Microsoft’s New Surface Pro 5 Reportedly Just a Minor CPU Bump

About a year and a half ago, Microsoft unveiled their latest Surface Pro, the Surface Pro 4. Eschewing the usual annual cycle for consumer hardware, Microsoft has yet to detail a refresh for their popular tablet PC. According to some new reports, it appears that Redmond is ready to release the refreshed Surface Pro 5 in the near future. According to Microsoft insider Paul Thurrott, fans should not expect dramatic changes.

Surface Pro 5 will not change the Surface Connect power connector, I was just told. Kaby Lake, nothing dramatic.

— Paul Thurrott (@thurrott) April 6, 2017

According to Thurrott, the big update to Surface Pro 5 is new processors, going from Skylake to the newer Kaby Lake refresh. Given the mobile form factor, Microsoft will either choose new Intel chips which offer lower power consumption at the same performance or improved performance in the same power envelope. There will also likely be a minor bump in terms of GPU power. Last of all, Microsoft will be keeping with their proprietary magnetic charger.

The lack of major changes is largely due to satisfaction with the current design. Since the original Surface Pro, Microsoft has largely kept to the same design paradigm with updates and refinements along the way. The Surface Pro 5 is expected to follow this trend but some updates to connectivity like USB-C are not out of the question. For current Surface Pro users, at leat upgrading likely won’t mean purchasing new accessories all over again.