14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has recently announced that its next hardware event would take place on October 2 in New York City, and despite the company remaining tight-lipped on the products that could see daylight at the show, there’s a lot of buzz online in this regard.
As per Microsoft’s typical schedule, early October events are used for Surface announcements, so everyone expects the software giant to take the wraps off new models, including the highly-anticipated foldable Surface, and upgrades for existing devices.
One of the Surface models that could get an overhaul on October 2 is the Surface Pro, with its successor, believed to be called Surface Pro 7, likely to make the first public appearance at the press event before going on sale a few weeks later.
As it’s the case of every product unveiling, Microsoft hasn’t said a single word about what we should expect from the next-generation Surface Pro 7, but judging from the reports that made the rounds in the last 12 months or so, we can already anticipate some of the improvements the company has been working on.
First and foremost, expect the Surface Pro 7 to retain the same 2-in-1 form factor that was pioneered by the Surface lineup itself and also used on the majority of devices still on sale.
This is a signature feature of the Surface Pro 7, so the Surface Pro 7 will still support the tablet and laptop form factors, albeit it’ll score several improvements in key areas.
The Type Cover is expected to receive particular attention from Microsoft, and the plethora of patents that have been discovered recently are living proof in this regard.
Of course, patents aren’t necessarily the best source of information when trying to anticipate new features, as such ideas do not always make it to mass production, but they do provide us with a hint regarding the direction parent companies are thinking about.
As far as the Touch Cover is concerned, I expect the touchpad itself to be revised, and some people suggest that Microsoft could make some changes under the hood, dividing it into four different areas for better input. Furthermore, the keyboard itself could come with improved key travel for more refined feedback, and with the same materials, including Alcantara.
The Touch Cover itself is likely to be thinner and lighter than the current version, and it may actually come with new features to help it stay shut when the device is shut down.
As for the Surface Pro 7 itself, I expect bezels to be reduced, as this has become an industry standard already. Most device makers try to reduce the size of the bezels on their products, and Microsoft will most likely do the same on the next Surface Pro.
I don’t expect the 12.3-inch screen to change too much, albeit there is a chance that Microsoft introduces a series of tweaks, possibly to improve the maximum brightness.
More changes, however, will happen under the hood, as the Surface Pro 7 will use the latest-generation processors announced by Intel, almost certainly with a maximum of 1 TB of storage and 16 GB RAM.
An ARM version of the Surface Pro 7 powered by a Qualcomm chip has also been rumored to run Windows 10 on ARM, but it remains to be seen if this idea has received the go-ahead.
USB-C could also make its way to the Surface Pro 7, as this is something that totally makes sense, especially as Microsoft has already embraced this connector on other devices. The Surface Pen too will receive some touches here and there, albeit its design is expected to be largely the same as the one on the current generation.
I expected most of the substantial changes to take place on the Touch Cover, while on the Surface Pro 6 itself, the highlight will be the upgrades in terms of hardware.