Microsoft today announced an event for September 22, with the invite mentioning nothing other than the verbiage “Join us to see what’s next” along with the image of a Surface Pro device emitting a blue light. The event is slated to be streamed at 11AM ET and is a virtual event just like all other events recently.
The obvious hint from the image is that there could be a new Surface Pro on the way, which might be called the Pro 8, guessing from the usual naming trend. The Surface Pro 7 did receive a refresh, but it was called the Pro 7+ and was exclusive to enterprise customers. A redesigned Surface Pro has been rumored for long, but not much in the way of details is present about what changes might be making it to the device. The current design dates back to the Pro 4 from 2015 and is due for a refresh.
The obvious expectations include smaller bezels with a larger screen, refreshed internals in the way of Intel’s 11th-gen chips, and improvements to areas such as the display. It is anybody’s guess if the Redmond firm has any major surprises, such as the inclusion of a Thunderbolt 4 port, and more. With Windows 11 set to release on October 5th, the upcoming offering might serve as a hero device for a brand new operating system.
In addition to a new Surface Pro, the firm might also show off the Surface Duo 2, a device that has already begun showing up on benchmarks. The Duo 2 is expected to retain the form factor but leaked information hints at meaningful upgrades such as a triple camera array and current-gen internals that include a Snapdragon 888 chipset with 5G support.
In addition to these products, one can file a new Surface Book model in the list of possible launches. While recent patent images reimagine the form factor, it is not clear if a major Book refresh will make it to consumers this year, considering the firm has already cautioned investors about supply chain issues that might affect production capacities. Another surprise might come in the way of a new Surface Go 3 device with new internals, supposed benchmarks of which have also shown up.
Along with the product launches, Microsoft might devote time to talk about the upcoming Windows 11 launch. It will be interesting to see if there are any surprises in store, such as a new Surface Laptop or a Surface Studio refresh, which currently seem highly unlikely.
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