Microsoft, today, launched the Surface Pro 9 and Surface Laptop 5 in India. Both devices were launched globally in October and are follow-ups to the Surface Pro 8 and Surface Laptop 5. Microsoft says pre-orders start today — November 15 — with general availability set to begin November 29 onwards.
Surface Pro 9 and Surface Laptop 5 are largely similar to their predecessors in look and feel with major upgrades coming by way of core hardware.
Surface Laptop 5
The Surface Laptop 5 is Intel-only this year (the fourth-gen model gave you options of both Intel and AMD) and Microsoft has finally added Thunderbolt 4 support. Microsoft says the new hardware makes the Surface Laptop 5 over 50 percent faster than the previous version. Otherwise, you get the same design and choice of 13.5- and 15-inch 3:2 screen sizes as before.
The 13.5-inch Surface Laptop 5 starts at Rs 1,07,999 for the consumer SKU with Intel’s 12th Gen Core i5, 8GB RAM, and 256GB SSD. An equivalent commercial SKU will cost Rs 1,11,899. A version with Core i7 chip and double the RAM (16GB) and storage (512GB) will sell for Rs 1,78,999 (consumer) and Rs 1,80,899 (commercial) respectively.
The 15-inch Surface Laptop 5 will come in sole i7 configuration with the 8GB/256GB version price in India set at Rs 1,39,999 for consumer SKU. A version with double the RAM and storage will sell for Rs 1,88,999 (consumer) and Rs 1,90,699 (commercial) respectively.
Surface Pro 9
The Surface Pro 9 comes with more visible changes on both the outside and inside, relatively speaking. To begin with, you get a wider selection of colours to choose from. Globally, the Surface Pro 9 comes in platinum, sapphire, graphite, and forest colours, though it isn’t immediately clear if Microsoft is bringing all or only select options to India.
The other big change is coming by way of processor choices. The Surface Pro 9 comes in Intel and ARM options. The latter would naturally offer some additional perks such as 5G connectivity and a new neural processing unit courtesy of Microsoft’s SQ3 chip, which it has closely designed with Qualcomm. The ARM Surface Pro 9 will only be available for commercial sales channels in India, Microsoft has confirmed.
Otherwise, it’s the same classic 13-inch detachable form factor that’s come to single-handedly dominate the 2-in-1 market.
A version with the i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB SSD will cost Rs 1,05,999 for consumers and Rs 1,11,899 for commercial SKU. The same version with 256GB storage will be available for Rs 1,16,999 (consumer) and Rs 1,21,699 (commercial) respectively.
The Surface Pro 9 with Core i7, 16GB RAM and 256GB storage will sell for Rs 1,67,999 (consumer) and Rs 1,70,999 (commercial) respectively. The same version with 512GB SSD will be available for Rs 1,98,999 for consumers and Rs 2,00,599 for commercial SKU.
The top-of-the-line Surface Pro 9 with i7, 32GB of RAM and 1TB storage will set buyers back by Rs 2,69,999 (consumer) and Rs 2,59,999 for commercial SKU.
Surface Laptop 5, Surface Pro 9 launch offers, availability
Surface Pro 9 orders will come with a complimentary Surface Pro keyboard accessory worth Rs 14,999 while Surface Laptop 5 buyers will be eligible to get a Surface poppy red Arc Mouse worth Rs 7,499 at no extra charge.
Both Surface devices will be available across Amazon, Reliance Digital, Croma, Vijay Sales and select multi brand stores.
