Microsoft is gearing up for its annual Surface Fall event, as this year marks a special milestone as the company celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Surface. As we always do here at Windows CentralHere’s a roundup of everything we’ve been hearing and expecting to see Microsoft announce at this year’s Surface event.
event is taking place October 12 at 10 a.m. ET. The event will be broadcast live, although it is currently unclear if the event will be attended in person or will only be digital.
Surface Laptop
First on the agenda is the next Surface Laptop, which is so long overdue that it’s been a year and a half since the Surface Laptop 4. I know the least about the new Surface Laptop, so we’re firing up reputable reports from other sellers.
according to Recent ReportsThe next Surface Laptop will only be available with Intel 12th generation U series chips, no AMD Ryzen options.
This will be the first time since the Surface Laptop 3 that Microsoft has shipped a Surface Laptop without AMD options. Perhaps this is due to the constant shortage of ingredients. My sources tell me that internally, Microsoft has built new Surface Laptops with AMD Ryzen 6000 chipsets, but we’ll have to wait and see if they ship this fall.
I expect the Surface Laptop to ship in the same 13-inch and 15-inch sizes as last time and in the same colors. But we may also see a new Sage green colorway as seen on the Surface Laptop Go 2 earlier this year.
There should be too Thunderbolt 4 . port In the Surface Laptop series for the first time.
Here are the SKUs I expect to see in shipping:
13.5 inch:
- Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD
- Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD
- Intel Core i5, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD
- Intel Core i5, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD
- Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD
- Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD
15 inch:
- Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD
- Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD
- Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD
- Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD
- Intel Core i7, 32GB RAM, 256GB SSD
- Intel Core i7, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD
- Intel Core i7, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD
Surface Pro 9
I’m also expecting a new Surface Pro this fall, with big changes coming on the product line in the silicon division. According to my sourcesMicrosoft plans to combine the Surface Pro X with the main Surface Pro brand this fall, which means the Surface Pro “9” will be available to order with Intel or Qualcomm chips.
The Qualcomm variant (codenamed Arcata) is expected to include the Microsoft SQ3, a custom Snapdragon 8cx Gen3 SoC that will significantly increase performance compared to the Surface Pro X. An Intel model (codenamed Zaca) will ship with 12th generation chips, although I’m not sure if this will be a P series or a U series.
The P series in the Surface Pro line will be huge, delivering a massive performance boost over the Surface Pro 8 and pitting it head-on with Apple’s iPad Pro. However, the P-series chipsets run hot and are less energy efficient than the U-series chipsets, so perhaps the U series makes more sense for a device like the Surface Pro.
Another major feature of the new Surface Pro is the inclusion of 5G LTE for the first time in a Surface PC, specifically for ARM models (that just passed through the FCC). I don’t expect any major exterior design changes to the existing Surface Pro design, except for the new device colors, and possibly new Type Cover styles.
Below are the SKUs I can expect to see shipped for both Intel and ARM models.
Surface Pro 9:
- Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD
- Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD
- Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD
- Intel Core i5, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD
- Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD
- Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD
- Intel Core i7, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD
Surface Pro 9 with 5G
- Microsoft SQ3, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD
- Microsoft SQ3, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD
- Microsoft SQ3, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD
- Microsoft SQ3, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD
Surface Studio 3
I also expect to see Microsoft finally ship a new version Surface Studio (codenamed Chehalis), it features modest updates to its design and more modern specs under the hood. We have already looked at a file refreshed accessorieswhich features an updated color path and a slightly new design on the Surface Pen.
Notably, the pen design is of a thicker type and not the updated Slim Pen design. This indicates that the Surface Studio 3 will not have a dedicated wireless charging slot for the Slim Pen 2, as some have speculated. It’s worth noting that the Surface Pen and Surface Slim Pen are two different production lines, one not a replacement or successor to the other.
Like previous Surface Studios, I’m told this device will be powered by an Intel chip, although I couldn’t confirm if it would be 11th or 12th generation. I heard over a year ago that the Surface Studio 3 would ship with a Tiger Lake processor, but hopefully the device has since been updated.
I expect only one Surface Studio 3 SKU will ship, although it may be purchasable without keyboard, mouse, and stylus for commercial customers.
What’s believed to be a Surface Studio 3 was just Filed through the FCC.
- Intel Core i7, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD
Volterra project
Project Volterra (codenamed Black Rock) was Announced earlier this yearHowever, I expect Microsoft to prepare to ship the first units around the same time as the other new Surface devices. Features of Project Volterra A Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 Under the hood is Microsoft’s first mini desktop computer, although the company only plans to sell it as a developer’s toolkit.
Fun fact: Project Volterra was created by the Surface team and is a Surface product in everything but its name. So even though it’s not billed as a Surface, it’s still a Surface at heart.
complements
Here’s a first look at the updated Surface Keyboard and Surface Pen, which I’m assuming are getting an update for the upcoming Surface Studio 3 this fall pic.twitter.com/RJs8qYrkarAugust 31, 2022
As is the case every year, we also expect to see a handful of new accessories launched along with the new Surface PCs. Updated versions of the Surface Keyboard, Surface Pen, and Surface Mouse are expected, which will likely be included in the box with the Surface Studio 3 but can also be purchased separately for people who don’t want more than $3,500 for the PC.
We might see in the end too Microsoft’s new adaptive accessories Start charging. These were announced earlier this year but haven’t gone on sale yet, and they recently passed through the FCC, so their launch should be imminent.
There is also an opportunity for Microsoft to announce New Android 12L Update For Surface Duo and Surface Duo 2.
Finally, I heard we might get a pair of second-generation Surface Earbuds (codenamed Ella). Unfortunately, I have no idea what will be new with them. However, it has been more than two years since the first shallow earbuds It was launched, so we were quite late in updating.
What you don’t expect
There’s always a list of Surface devices we don’t expect to appear this fall. This year includes:
- Surface Laptop Studio 2
- Surface Go 4
- Surface Duo 3
- new surface
- Surface Laptop SE 2
- Surface Laptop Go 3
- Surface 3 . headphones
Of course, there may be a surprise or two, but I’m sure we won’t see a successor or new versions of Surface Laptop Studioor Surface Go or Surface Duo This fall.
