Microsoft Surface Pro 9 ARM version equipped with SQ3 chip, based on Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 custom

Qualcomm may plan to announce the new chip during its annual Snapdragon Summit, but it will also have to wait until November, and the new product launch will be delayed, which means the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 will not be equipped with the latest hardware. The news broke that the Surface Pro 9 will be based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 custom build into the SQ3 chip.

Previously it was announced that Microsoft would eventually merge its Surface Pro lineup, suggesting that the Surface Pro 9 will be available in both ARM and Intel-based versions.

According to Rich 'Rose Gold' Woods on Twitter, the Surface Pro 9 will be powered by the Microsoft SQ3 chip, which the software giant will develop in partnership with Qualcomm, and it will be customized based on the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3. The Microsoft SQ3 chip may have slightly different CPU and GPU clock frequencies, but otherwise, the SoC will have most similarities to Qualcomm's chip.

In terms of performance, the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 is not bad, but it fails to beat the Apple M1, let alone the M2, and Qualcomm will develop a custom chip to fight with Apple after the acquisition of Nuvia. In addition, Microsoft Surface Pro 9 will get stylus support and all the benefits of an ARM-based chip, such as long battery life and 5G network support.

The Intel-based version will likely come with a 12th-generation processor for laptops, so performance and efficiency will vary between the two Surface Pro 9 models. Microsoft may announce a new Surface lineup in October, so stay tuned.