Microsoft Plans Major Surface Hardware Refresh For 2019 Including All-New Surface Pro
The reporting comes courtesy of Thurrott, which says that three new devices are in the works. The first of these new Surface hardware products is codenamed Libra, and will be a low-cost tablet that will slot in below the Surface Pro. The Surface Pro starts at $799 (Intel Core m3, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD), so it’s possible that pricing for this device entry-level Surface tablet will closely align with the garden variety Apple iPad, which starts at $329.
Earlier reports have suggested that the tablet will have a 10-inch display, USB-C connectivity, and either 64GB or 128GB of internal storage. Optional LTE will also be available. Those same reports have said that the tablet will be powered by an Intel processor, but Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 850 sounds like it would be a better fit running Windows 10 on ARM (at least with respect to battery life).
Also on tap for a 2019 release is the sixth-generation Surface Pro, which goes by the codename of Carmel. The device is scheduled to arrive around the mid-point of next year and will be “heavily redesigned” according to Mary Jo Foley.
There’s also a third device, Andromeda, that is allegedly being developed by the Surface team. Not much is known about this device other than the fact that Microsoft plans to unveil it during the latter half of 2018 and that it will “create a truly personal and versatile computing experience”. It’s also said that Andromeda will jumpstart a new category of pocketable devices that will be created by Microsoft’s OEM hardware partners.
In addition to the new Surface hardware coming next year, Microsoft reportedly hasn’t forgotten about its existing family of products. It’s reported that a minor refresh of the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop will debut later this year with 8th generation Intel Core processors and potentially USB-C connectivity, which Microsoft has been reticent to adopt on its Surface hardware.
