Microsoft Surface Launch Event – Rumors, Reports and Expectations

Microsoft Surface Devices Line-up Launch Forecast

Almost all of Microsoft’s surface product line-up is scheduled for an expected refresh at the October 2nd event in New York. There are lots of reports, rumors and educated guesses taking place, but how much of it is true or makes sense is yet to be discovered.

Microsoft Surface Launch Event - Rumors, Reports and Expectations
Microsoft Surface Launch Event – Rumors, Reports and Expectations

Last year, the Surface launch of Microsoft included the Surface Pro-6, Surface Laptop 2, the Surface Studio 2 and the Surface Headphones. In 2018, Microsoft had announced the Surface GO and the Surface Book 2. In a bid to refresh all these products, Microsoft might be hosting an epic Surface event next month.

For a new surface hardware, Microsoft has a wide range of variety of chip platforms from AMD, intel and QualComm to tap for the new Surface Hardware. Microsoft can build a surface device because there are no fewer than almost six viable core microprocessors. The Amber Lake Y-series chips, Whiskey Lake U-series Laptops and the existing 8th-gen Intel. The devices which are up clocked are 10th-gen ‘Comet Lake’ platform which are being used in U and Y-series laptops respectively. The gold chips of Intel’s Pentium, which is the founder of the Surface Go, might play a huge role.

Microsoft Surface Launch Event - Rumors, Reports and Expectations
Microsoft Surface Launch Event – Rumors, Reports and Expectations

The Ryzen Mobile Processors have historically been lazy in finding tractions in Notebook PC’s. The QualComm’s Snapdragon 8cx Chips is promising, improved and better performance.

There are six different chip platforms available for you to choose according to your needs, it all depends on how you count on it. There are a huge number of reports and rumors related to the features of this product, so lets take on these here.

The Surface Pro 7 is using USB-C

Microsoft Surface Launch Event - Rumors, Reports and Expectations
Microsoft Surface Launch Event – Rumors, Reports and Expectations

There were claims made by Thurrott’s Brad Sams who said that the Surface Pro 7 and perhaps the Surface Laptop 3 would be having a USB-C interface as part of the beneath A surface. He also wrote a book about the past and future of surface devices, this revelation is a part of this book.

Lets be fair, most of the people wanted and expected Microsoft to drift towards the USB-C since the release of last generation as well as the Surface Book 2. There’s a question about Microsoft going for the Surface connector which is a staple of all surface devices or they will double it up? Which was done with the Surface Book 2.

A wild guess says USB-C is going to replace the Type-A connector which is already there of surface devices. The USB-C port might get thunderbolt enabling if Microsoft does away with the surface connector. If it doesn’t happen then the more likely situation would be USB-C will exist along with the surface connector as a more generic I/O.

Comet Lake in Surface Pro 7

Microsoft Surface Launch Event - Rumors, Reports and Expectations
Microsoft Surface Launch Event – Rumors, Reports and Expectations

A reasonable thought would suggest that the Intel’s Comet Lake would appear in one surface product and Ice Lake in another. In the following configurations, TechDetects believe that Surface Pro 7 will be loaded with run comet Lake.

  • Microsoft Surface Pro 7, Intel Core i3, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD
  • Microsoft Surface Pro 7, Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD
  • Microsoft Surface Pro 7, Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD
  • Microsoft Surface Pro 7, Intel Core i7, 16 GB RAM, 256GB SSD
  • Microsoft Surface Pro 7, Intel Core i7, 16 GB RAM, 512GB SSD

Default configurations are there in almost every device and they might be at the same time or another and this rumor of Comet Lake in Surface Pro 7 looks quite credible. However, Ice Lake is coming with an altered Iris-Plus capable GPU, whilst Comet Lake has a faster clock speed. Increasing the clock speed on a tablet makes more sense than leaving Ice Lake’s graphics horsepower for a Surface Laptop 3 or Surface Book 3.

15-inches Laptop Surface 3

Surface Laptop was a very well-made device specially for students. The Surface Laptop 2 doesn’t have many changes when the competition arrived. With the 13-inch model already in place, TechDetects would suggest a 15-inch Surface Laptop 3.

The 15-inch surface laptop would broaden the product line but in reality we don’t believe there’s any need for a surface laptop which is 15-inches. However, it is also going to represent the development work of above and beyond any revisions to the previous 13-inch model. Records in past suggest that Microsoft have been conservative in making hardware changes.

Microsoft Surface Launch Event - Rumors, Reports and Expectations
Microsoft Surface Launch Event – Rumors, Reports and Expectations

Mobile Ryzen with Surface Laptop 3? – Not sure

We believe that a private retailer data suggests that the 15-inch Surface Laptop 3 along with some other device would include the AMD’s mobile Ryzen Chip. It’s going to be huge for the AMD mobile ambitions. Further reports also suggest that Microsoft is going to test an AMD Picasso SOC inside a surface.

Wouldn’t that be a great jump? Till date Surface has been using an intel manufactured processor except Surface’2 Nvidia Tegra Chip and the Surface RT. AMD doesn’t have a large presence in the mobile market beyond its A-series chips. However, we still believe that Microsoft is going to obtain the services of QualComm and not AMD.

The prices of these devices are going to range from $999 to $2,399 as the website says. According to our reports, there are almost six models of Surface Laptop 3s in the working and almost six and eight core mobile Ryzen 3000 chips within it. Therefore, we are still not sure about AMD’s supply issues.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx inside a Surface: Possible

We believe that a remodeled Surface Pro 7 is going to use an Intel Core, which the Surface Pro 7 had used previously. It might come with an option that would use the QualComm Snapdragon 8xc instead.

It wouldn’t be considered wise to design a surface around an ARM chip if you believe in Windows ARM vision. So the 8cx becomes an obvious choice. The platform hasn’t been witnessed to embraced into a compact than a clamshell form factor. So it gives the Surface Pro 7 an option. If you want an all-day connected and always going-on laptop, then the Surface LAPTOP makes more sense but we still believe that Surface Go isn’t a bad option either.

Is it coming in a dual-screen display?

Following the footsteps of devices like the Galaxy Fold, Microsoft too is reportedly working on a “Centaurus” dual-screen tablet. Other brands had already promoted the folded devices as Intel did in Dual-screen PC’s in 2018.

We also believe that selling the idea of a dual-screen to a PC-user might be stupid. It would be unnatural for Microsoft to stick their nose into something like this idea. It is because they have their own brilliant keyboards and they don’t need to get into anything which isn’t their domain. Microsoft would also need to prepare and present a feasible business plan before thinking about launching it.

Microsoft Surface Launch Event - Rumors, Reports and Expectations
Microsoft Surface Launch Event – Rumors, Reports and Expectations

RTX Hardware in Surface Book 3?

The fortunes of the Surface Book 3 remain undecided. Time has definitely came for Microsoft to update their mobile powerhouse laptop. The Power problems in Surface Book 2 suggested that Microsoft shouldn’t be thinking too much about their design. The discrete GPU issues haven’t been addressed as yet. Microsoft might refresh the Surface Book 2 with Intel’s Comet Lake or Ice Lake chips. It is still not clear whether they would decide to go with Comet Lake or Ice Lake’s Iris Plus graphics and a discrete GPU. Microsoft can bring the future into the present by putting an Nvidia Mobile RTX chip inside.

Stay Tuned to TechDetects for more interesting updates related to SmartWatches, Smart Phones and Laptops.