Microsoft is gearing up for its annual Surface Fall event, with this year being a special milestone as the company celebrates the 10th anniversary of Surface. As always here at Windows Central, here’s a round-up of everything we’re hearing and expecting from Microsoft at this year’s Surface event.
The event will take place on October 12 at 10am ET. The event will be streamed live, although it’s unclear at this time if the event will be in-person or digital only.
Surface laptop
First on the agenda is the next Surface Laptop, which is long overdue for an update as it’s been a year and a half since the Surface Laptop 4. I know the least about this new Surface Laptop, so let’s assume reputable reports from other vendors.
According to recent reports, the next Surface Laptop will only be available with 12th Gen Intel U-series chips with no AMD Ryzen options.
This would be the first time since the Surface Laptop 3 that Microsoft has shipped a Surface Laptop without AMD options. This is perhaps due to the ongoing shortage of components. My sources tell me Microsoft has been developing new Surface laptops internally with AMD Ryzen 6000-series chips, but we’ll have to wait and see if those start shipping 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 might also see the new sage green colorway, as seen on the Surface Laptop Go 2 earlier this year.
Thunderbolt 4 will also be available for the first time in the Surface laptop series.
Here are the SKUs I expect to ship:
13.5 inches:
- 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 inches:
- 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 significant changes to the product line in the silicon department. According to my sources, Microsoft plans to merge the Surface Pro X with the mainline Surface Pro brand this fall, which means the Surface Pro “9” can be ordered with either Intel or Qualcomm chips.
The Qualcomm variant (codenamed Arcata) is expected to come with the Microsoft SQ3, a customized Snapdragon 8cx Gen3 SoC that will boost performance significantly over the existing Surface Pro X. The Intel model (codenamed Zaca) will come with chips of the 12 I’m not sure if this will be P-series or U-series.
The P series in the Surface Pro lineup would be huge as it would offer a big performance boost over the Surface Pro 8 and position it squarely with Apple’s iPad Pro. However, P-series chips run hot and are less power efficient compared to U-series chips, so perhaps the U-series makes more sense for a device like the Surface Pro.
Another standout feature for the new Surface Pro will be the inclusion of 5G LTE in a Surface PC for the first time, specifically for the ARM models (which just passed the FCC). I don’t expect any major external design changes from the current Surface Pro design, aside from new device colors and possibly new Type Cover patterns.
Here are the SKUs I expect to ship 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’m also expecting Microsoft to finally ship a new Surface Studio (codenamed Chehalis) that comes with modest updates to its design and more up-to-date specs under the hood. We’ve already checked out the refreshed accessories, which feature an updated colorway and slightly new design on the Surface Pen.
Notably, the pen design is of the chunkier variety and not an updated slim pen design. This suggests that the Surface Studio 3 won’t have a dedicated wireless charging slot for the Slim Pen 2, as some had anticipated. It’s worth noting that the Surface Pen and Surface Slim Pen are two different product lines, with one not replacing or succeeding the other.
As with previous Surface Studios, I’ve been told this device will be powered by an Intel chip, although I haven’t been able to confirm for sure if it will be an 11th or 12th generation series. I had 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 SKU of the Surface Studio 3 will ship, although it may be available without a keyboard, mouse, and pen for commercial customers.
What passes for Surface Studio 3 has just been filed with the FCC.
- Intel Core i7, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD
Project Volterra
Project Volterra (codenamed Black Rock) was announced earlier this year, but I expect Microsoft will be gearing up to ship the first units around the same time as the other new Surface devices. Project Volterra has a Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 under the hood and is Microsoft’s first mini desktop PC, although the company plans to only sell it as a dev kit.
Fun fact: Developed by the Surface team, Project Volterra is a Surface product in everything except its name. While it’s not labeled as a Surface, it’s still a Surface at heart.
Accesories
Here’s a first look at the updated Surface Keyboard and Pen, which I assume will be updated this fall for the upcoming Surface Studio 3 pic.twitter.com/RJs8qYrkarAugust 31, 2022
As every year, we expect a handful of new accessories alongside new Surface PCs. Expected are updated versions of the Surface Keyboard, Surface Pen, and Surface Mouse, which will likely come bundled with the Surface Studio 3, but are also available separately for folks who don’t want to spend over $3500 for a computer want to spend.
We may also see Microsoft’s new adaptive accessory finally shipping. These were announced earlier this year but haven’t gone on sale yet and have recently passed the FCC so their launch should be imminent.
There is also a chance that Microsoft will announce the new Android 12L update for Surface Duo and Surface Duo 2.
Finally, I heard we might be getting a pair of second-gen (codenamed Ella) Surface Earbuds. Still, I have no idea what’s new with them. Still, it’s been over two years since the first Surface Earbuds hit the market, so a refresh is long overdue.
What not to expect
There’s always a list of Surface devices that we don’t expect to be coming this fall. This year these include:
- Surface Laptop Studio 2
- Surface Go 4
- Surface Duo 3
- Surface Neo
- Surface Laptop SE 2
- Surface Laptop Go 3
- Surface Headphones 3
Sure, there may be a surprise or two, but I’m confident we won’t see a successor or new versions of the Surface Laptop Studio, Surface Go, or Surface Duo this fall.
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