Leaks suggest a major upgrade to Microsoft's Surface Pro 8

[Humza]

Something to look forward to: A Microsoft Surface hardware event is only days away, but one of the key surprises of the event may have been spoiled prematurely by a retailer's listing of the Surface Pro 8. Alongside a sleeker, refreshed design of the popular 2-in-1, some important details around its hardware have also surfaced, including a 120Hz high refresh rate display, Thunderbolt support, and user-replaceable storage.

The Surface Pro 7 is our current top choice for best productivity tablet, despite the slow pace at which the 2-in-1 has been updated by Microsoft over the years. While some of our complaints were addressed by the mid-cycle Pro 7+ refresh, its successor appears to finally bring much-needed refinements to the device.

Details around the upcoming Surface Pro 8 come from Twitter user, Shadow_leak, who posted a retail listing of the device. Users still hanging on to their old Surface Pros may finally have a reason to upgrade, considering the new Pro’s sleeker design and hardware changes.

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 Exposure ✅

- Intel's 11th-generation Core processor
- 13" 120Hz High Refresh Rate Narrow Border Screen
- Windows 11
- Dual Thunderbolt Interfaces
- Replaceable SSD Hard Drives#Microsoft #Surface #SurfacePro8 pic.twitter.com/ITFftYG4dg

— Sam (@Shadow_Leak) September 19, 2021

The 2-in-1 has always stood out for its display quality, and adding a 120Hz refresh rate into the mix will only sweeten the experience. It’ll also likely be thinner and lighter given the replacement of the 1 x USB-A and 1 x USB-C with Thunderbolt-capable dual USB-C ports.

The leak suggests the addition of user-replaceable SSDs as well. Microsoft made the leap in the aforementioned Pro 7+ refresh, so it’s not surprising that the successor will include this, too. The convertible is expected to ship with Windows 11 out of the box, as will other new Surface variants that are expected to be reveal at the September 22 Surface event.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/91323-leaks-suggest-major-upgrade-microsoft-surface-pro-8.html

 

[Dimitriid]

Nothing against this specs but a Ryzen chip will take it from a "Possibly, if on sale" to a solid "Yes" for me.

 

[VitalyT]

Nothing against this specs but a Ryzen chip will take it from a "Possibly, if on sale" to a solid "Yes" for me.

 

[Sausagemeat]

They call it a tablet. But most people will just use it as a sleek laptop. Windows has a dreadful touch interface.

 

[Squid Surprise]

I LOVE my Surface 6 Pro... not upgrading yet - it still works fine - but am psyched to see that when I DO upgrade in a year or so, it will be worth it.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

"finally worth the upgrade"

After removing the type A port, making it thinner (as opposed to quieter with a longer battery life), while still using intel?

Yeah.....no.

 

[y6Tq2RGXEejb]

I wish these tablets still had a full size SD card slot, I could use something portable for photo editing.

 

[Shirley Dulcey]

They call it a tablet. But most people will just use it as a sleek laptop. Windows has a dreadful touch interface.

Touch isn't completely useless, and it will supposedly be improved in Windows 11. And the Surface Pen works well.

 

[Sausagemeat]

Touch isn't completely useless, and it will supposedly be improved in Windows 11. And the Surface Pen works well.

I have a windows laptop with a touchscreen. I do find it quite useful. But that’s useful on a laptop, I’d hate to be restricted to it.

Not so sure about the pen though, the Apple Pencil is quite a lot more accurate and responsive. Although as a stylus the windows pen is fine.

 

[Shirley Dulcey]

The replaceable SSD is a must to sell it to enterprise customers. Many of them require that all storage devices be physically destroyed before computers can be resold, and if the SSD is soldered to the motherboard that is impossible. All of the Surface family is moving toward them, so there is no reason to believe this will be an exception.