Microsoft to debut new Surface devices on Oct. 12

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Microsoft Corp. will hold a product event next month where executives are expected to introduce two new additions to the company’s Surface line of Windows devices.

Microsoft distributed press invitations to the event today. It will take place on Oct. 12, the same day the company’s annual Ignite conference is scheduled to begin. Microsoft often debuts updates to its productivity applications and Azure cloud platform at the Ignite conference.

The company is expected to introduce two new Surface devices on Oct. 12. The first device is an upgraded version of Microsoft’s Surface Pro 8, a two-in-one Windows device that can be used both as a laptop and as a tablet. Microsoft is also expected to update the Surface Laptop.

It’s believed that both devices will feature processors from Intel Corp.’s Alder Lake series of central processing units. The CPUs are made using the chipmaker’s newest Intel 7 semiconductor manufacturing process. Each Alder Lake chip includes two sets of processing cores, one of which is optimized for performance while the other is designed to operate using a limited amount of electricity.

The entry-level versions of Microsoft’s upcoming Surface Pro and Surface Laptop devices are expected to ship with Intel’s Core i5-1235U processor. The processor includes two performance-optimized cores and eight efficiency-optimized cores with a top frequency of 4.4 gigahertz. The top-end editions of the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop, in turn, will reportedly include the Core i7-1255U, which features the same number of cores as the Core i5-1235U but has a higher top frequency and includes a faster integrated graphics card.

It’s believed that the Surface Laptop will also be available with Qualcomm Inc.’s Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 chip. The Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3, which debuted last November, promises to provide up to 60% higher performance per watt than comparable Intel chips. It features a module optimized for running artificial intelligence software that Qualcomm says is three times faster than competitors’ technology. 

The next-generation Surface Pro and Surface Laptop will reportedly both offer up to 1 terabyte of storage and 16 gigabytes of memory. The Surface Pro is expected to go on sale for a starting price of about $1,280. The Surface Laptop, in turn, will reportedly become available from $1,190.

Microsoft disclosed in its most recent earnings report that revenue from its Surface business increased by 10% year-over-year last quarter. The business is part of the company’s More Personal Computing revenue segment, which generated sales of $14.4 billion during the quarter. The segment also includes a number of other product lines besides Surface including Windows and the Bing search engine.

Image: Microsoft