Microsoft Surface Pro 9 vs Dell XPS 15 9530 2023 Comparison

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Microsoft Surface Pro 9

13 inches | October 2022

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Dell XPS 15 9530 2023

15.6 inches | February 2023

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Microsoft Surface Pro 9 vs Dell XPS 15 9530 2023 Comparison Overview

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In this review, we will be comparing Surface Pro 9 and XPS 15 9530 2023, two laptops from Microsoft and Dell. Microsoft Surface Pro 9 was introduced to market in October 2022 and Dell XPS 15 9530 2023 was launched in February 2023. There is only 4 months difference between Surface Pro 9 and XPS 15 9530 2023 so we are expecting this to be a fair comparison regarding age and technology level.

Click for Available Configurations of the Laptops

Here is a brief look at the main features of Microsoft Surface Pro 9 and Dell XPS 15 9530 2023 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 Key Specs

Launched in October 2022
13.0" TouchScreen - IPS LCD, 3:2 Aspect Ratio Display
CPU: Intel Core i5 1235U
GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 (80EU)
8GB Ram
287 x 209 x 9.3 mm (11.3 x 8.23 x 0.37 inches)
Weight: 0.87 kg (1.92 lbs)

Dell XPS 15 9530 2023 Key Specs

Launched in February 2023
15.6" IPS LCD, 16:10 Aspect Ratio Display
CPU: Intel Core i5 13500H
GPU: Intel Arc 3 A370M 4GB
8GB Ram
344.72 x 230.14 x 18 mm (13.57 x 9.06 x 0.71 inches)
Weight: 1.86 kg (4.1 lbs)

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Surface Pro 9 and XPS 15 9530 2023 compares and decide which one is better for you.

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Reasons to choose Microsoft Surface Pro 9 over Dell XPS 15 9530 2023

Weight	0.87 kg vs 1.86 kg	0.99 kg lighter
Refresh Rate	120 Hz vs 60 Hz	Smoother media experience
Screen PPI	266 ppi vs 145 ppi	More pixels per inch
Touch Screen	Yes vs No	Interact with your fingers
Screen Resolution	2880 x 1920 pixels vs 1920 x 1200 pixels	Higher pixel count screen
sRGB Color Space	106.1% vs 100%	Wider sRGB Color Space Coverage
Dolby Atmos Speakers	Yes vs No	3D Surround Sound Support
Webcam Resolution	1920 x 1080 vs 1280 x 720	Higher Resolution Camera

Reasons to choose Dell XPS 15 9530 2023 over Microsoft Surface Pro 9

Screen-to-Body Ratio	~88.9% vs ~83.9%	Larger screen area ratio
Side Bezel Thickness	4.4 mm vs 6.2 mm	1.8 mm thinner bezels
Display Size	15.6 inches vs 13 inches	Larger Screen Estate
Max Brightness	500 nits vs 450 nits	Brighter Screen
GPU Fabrication Process	6 nm vs 10 nm	Newer Generation GPU
GPU FLOPS	3.46 TFLOPS vs 1.41 TFLOPS	Dedicated GPU unit
GPU Type	Dedicated vs Integrated	More RAM Options
Upgradable RAM	Yes vs No	More advanced Bluetooth connectivity
Bluetooth	v5.3 vs v5.1	Easy login with fingerprint
Fingerprint Sensor	Yes vs No	Connect more device at the same time
Number of USB-C Ports	3x USB 4.0 vs 2x USB 4.0	Read & Write SD Cards with the built-in reader
SD Card Reader	Yes vs No

Common Strengths of Dell XPS 15 9530 2023 and Microsoft Surface Pro 9

Launch Dates	October 2022 vs February 2023	Both laptops are recent models
HDR Support	Yes, Dolby Vision vs Yes, Dolby Vision	Watch HDR Clips
Fast Charging Support	Yes vs Yes	Charge the battery in a shorter time
USB Power Delivery	Yes vs Yes	Charging via USB port gives flexibility
Charging Port Position	Left, Right vs Left, Right	Flexible charging positions
RAM Type	PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x) vs PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x)	Fast RAM type
Upgradable Storage	Yes vs Yes	Option to increase the Storage size
SSD Type	NVMe vs NVMe	Faster Data Transfers
Wi-Fi Standard	v6E vs v6	Fast and Reliable Wi-Fi Connections
Thunderbolt Port	v4 vs v4	Fast data and power transfer via Thunderbolt Port
VGA Output	No vs No	Connect to External Displays via VGA cable
Keyboard Backlight	Yes vs Yes	Easily see the keys under low light

Common Weaknesses of Dell XPS 15 9530 2023 and Microsoft Surface Pro 9

HDMI Output	No vs No	Need an adapter to connect to HDMI displays

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 vs Dell XPS 15 9530 2023: Physical Specs Comparison

In this section, we will be comparing the physical specifications and body features of the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 and the Dell XPS 15 9530 2023.

Physical Specs
Weight	0.87 kg (1.92 lbs)	1.86 kg (4.1 lbs)
Surface Area	600 cm2 (93 inches2)	793 cm2 (122.9 inches2)
Screen to Surface Ratio	~83.9%	~88.9%
Side Bezel Thickness	~6.2 mm	~4.4 mm
Weight per Inch of Screen	0.07 kg/inch	0.12 kg/inch
	0.154 lbs/inch	0.264 lbs/inch
Colors	Black, Silver, Blue, Green	Black, Silver

Comparison of the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 and the Dell XPS 15 9530 2023 External Dimensions

Weight

Surface Pro 9 weighs 0.87 kg (1.92 lbs), whereas the XPS 15 9530 2023 weighs 1.86 kg (4.1 lbs). There is a notable difference in weight between these two laptops. However, it's important to consider that comparing their weights directly may not provide a complete picture since they also have different display sizes.

Weight Comparison

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 0.87 kg

Avg: 13.0-13.9" 1.22 kg

Dell XPS 15 9530 2023 1.86 kg

Avg: 15.0-15.9" 1.95 kg

Thickness Comparison

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 11.30 mm

Avg: 13.0-13.9" 15.38 mm

Dell XPS 15 9530 2023 18.00 mm

Avg: 15.0-15.9" 20.17 mm

Another value that we use for comparing the weights of the laptops is the Weight per Inch of Screen, which is calculated by dividing the total weight of the model with its usable diagonal screen size. This value for the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 is 0.07 kg/inch.In comparison, this value for the Dell XPS 15 9530 2023 is 0.12 kg/inch.Here are some of the best performing laptops in this area:

Microsoft Surface Go 4: 0.05 kg/inch
LG Gram SuperSlim 15.6 2023: 0.06 kg/inch
Asus ProArt PZ13 HT5306: 0.06 kg/inch
Asus Zenbook A14 UX3407: 0.06 kg/inch
Dell Latitude 7330: 0.07 kg/inch
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2: 0.07 kg/inch
LG Gram 14 2022: 0.07 kg/inch
LG Gram 14 2-in-1 2022: 0.07 kg/inch

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 vs Dell XPS 15 9530 2023: Internals (CPU, GPU, RAM, Battery, SSD, etc.) Comparison

CPU Comparison

CPU Model	Intel Core i5 1235U Intel Core i7 1255U	Intel Core i5 13500H Intel Core i7 13700H Intel Core i9 13900H
Base Frequency	1.3 GHz	2.6 GHz
Turbo Frequency	4.4 GHz	4.7 GHz
Number of Cores	10	12
Number of Threads	12	16
L3 Cache	12 MB	18 MB
Integrated GPU	Intel Iris Xe Graphics (80EU)	Intel Iris Xe Graphics (80EU)
CPU Fabrication Process	10 nm	10 nm
Geekbench 5 (Single)	1580	1730
Geekbench 5 (Multi)	6333	11090
Cinebench 23 (Single)	1654	1816
Cinebench 23 (Multi)	6618	14071

Above you can see the CPU options and the CineBench and GeekBench test scores for both laptops, which gives an idea about what kind of performance difference you may experience between the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 and Dell XPS 15 9530 2023.

You may also read reviews of latest laptops with the same CPUs and compare them:

Laptops with: Intel Core i5 1235U

Laptops with: Intel Core i5 13500H

GPU Comparison

GPU Model	Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 (80EU)	Intel Arc 3 A370M 4GB GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile 6GB GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile 8GB GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile 8GB
Base Clock Frequency	300 MHz	1550 MHz
Boost CLock Frequency	1100 MHz	2050 MHz
TGP (Total Graphics Power)	15 W	35 W
Type	Integrated	Dedicated
FLOPS	1,408 GFLOPS	4.198 TFLOPS
Memory Size	System Shared	4 GB
Memory Type	System Shared	GDDR6
Memory Bus	System Shared	64 bit
Memory Speed	System Shared	1750 MHz 14 Gbps effective
Shading Units Cores	640	1024
TMUs	40	64
ROPs	20	32

GPU is as critical as the CPU for graphic heavy applications and the table above gives a picture of how the two GPU compares. FLOPS is a measure of a GPU's performance based on the number of floating-point arithmetic calculations that the processor can perform within a second. Microsoft Surface Pro 9 has a FLOPS value of 1.41 TFLOPS whereas the Dell XPS 15 9530 2023 ' has a FLOPS value of 3.46 TFLOPS. If graphical performance of the laptop is important for your use type, the Dell XPS 15 9530 2023 may be the better choice between these two setups.

RAM Comparison

RAM	8GB 16GB 32GB	8GB 16GB 32GB 64GB
Memory Bus	2x4 GB	1x8 GB
RAM Clock	5200 MHz	4800 MHz
RAM Type	LPDDR5	DDR5
Upgradable	No	Yes
Memory Bus	PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x)	PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x)

Both laptops, the Surface Pro 9 and the XPS 15 9530 2023, come with similar RAM capacities of 8 GB, providing comparable performance in memory-intensive tasks.

LOCAL LLM Compatibility Evaluation

This quick guide shows what types of large language models (LLMs) each of these laptops could support, based on their respective hardware specifications. It's meant to help you compare their suitability for running AI models locally.

LLM Category	Microsoft Surface Pro 9	Dell XPS 15 9530 (2023)
Small Models(1-3B):Examples: Phi-2, Qwen-1.8B	✔ Run smoothly.	✔ Run smoothly.
Medium Models(7-8B):Examples: Mistral-7B, Qwen-7B	✖ Not supported.	✖ Not supported.
Large Models(13-30B):Examples: Mixtral, Qwen-14B	✖ Not supported.	✖ Not supported.
Extra-Large Models(65B+):Examples: LLaMA2-70B, Qwen1.5-72B	✖ Not supported on most systems. Requires high-end GPU or advanced setup.	✖ Not supported on most systems. Requires high-end GPU or advanced setup.

Note: Optimized (e.g., 4-bit) models may run on limited hardware. Performance depends on runtime and setup.

📌 MoE Models: Some models like Mixtral 8x7B and Qwen3-30B-A3B use a Mixture of Experts (MoE) design, activating only part of the model during inference. This means they can often run efficiently on laptops with 12–16 GB of VRAM when quantized.

BATTERY

BATTERY	47.7 Wh	86 Wh
Battery Type	Li-Ion	Li-Po
Replaceable	No	No
Fast Charging	No	Yes
USB Power Delivery	Yes	Yes
Charging Port Position	Left, Right	Left, Right
Charge Power	39 W	130 W
Full Charging Time	1:30 hr	2:30 hr

On the other hand, the XPS 15 9530 2023 features a higher battery capacity of 86 Wh, delivering longer usage time compared to the Surface Pro 9's 48 Wh.

Battery Comparison

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 48 Wh

Avg: 13.0-13.9" 53.1 Wh

Dell XPS 15 9530 2023 86 Wh

Avg: 15.0-15.9" 62.1 Wh

STORAGE
The XPS 15 9530 2023 offers a larger max storage capacity of 8 TB, providing more room for storing files and data compared to the Surface Pro 9's storage capacity of 1 TB.

Storage Options	128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB	512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB, 4 TB, 8 TB
Upgradable	Yes	Yes
Storage type	SSD (M2)	SSD (M2)
NVMe	Yes	Yes

If your budget allows, we recommend opting for the largest possible disk size, considering the potential increase in storage capacity needs in the future. However, please keep in mind the question 'What will the laptop be used for?' when making this decision. Of course, you can later upgrade the hard disk capacity by getting a larger disk. However, if your laptop has only one disk slot, it may not be as straightforward as a RAM upgrade, where you simply add or replace a module, as moving or cloning files to a new disk may be necessary.

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 vs Dell XPS 15 9530 2023: Display Comparison

The display is an essential aspect to consider when comparing the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 and Dell XPS 15 9530 2023 since its is the component that you interact the most and significantly impact the experience.

Screen Area and Dimensions

Now let's look at the comparison of the actual display areas of both laptops below, keeping the bezels around the screens out of the equation. Surface Pro 9 has a display size of 13.0".On the other hand, XPS 15 9530 2023 has a larger15.6" display.The total usable screen area of the Surface Pro 9 is 503cm² / 78inch² whereas the XPS 15 9530 2023's total usable screen area is 706cm² / 109inch².

PPI (Pixels per Inch)
Additionally, the Surface Pro 9 features a higher pixel density with 266 pixels per inch (PPI), ensuring sharper image details.

Screen PPI (Pixels Per Inch) Comparison

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 266 PPI

Avg: 13.0-13.9" 186 PPI

Dell XPS 15 9530 2023 145 PPI

Avg: 15.0-15.9" 144 PPI

Refresh Rate
The Surface Pro 9 offers a higher refresh rate of 120 Hz, resulting in smoother motion and improved visual experience.

Brightness
The XPS 15 9530 2023 offers a higher maximum brightness of 500 nits, delivering a brighter screen.

Brightness Comparison

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 450 nits

Avg: 13.0-13.9" 438 nits

Dell XPS 15 9530 2023 500 nits

Avg: 15.0-15.9" 319 nits

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 vs Dell XPS 15 9530 2023 Connectivity Comparison

In terms of connectivity,

Wifi
Surface Pro 9 features a more advanced Wi-Fi standard v6E, providing faster and more reliable wireless connections compared to XPS 15 9530 2023 (v6).

Below, you'll find a Wi-Fi Versions Table, along with their release dates and speeds, to provide a brief overview of its development.

Wi-Fi Versions and Speeds

Standard	Speed	Release Date	Network	Frequency Bands (GHz)
Wi-Fi 7	up to 40 Gbps (5 GB/s)	2023	802.11be	2.4, 5, 6
Wi-Fi 6E	up to 9.6 Gbps (1.2 GB/s)	2020	802.11ax	2.4, 5, 6
Wi-Fi 6	up to 9.6 Gbps (1.2 GB/s)	2019	802.11ax	2.4, 5
Wi-Fi 5	up to 6.93 Gbps (866.25 MB/s)	2014	802.11ac	2.4, 5
Wi-Fi 4	up to 600 Mbps (75 MB/s)	2009	802.11n	2.4, 5

* Please note that the provided transfer rates are maximum theoretical values, and real-life performance may vary based on environmental factors.

USB
Neither Surface Pro 9 nor XPS 15 9530 2023 has USB-A ports.
Both Surface Pro 9 and XPS 15 9530 2023 have USB Type-C ports. Surface Pro 9 has 2x USB 4.0 USB Type-C ports, while XPS 15 9530 2023 has 3x USB 4.0 USB Type-C ports.

Below, you'll find a table of USB ports, along with their release dates and speeds.
To mitigate the confusion caused by generation names, the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) suggests using marketing names like USB 5Gbps, USB 10Gbps, and so forth, based on their respective transfer rates.

USB Type and Speeds

USB Type	Version	Speed	Date	Other Features/Explanations
USB4	Gen 4 (2.0)	80 Gbps	2022	Also known as USB 80Gbps
USB4	Gen 3×2	40 Gbps	2019	Also known as USB 40Gbps
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 2x2	20 Gbps	2019	Double the data transfer rates of Gen 2
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 2	10 Gbps	2017	Previously known as USB 3.1
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 1	5 Gbps	2017	Previously known as USB 3.0
USB 3.1	3.1 Gen 2	10 Gbps	2013	Faster data transfer rates
USB 3.0	3.1 Gen 1	5 Gbps	2010	SuperSpeed USB, improved data transfer rates
USB 2.0	2.0	480 Mbps	2000	High-speed data transfer
USB 1.0	1.0	1.5 Mbps	1996	Original USB standard

Thunderbolt
Both Surface Pro 9 and XPS 15 9530 2023 are equipped with Thunderbolt 4 ports.

HDMI
Neither Surface Pro 9 nor XPS 15 9530 2023 has an HDMI port for connecting to external monitors. Neither Surface Pro 9 nor XPS 15 9530 2023 has an HDMI port for connecting to external monitors.

Below, you'll find a comparison table detailing different HDMI versions, including their bandwidth, color depth, maximum resolution, and release dates. This information can be helpful in understanding the capabilities of each HDMI version and choosing the most suitable one for your needs.

HDMI Comparison Table

HDMI Version	Maximum Resolution	Bandwidth (Gbps)	Color Depth (bits)	Release Date
HDMI 2.1-2.1b	7680 x 4320 *(8K)* @ 60p 3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 120p	48.0	48	2017
HDMI 2.0-2.0b	3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 60p	18.0	48	2013
HDMI 1.4-1.4b	3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 30p	10.2	48	2009
HDMI 1.3-1.3a	2560 x 1440 @ 60p	10.2	48	2006
HDMI 1.0-1.2a	1920 x 1200 @ 60p	4.95	24	2002

* Please note that the provided resolution values represent the maximum supported resolution, and actual display quality may depend on other factors such as source content and connected devices.

SD Card Reader
XPS 15 9530 2023 is equipped with an SD Card Reader for easy access to memory cards. Surface Pro 9 does not have an SD Card Reader.

Audio Jack
XPS 15 9530 2023 is equipped with a 3.5mm Audio Jack, allowing seamless connection to headphones and speakers. Surface Pro 9 does not have a 3.5mm Audio Jack.

To summarize the connectivity and ports details, please refer to the table below to see them listed.

Connectivity and Ports
WiFi Standard (latest: v7)	v6E	v6
Bluetooth (latest: v5.4)	v5.1	v5.3
USB-A (latest: 3.2)	No	No
USB Type-C (latest: USB4 2.0)	2x USB 4.0	3x USB 4.0
Thunderbolt (latest: 4)	Thunderbolt 4	Thunderbolt 4
HDMI (latest: 2.1)	No	No
Display Port (latest: v2.0)	No	No
VGA	No	No
Fingerprint Sensor	No	Yes
Optical Drive	No	No
Audio Jack 3.5mm	No	Yes
Ethernet RJ45	No	No
SD CardReader	No	Yes
Proprietary Charging Port	Yes	No