoft isn't planning to bring down the price by much, if anything. Other specs include between 256GB and 1TB of storage, up to 16GB RAM, and the same display as the Surface Pro 8. Indeed, we're expecting most (see colors below) of the chassis to be the same as the previous generation.

Microsoft is also merging the Surface Pro 9 and the Surface Pro X brands, so there will be a variant with the Microsoft SQ3 processor. This one will be the Surface Pro 9 with 5G, and it will also promise things like better battery life.

It comes in pretty colors

The Surface Pro lineup has only ever come in Platinum and Matte Black, the latter of which has now been branded as Graphite. The first two generations were black, the next three were Platinum, and since then, customers have has a choice between both. When the Surface Laptop arrived on the scene, it was the first to come in a variety of colors.

But apparently, the Surface Pro 9 is getting its own colors. According to the report, it will ome in Forest and Sapphire, along with the usual Platinum and Graphite. If accurate, it's certainly a change in direction for the Surface Pro lineup. Historically, if you wanted a bit of color with your Surface Pro, those were offered through various Surface Keyboards.

What's also interesting is that the Surface Laptop Go 2 already shipped in a new color: Sage. When that happened, we were told that Sage is the new color for 2022, so naturally, it's a bit surprising to hear about Forest and Sapphire. Of course, it's possible that Microsoft tested Sage on a tablet, and simply thought a darker shade of green would be more appropriate.

There are Surface Laptop 5 rumors as well

There's not as much in the report about the Surface Laptop 5, but there is some. For one thing, it will be offered with the same Core i5-1235U and Core i7-1255U as the Surface Pro 9.

What's more interesting is that the Surface Laptop 5 might not actually come with AMD processors. The report did say that it's possible that an AMD variant exists, but they just don't know about it yet. Still, the Surface Laptop has been the only option for AMD fans for two generations now. With Microsoft's focus on including all three of its chip-makers in Surface devices, leaving out AMD on this generation would be a surprising move.

Source: WinFuture