Microsoft could be shaking up its Surface hardware lineup a bit later this fall. New rumors suggest that Microsoft might possibly consider launching a new “flagship laptop” for this October, replacing a spot many expected to be held by the Surface Book 4.
It’s best to treat this lightly for now, but Windows Central reports that this new flagship laptop won’t come with the “Surface Book” name. Instead, the publication believes that it could be branded a “Surface Laptop Pro” or a “Surface Laptop Studio,” though the Surface Book 4 naming makes “most sense for now.”
When it comes to the design of this new flagship Surface Laptop, you can expect Microsoft to go for a non-detachable display. Recent Microsoft patents hinted that the company was leaning this way with an iPad Pro-like pull-forward display, instead of a display that could be separated from the base.
Such a design change could allow for more powerful components like Nvidia’s latest RTX graphics under the hood of the device. That also could leave room for bigger changes, such as a new 14-inch display with a dynamic refresh rate of 90Hz or 120Hz, according to Windows Central.
Even the Surface Pen could see some changes. Microsoft had previously confirmed that Windows 11 supports stylus inputs with haptic feedback. A new Surface Pen bundled with the device might feature vibration motors so that the pen can simulate writing on different types of surfaces.
Other elements of this new Surface product are unknown. The CPU choice was not mentioned in the report. However, given the current chip shortages in the PC industry, it won’t be too surprising to see if Microsoft opts for Intel’s 11th generation processors instead of the new rumored Alder Lake chips. Even AMD could also be a choice, as Microsoft worked closely with the chipmaker to include Ryzen processors in the Surface Laptop 4.
It’s not currently known how much this new flagship device could cost, but considering the price of the Surface Book 3, it might be well over $1,000. A release date closer to October would also be more likely, as Microsoft usually holds its hardware events in the fall. It also would need such a flagship device to showcase the new Windows 11 operating system.
