Date:22/05/17
Despite Microsoft's launch event on 2 May where it announced Windows 10 S and the new Surface Laptop, there is no Surface Pro 5 to be seen.
There have also been countless other possible dates suggested for the launch of the new tablet, but have all been and gone so aren't worth mentioned any longer.
However, we finally have something that looks pretty concrete and it comes in the form of a Tweet. As you can see, Panos Panay - Corporate VP of Devices at Microsoft - has already announced another Surface event.
It will take place in Shanghai on 23 May and we expect to see a new Surface Pro device there along with a potential second Surface device. If you check the photo further down this article there are three models scheduled for 2017.
It's been 17 months since the release of the Surface Pro 4, which happens to be the same period of time Microsoft waited to launch it after the Surface Pro 3 - so now would seem perfect for the Pro 5's arrival.
The leaked images below might be hinting at an 18 June release date as that's the date shown on the screen.
However, in an interview with CNET, Panos has effectively said the Pro 5 doesn't exist stating "there's no such thing as a Pro 5." adding that "When it's meaningful and the change is right, we'll put it on market."
"Meaningful change isn't necessarily a hardware change, which is what a lot of people look for. They're like, 'Where's the latest processor?' That's not what I mean. I'm looking for an experiential change that makes a huge difference in product line."
It seems likely then that an upgrade to Intel Kaby Lake 7th-generation chips will mean the new Surface is still called the Pro 4, or perhaps Microsoft will take a leaf out of Apple's book and simply call it the Surface Pro.
What are the rumoured features and specs?
There are plenty of rumours to read about below but we now have our first proper look at the Surface Pro 5, or just Surface Pro. Venturebeat has managed to get hold of these renders which show the new device off from almost every angle.
Flick through the images below (ad blockers may stop the slideshow functionality) to have a look. The new Surface Pro seems pretty similar to the Pro 4, backing up thoughts that there won't be huge changes and the upgrades will be mostly internal.
One of the most interesting things is that the Surface Pro 5 doesn't have USB-C which seems like a strange omission from Microsoft.
There are a few specification rumours circulating. One is that the Surface Pen - the stylus bundled with Surface Pro tablets - will be updated so that it contains a rechargeable battery that charges wirelessly when magnetically attached to the tablet. The current Surface Pen attaches magnetically but is not rechargeable as it takes an alkaline AAAA battery.
It's also possible, and rumoured, that the Surface Pro 5 might come with the Surface Dial which debuted with the Surface Studio all-in-one PC. We think that if there is a version for the new Surface tablet it will be smaller and an optional accessory.
Another more obvious rumour is that the Pro 5 will have the latest generation of Intel processor. Some say it will be the sixth-generation Skylake chip, but other rumours suggest it will be the following generation, codenamed Kaby Lake.
Yet others say that because Microsoft has demoed Windows 10 running on an ARM processor, the Pro 5 will switch to a Qualcomm Snapdragon system-on-chip (SoC) in order to give better battery life.
There was a lot of speculation that the new Surface will use a Qualcomm Snapdragon 635 processor instead of an Intel Kaby Lake chip. The benefits of this would be longer battery life, and potentially the addition of LTE for mobile connectivity.
But, let's not forget we're talking about the Surface 5 Pro here. The Pro has always been about having desktop power in a portable device, and a seventh-generation Intel Core chip would be the logical choice.
The most likely is for the Surface Pro 5 to go up to a 7th-generation Intel Kaby Lake Core i7. Following CES 2017 this is even more likely considering the new Lenovo Miix 720 has the chip.
The photo below from a developer shows a wall in Microsoft's building 88, and suggests Microsoft has more than one new Windows Surface in store, so it's feasible that the Surface Pro 5 may go with Kaby Lake, and a Surface 5 (the non-Pro version) might have the ARM chip.
Surface Pro 5 release date
Despite plenty of talk about the device getting Intel's latest Kaby Lake chips, it's possible the Pro 5 might actually run on an AMD processor instead.
The theory has emerged due to a trailer for Alien: Covenant which appears to show a Surface device. The film is sponsored by Intel's rival and the description reads: "Intelligence powered by AMD, Ryzen and Radeon".
Surface Pro 5 AMD Alien Covenant
A leak from a Chinese website (via Digitimes) claims that Microsoft has given the manufacturing contract for the Surface Pro 5 to Pegatron (which also makes the Surface Studio).
The report suggests the Surface Pro 5 will come with a 2K screen but there will also be a 4K model for those willing to splash the cash. It also touts an upgrade to 16GB of RAM, presumably for cheaper models as the Pro 4 is currently available with this capacity.
The report also states that the Surface Pro 5 will launch in Q1 2017. That means January - March though, and in case you haven't noticed, we're a bit past that now - so take the other claims with a pinch of salt.
One other candidate for an upgrade is the USB port. The Surface Pro 5 could be the first in the range to get a USB-C port rather than the USB 3.0 port on the Pro 4. This could also be used for charging: the proprietary charging connector is an annoyance that could quite easily be solved by USB-C, those leaked images above suggest not.
Cameras are the other likely components to see upgrades, along with the latest versions of Wi-Fi (hopefully with MU-MIMO support) and Bluetooth.
How much will the Surface Pro 5 cost in the UK?
Now we're really into wild speculation territory, but experience tells us that Microsoft will charge a similar price for each version of the Pro 5. There's no reason to suspect there won't be a similar range of models, from an entry-level Core i3, up to a wallet-bashing Core i7 with plenty of RAM and internal storage. The Surface Pro 4 starts at £749 and we don't expect this to change much.
When more rumours - or hard facts - emerge, we'll update this article, so keep it bookmarked if you're excited about the Surface Pro 5.
Surface as a Service Program
"The digital revolution is changing the traditional workplace environment, making us more reliant on our peers to share knowledge and work together; while more people are working remotely and need to be productive from anywhere. And, the workforce demographic is shifting towards millennials who are more collaborative, multi-task more, and use multiple devices," said Microsoft in a blog post.
The Surface as a Service Program means that authorised distributors can offer Surface devices with a subscription model. This will help customers get the latest devices without large upgrade costs. It has started with ALSO, a leading Cloud Solution Provider in Europe.
Surface Pro 5 latest rumours
Despite Microsoft's launch event on 2 May where it announced Windows 10 S and the new Surface Laptop, there is no Surface Pro 5 to be seen.There have also been countless other possible dates suggested for the launch of the new tablet, but have all been and gone so aren't worth mentioned any longer.
However, we finally have something that looks pretty concrete and it comes in the form of a Tweet. As you can see, Panos Panay - Corporate VP of Devices at Microsoft - has already announced another Surface event.
It will take place in Shanghai on 23 May and we expect to see a new Surface Pro device there along with a potential second Surface device. If you check the photo further down this article there are three models scheduled for 2017.
It's been 17 months since the release of the Surface Pro 4, which happens to be the same period of time Microsoft waited to launch it after the Surface Pro 3 - so now would seem perfect for the Pro 5's arrival.
The leaked images below might be hinting at an 18 June release date as that's the date shown on the screen.
However, in an interview with CNET, Panos has effectively said the Pro 5 doesn't exist stating "there's no such thing as a Pro 5." adding that "When it's meaningful and the change is right, we'll put it on market."
"Meaningful change isn't necessarily a hardware change, which is what a lot of people look for. They're like, 'Where's the latest processor?' That's not what I mean. I'm looking for an experiential change that makes a huge difference in product line."
It seems likely then that an upgrade to Intel Kaby Lake 7th-generation chips will mean the new Surface is still called the Pro 4, or perhaps Microsoft will take a leaf out of Apple's book and simply call it the Surface Pro.
What are the rumoured features and specs?
There are plenty of rumours to read about below but we now have our first proper look at the Surface Pro 5, or just Surface Pro. Venturebeat has managed to get hold of these renders which show the new device off from almost every angle.
Flick through the images below (ad blockers may stop the slideshow functionality) to have a look. The new Surface Pro seems pretty similar to the Pro 4, backing up thoughts that there won't be huge changes and the upgrades will be mostly internal.
One of the most interesting things is that the Surface Pro 5 doesn't have USB-C which seems like a strange omission from Microsoft.
There are a few specification rumours circulating. One is that the Surface Pen - the stylus bundled with Surface Pro tablets - will be updated so that it contains a rechargeable battery that charges wirelessly when magnetically attached to the tablet. The current Surface Pen attaches magnetically but is not rechargeable as it takes an alkaline AAAA battery.
It's also possible, and rumoured, that the Surface Pro 5 might come with the Surface Dial which debuted with the Surface Studio all-in-one PC. We think that if there is a version for the new Surface tablet it will be smaller and an optional accessory.
Another more obvious rumour is that the Pro 5 will have the latest generation of Intel processor. Some say it will be the sixth-generation Skylake chip, but other rumours suggest it will be the following generation, codenamed Kaby Lake.
Yet others say that because Microsoft has demoed Windows 10 running on an ARM processor, the Pro 5 will switch to a Qualcomm Snapdragon system-on-chip (SoC) in order to give better battery life.
There was a lot of speculation that the new Surface will use a Qualcomm Snapdragon 635 processor instead of an Intel Kaby Lake chip. The benefits of this would be longer battery life, and potentially the addition of LTE for mobile connectivity.
But, let's not forget we're talking about the Surface 5 Pro here. The Pro has always been about having desktop power in a portable device, and a seventh-generation Intel Core chip would be the logical choice.
The most likely is for the Surface Pro 5 to go up to a 7th-generation Intel Kaby Lake Core i7. Following CES 2017 this is even more likely considering the new Lenovo Miix 720 has the chip.
The photo below from a developer shows a wall in Microsoft's building 88, and suggests Microsoft has more than one new Windows Surface in store, so it's feasible that the Surface Pro 5 may go with Kaby Lake, and a Surface 5 (the non-Pro version) might have the ARM chip.
Surface Pro 5 release date
Despite plenty of talk about the device getting Intel's latest Kaby Lake chips, it's possible the Pro 5 might actually run on an AMD processor instead.
The theory has emerged due to a trailer for Alien: Covenant which appears to show a Surface device. The film is sponsored by Intel's rival and the description reads: "Intelligence powered by AMD, Ryzen and Radeon".
Surface Pro 5 AMD Alien Covenant
A leak from a Chinese website (via Digitimes) claims that Microsoft has given the manufacturing contract for the Surface Pro 5 to Pegatron (which also makes the Surface Studio).
The report suggests the Surface Pro 5 will come with a 2K screen but there will also be a 4K model for those willing to splash the cash. It also touts an upgrade to 16GB of RAM, presumably for cheaper models as the Pro 4 is currently available with this capacity.
The report also states that the Surface Pro 5 will launch in Q1 2017. That means January - March though, and in case you haven't noticed, we're a bit past that now - so take the other claims with a pinch of salt.
One other candidate for an upgrade is the USB port. The Surface Pro 5 could be the first in the range to get a USB-C port rather than the USB 3.0 port on the Pro 4. This could also be used for charging: the proprietary charging connector is an annoyance that could quite easily be solved by USB-C, those leaked images above suggest not.
Cameras are the other likely components to see upgrades, along with the latest versions of Wi-Fi (hopefully with MU-MIMO support) and Bluetooth.
How much will the Surface Pro 5 cost in the UK?
Now we're really into wild speculation territory, but experience tells us that Microsoft will charge a similar price for each version of the Pro 5. There's no reason to suspect there won't be a similar range of models, from an entry-level Core i3, up to a wallet-bashing Core i7 with plenty of RAM and internal storage. The Surface Pro 4 starts at £749 and we don't expect this to change much.
When more rumours - or hard facts - emerge, we'll update this article, so keep it bookmarked if you're excited about the Surface Pro 5.
Surface as a Service Program
"The digital revolution is changing the traditional workplace environment, making us more reliant on our peers to share knowledge and work together; while more people are working remotely and need to be productive from anywhere. And, the workforce demographic is shifting towards millennials who are more collaborative, multi-task more, and use multiple devices," said Microsoft in a blog post.
The Surface as a Service Program means that authorised distributors can offer Surface devices with a subscription model. This will help customers get the latest devices without large upgrade costs. It has started with ALSO, a leading Cloud Solution Provider in Europe.
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