Microsoft's Surface Pro 2-in-1 tablet has long been in need of a refresh. The last generation Surface Pro 4 was released back in October 2015 and much has changed since then. A report from DigiTimes citing China's Economic Daily News tells us that Microsoft is planning to launch the new Surface Pro 5 in the first quarter of 2017. The leak stems from loose lipped manufacturers and nothing has been confirmed by Microsoft, but the information seems credible.

The report highlights manufacturers involved with producing the Pro 5. Microsoft has chosen Pegatron Technology to build the device; the same company in charge of producing the Surface Studio line of PCs. The Surface Pro 5 will likely feature a 4K Ultra HD display, USB type C, and Thunderbolt 3. In the processor department, it's not clear if Microsoft will go with Intel's Kaby Lake line of processors or perhaps a Qualcomm one. Also mentioned are new plans for the magnetic stylus that would recharge automatically when docked to the side of the Surface, instead of using a removable AAAA battery.

All in all, Surface hardware has proven to be a very successful venture for Microsoft. The Surface Book recently got a refresh receiving a faster Intel Core i7 processor and GTX 965M GPU. With the addition of the Surface Studio desktop, it looks like Microsoft is heavily focused on content creators and others who would have traditionally gone with an Apple device.