Microsoft Surface Book 2 release date rumors: Successor to feature 4K display and 32GB RAM, launch in early 2017?

Microsoft Surface Pro lineup consisting of the Surface Pro 4, Surface Book, and Surface Pro 3Microsoft

It is said that Microsoft plans to release the Surface Book 2 as a full lineup, with the most premium version offering 4K display and 32GB of RAM.

Reportedly, Microsoft has originally planned for the new Surface products, including the Surface Book 2, to launch later this year. However, the tech giant has to delay the roll-out due to some concerns with the design, as well as the reported setback in mass producing the seventh-gen Intel Kaby Lake processor. Speculations suggest that the new Surface products will come out by next year, possibly during the early months of 2017.

Meanwhile, it is also rumored that the Surface Book 2 will also launch as a full lineup, since it will still be using Intel chipsets. Fans can already expect different configurations with the Kaby Lake processor, and the Surface Book follow-up to launch in new i3, i5, and i7 versions. However, since the Kaby Lake chipset is deemed to be a major upgrade over the current-gen Sky Lake processor, the top-tier specs for the Surface Book 2 will also adjust. Reportedly, the most premium and high-end Surface Book 2 will feature an i7 Kaby Lake processor, with at least 1 TB of storage.

However, most noted among the heavy upgrades will be the 4K display, as well as a massive 32GB RAM option.

Microsoft has yet to confirm its new Surface lineups, and some observers note that the Surface Book 2 remains hearsay. The Surface Book reportedly holds only 3.6 percent of the Surface products out on the market. In the same category, the Surface Pro 4 holds a 30.9 percent market share. The Surface Pro 3, meanwhile, retains its spot as the most-favored Surface device, with a 33.3 percent share.