Surface Pro X Announced With Microsoft SQ1 ARM SoC, 13-Inch Display And 2 TFLOP GPU
At the heart of the Surface Pro is Microsoft's new SQ1 processor. This SoC was engineered in partnership with Qualcomm and incorporates a Microsoft-designed AI engine (9 TFLOPs compute). Although it was not mentioned, we're assuming the SQ1 is based on the Snapdragon 8cx, which was designed from the onset for PCs. That chip is built on a 7nm process node, and is comprised of an octa-core, 64-bit Kyro 495 CPU and an Adreno 680 GPU. Qualcomm has previously shown that the Snapdragon 8cx compares favorably against the Intel Core i5-8250U (Kaby Lake-R) that is available in the Surface Pro 6.
According Microsoft's Panos Panay, the SQ1 processors offers up to a 3x uplift in performance-per-watt compared to the Surface Pro 6. The custom graphics engine is rated at at impressive (for a thin and light convertible) 2 TFLOPs.
You've going to be mostly interacting with the display, which measures 13 inches across and has a resolution of 2880x1920 (267 ppi, 1400:1 contrast ratio). The Surface Pro X is available with the new Surface Slim stylus, which is able to recharge when docked with the Type Cover.
The Surface Pro X features an all-new design with rounded edges, which is a nice departure from the hard edge of the Surface Pro 7. Weighing in at 1.68 pounds, Microsoft says that the Surface Pro X is also the thinnest Surface device yet at just 5.3mm. There are two USB-C ports available to the user, and fast charging is supported. Finally, thanks to its Snapdragon-based architecture, there's an integrated LTE modem for on-the-go wireless connectivity.
Microsoft says that the Surface Pro X is available for preorder today and will go on sale next month priced from $999.
