Microsoft Surface Pro 5 News and Release Date: Rumor Mill Boasts RAM, Display Upgrades; Specs and Price Details
Fans demand longer battery, high-end processor
The tremendous success of Microsoft's device line Surface Pro is undeniable. The latest release was Surface Pro 4, which celebrated its anniversary Sunday, prompting Microsoft pundits to ask: what's next?
With legitimate specifications offered in a lightweight detachable tablet, the PC series can only raise the bar higher. Fortunately, details of a fifth edition are reaching the—pun intended—surface.
Specs wishlist
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Updates on the Surface Pro 5's release date is still in the works, but PC fans are getting a glimpse of the much-awaited product through speculations and sporadic news.
One such rumor suggests the tablet may now be armed with a Kaby Lake CPU from Intel. The chips had just been distributed to various manufacturers, which provides Microsoft an opportunity to grab hold of these powerful processors.
Surface Pro had been riddled with battery issues, and the Kaby Lake CPU could be the solution to those woes. It strains the PC's battery less, in addition to rumors of it being a much faster processor than those used on today's devices.
Despite the improvements on endurance the Kaby Lake can bring to the table, Microsoft is still expected to work more on this aspect. Battery life is essential for a device advertised for business, which notably cannot even last 10 hours.
Besides getting a better battery model, people are suggesting tweaks in the operating system. Surface Pro 5 is reportedly set to run on Windows Redstone 2—which is charted to be released next year. Microsoft has the power to improve both their device and its operating system, therefore this is an issue that they should attend to.
Furthermore, gamers who plan on buying the product are asking for a reprieve in terms of the Surface Pro's graphic card. There had been suggestions to bolster the device by adding attachments for top-tier NVIDIA graphics cards.
Promising details
Despite the current obscurity of important specifications, information on resolution, storage and other appendages of the device have been floating around.
Surface Pro 5 may run on 16GB RAM, with 2K and 4K resolution displays. It is said to also include USB Type-C support. USB Type-C is not only backwards compatible with obsolete devices, it also boasts improved data transfer speeds and external charging support.
Still, consumers are concerned about the price of the new model. Surface Pro 5 is projected to cost at least $900, with high-end variants reaching up to $1599. The price is considered a luxury compared to laptops such as Chromebooks, which can cost as low as $200.
Details on the device's release are yet to come, but projections set it around next year.
