The Microsoft Surface Pro 5 has been one of the most highly anticipated devices for the year, and according to a report from Neuro Gadget, it is expected to release this October. This will place the Surface Pro 5 in direct competition with the MacBook Pro 2016 which is also expected to release in the same month.
The Surface Pro 5 is being touted as the next evolution in tablet-laptop hybrids and will be the first of its ilk to support 4K resolutions. It is also reportedly going to sport 16 GB of RAM. However, the really big upgrade from the Surface Pro 4 is the inclusion of the first line of Intel Kaby Lake processors.
Kaby Lake processors, particularly the chips launching in 2017, will be capable of performing the same level of high-intensity workload with less hardware, ensuring the Surface Pro 5 is faster and more efficient than tablets or laptops running on the sixth generation of Intel processors like the i3 or i5 chip.
It is also rumored to be sporting a brand new Surface Pen. Previous Surface Pens utilized a regular battery that would eventually die out and consumers would have to buy a new Surface Pen. The new design for the Surface Pro 5 is rechargeable and the tablet will come with a special dock to hold and charge the pen.
A report from iTech Post further hints that the October release is indeed accurate given that Microsoft has begun offering the Surface Pro 4 at a discounted price. It is noted that products often only see a price drop or significant discount when a successor is about to be launched in the market.
While the Surface Pro 5 is likely to launch this October, the more powerful lineup of Kaby Lake processors as well as the Redstone 2 update for Windows 10 won't launch until early 2017 and it is speculated this means Microsoft will delay the Surface Pro 5 until these two become available.
