Surface Book 2 vs. Samsung Notebook 9 Pro: Spec showdown

The Samsung Notebook 9 Pro was announced at Computex 2022, delivering a reversible display, its ain South-pen digital inking, and a dedicated GPU. It's a slightly older device, but there are tradeoffs; namely the price.

If you were in the marketplace for a new 2-in-ane with inking back up, which should you swoop in on? Ultimately, information technology depends on your needs, and your budget.

Comparing Surface Book 2 and Samsung Notebook 9 Pro

Category	Surface Book 2	Samsung Notebook nine Pro
Display	13.5-inch or 15-inch PixelSense Brandish	13.5-inch or xv-inch LED
Resolution	3000 x 2000 3840 ten 2160 (4K)	1920 x 1080 (HD)
Os	Windows x Pro	Windows 10 Home
CPU	Cadre i5-7300U (three.2GHz) Core i7-8650U (4.2GHz)	Core i7-7500U (two.seven GHz)
Storage	256GB SSD 512GB SSD 1TB SSD	Up to 256 SSD
RAM	8GB 16GB	8GB 16GB
Graphics	Intel Hard disk drive Graphics 620 GTX 1050 (2GB) GTX 1060 (6GB)	thirteen-inch: Intel Hd Graphics 620 xv-inch: AMD Radeon 540 (2GB)
Rear camera	8MP	Due north/A
Front camera	5MP (Windows Hello)	720p
Ports	Two USB Blazon-A 3.1 (Gen1) USB Type-C with video, power in/out and USB 3.1 (Gen1) data Headphone and microphone Total-size SDXC menu reader (UHS-Two)	HDMI, Headphone and microphone, USB Type-C with video, 2x USB 3.0, MicroSD
Sensors	Ambience light sensor Accelerometer Gyroscope Magnetometer	Northward/A
Keyboard	Total-sized, backlit	Full-sized, backlit
Battery	70WHr (13-inch) 80WHr (15-inch)	54WHr
Pen	Surface Pen	South-Pen
Weight	Up to iv.20 lbs (one.9 kg)	Up to 3.seven lbs
Dimensions	13-inch: 12.three inches ten 9.xiv inches 10 0.59 to 0.90 inches 15-inch: thirteen.v inches ten 9.87 inches ten 0.57 inches to 0.xc inches	13-inch: 12.21 x 8.54 x 0.63 inches 15-inch: xiii.67 10 9.41 x 0.67 inches
Cost	Starts at $ane,499	Starts at $949

The key differentiator here is toll. The Samsung Notebook 9 Pro is cheaper than the Surface Book two across the board, starting at just $949 vs. the Surface Book 2'due south entry point at $1,499. Naturally, that'south due to a combination of tradeoffs.

First and foremost, the Surface Volume 2 has a superior screen at every level, hitting higher resolutions than the Samsung Notebook 9 Pro'south 1080p standard HD restrictions. If yous're a digital artist, in that location's really no competition here. And even beyond the screen resolution, the specs for creative types, gamers, students, and beyond, are thoroughly better on the Surface Book 2 range. But there are price considerations to make, too.

Surface Volume 2 xiii-inch and xv-inch respectively.

At the lower-stop, the Surface Book two and Notebook 9 Pro thirteen-inch models accept more comparable specs, with Intel HD 620 graphics across both, like sized screens, processors, and RAM. At this cease, the Notebook 9 Pro 13-inch begins to make more sense than the extra $550 dollars you'll pay for a similarly spec Surface Book 2. The principal benefits of picking upwardly the lower stop Surface Book ii over the Notebook ix Pro includes the more beautiful display, faster CPU, and the bigger bombardment life. As we head upwardly to the more expensive models, the Surface Book 2 begins to outperform the Notebook 9 Pro in a huge way.

At the loftier-stop, y'all can grab a Surface Volume 2 with 1TB of SSD storage, a GTX 1060 GPU, and a crazy fast Core i7-8650U CPU, which packs 4.2 GHz against the Notebook ix Pro's 2.7GHz. The Surface Book ii also shatters the Notebook ix Pro on listed battery life, claiming upwardly to 12 hours with an 80WHr battery, compared to the 54WHr batteries found in every Notebook 9 Pro, which lists at around six hours. If you lot're planning on taking these devices to lectures, in the field, or at work, the Notebook 9 Pro volition struggle to provide that realistic "all-day" bombardment life.

Samsung Notebook 9 Pro.

Besides, in that location are features to consider. The Surface Book 2 has a detachable brandish, providing a clipboard-like experience. While I've found the scenarios where yous might find this useful to exist incredibly niche, it's all the same worth thinking about. The Notebook 9 Pro instead has a reversible swivel, assuasive you to fold the brandish backwards to get tent and sail modes. On the Surface Book 2, y'all have to detach the brandish and flip it around if y'all wanted to utilise information technology while notwithstanding connected to the base (where the GPU and larger batteries are located).

Both devices have inking support, and by all accounts the Samsung Southward-pen is really quite good, supporting up to 4000 levels of force per unit area sensitivity. The Surface Book 2 edges it out slightly, with 4096 levels, and comes with tilt support and a co-processor to amend latency between the pen and the screen. If yous're willing to pay the premium toll point, the Volume ii will provide a premium inking experience. Frankly, the same could be said almost every aspect of these devices.

Which should you lot buy?

The 1000000 (thousand?) dollar question is, which should you lot buy? Ultimately, the Samsung Notebook 9 Pro is a Surface Book-like device with more affordable specs and features. Almost every aspect is slightly less "premium" than the Surface Book 2, resulting in a lower toll point. If you're on a tighter budget, it looks as though the Notebook ix Pro volition still serve well for lite gaming, low-cal creative work, and should prove speedy for regular tasks like Part, browsing, and beyond.

The Surface Book two, especially at the higher-end, is a powerhouse. The d-GPUs on offer, combined with the faster CPUs, better screen, and huge batteries beat the Notebook nine Pro at nigh every level. The Surface Book 2 xv-inch even comes with Xbox Wireless, allowing you to connect Xbox controllers and certified headsets without a dongle. This will run mod games extremely well, and provide not bad support for VR, Windows Mixed Reality, and higher-cease creative and professional tasks. Just whew, it is expensive.

The Surface Book two starts at $1,499 and will be available for pre-gild on November 9, 2022. The Samsung Notebook 9 Pro is available now, starting at $949

See Surface Book ii
See Samsung Notebook 9 Pro

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