Microsoft tips likely Surface event on October 12

Microsoft has announced its fall showcase for Surface hardware on October 12, bright and early for the Redmond, WA, audience at 7 AM PT.

Although the “save the date” invitation doesn’t specifically mention Surface, the background “bloom” appears to be a take on the Windows 11 backdrop, which accompanied the launch of Surface hardware. Reports say that Microsoft will launch new iterations of the Surface tablet, laptop, and Studio: specifically the Surface Pro 9, the Surface Laptop 5, and the Surface Studio 3.

Microsoft typically updates its Surface Pro tablet and Surface Laptop lineup on a roughly annual basis, so seeing new models wouldn’t be unusual. Two changes, though, could be in the offing.

For one, WinFuture.de reports the hearsay that Microsoft will not be offering a Surface Laptop 5 with an AMD Ryzen processor inside. Instead, Microsoft will ship two models, based on the Intel Core i5-1235U and the Intel Core i7-1255U from the Alder Lake series of processors. Those same two chips will appear in the Surface Pro 9 as an option, too, according to the publication.

Second, Windows Central reports that we’ll see something a bit new in the Surface Pro lineup: an Arm chip. Essentially, it sounds like Microsoft is consolidating its Surface Pro X lineup with the more mainstream Pro series. You would think there might be relatively significant changes in the device weight to accommodate the different chipsets required, but it’s possible Microsoft could just fill any extra space with additional battery cells, too. An Arm-based Surface Pro tablet would be a significant endorsement of the Arm architecture, which Microsoft has championed, but has stagnated a bit following an Arm-Qualcomm legal spat.

Windows Central also reports that it’s hearing about an upgrade to the Surface Studio, a device that has typically favored mobile components to save power and space.

Our review of the Surface Pro 8 (the sequel to the excellent Surface Pro 7+, which broke with Microsoft’s integer-based nomenclature) shows it as the top Windows tablet right now. Our review of the Surface Laptop 4 indicates that it too is a strong notebook, though with strong competition across the board. Hopefully Microsoft can deliver a competitive price and add Thunderbolt support to the laptop—rather likely, given Intel drives the Thunderbolt I/O standard. Will Microsoft announce a Thunderbolt version of the Surface Dock?

PCWorld will have full coverage from the event, including the prices and specifications of the new Surface devices.