This one is a MAJOR meh…
ALL about AI and “catching up” to MacBook Air and iPad Pro - low ambitions…it’s M$'s take on “How to Serve Man” - the cookbook for driving you insane with AI data theft, adware, and service subscriptions…
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I’ll buy a model on day one of release/availability. I’m not going to lie.
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Me too. Snapdragon X Elite is just too good. The new Windows 12 UI actually looks good for tablets. It is the AI part that has me worried. That said, and what I did not mention, is Microsoft may have planted that AI rumor (as companies often do) to gauge and double check consumer reactions to a potential slip-up.
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Me as well. Though I’ve been at least somewhat skeptical here that Nuvia can live up to the hype (and I still am to some degree in the totality) everything I’ve heard and seen looks to have the SnapDragon Elite finally fulfilling the promise of the original Pro X eg. top tier performance with built in 5G, better battery life and quieter (allegedly fanless) Surface Pro 10.
PS: We also hear rumors that the Snapdragon version of the Pro 10 will have new improved pen tech that isn’t possible with Intel due to things like RFI from the Intel chipset.
So waiting and hoping to borrow from @Bronsky
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I’m very curious if this will end up being a Pro 10 and Laptop 6
One thing I heard is there will be a bigger separation between the Commercial Release and…whatever ends up being released in retail. Like what gets released in the Commercial Market will be likely exclusive to that market.
What I was originally suspecting…the spring refresh would be 14th Gen Intel/NPU(since AI/Copilot is all that f-ing matters anymore) , in something more approximate to a Pro 9+ and a Laptop 5+ , to be released as commercial exclusives…and then the proper Redesigned Pro 10 and Laptop 6 (with same 14th gen intel) to be released sometime later in the summer or even as far as fall for both retail and commercial.
In many ways a repeat of the Pro 7+ and Pro 8
However alot of the current rumors hitting the net seem to suggest full redesigns hitting this spring which puts a wrench into my theory.
Like if they were going to release to retail a Pro 10 with a new design, to also release a commercial only Pro 9+ at the same time, that would be kind of pointless since everyone on the commercial side would likely be more enticed by the Pro 10.
Or maybe they’ll find some other way to differentiate them. Like maybe the Pro 10 and Laptop 6 would be super thin 6mm thickness but have 5-7w CPUs, meanwhile the Pro 9+ and Laptop 5+ while retaining their thicker forms, get 28w CPUs crammed in.
As far as Snagdragon X or whatever ARM options are offered, I really hope Microsoft can find some solution to the still widespread driver problem.
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Whatever happened to Zac’s rumored 11" Surface Pro?
Really, I wonder what feature this could be. What is Qualcomm doing differently that Intel isn’t?
From his Thursday, December 28th article:
It sounds like they postponed it to the redesign in 2025 when they can show Snapdragon X in its best light. I am speculating they are waiting for Snapdragon X to fully mature into the definitive ARM architecture for PC that it is destined to become, much like Ryzen took three generations to get from generally great to smackdown material against the mighty Intel. At that point, Snapdragon X will have more core configurations (including configurations scaled with more and less cores, which Qualcomm confirmed are in the works), and the microarchitecture will be onto its second-generation design with some juicy double digit percentage IPC gains much like Zen 2 saw from Zen 1.
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Rumors to be sure, but apparently the RFI of intel chipsets is a barrier to reducing latency with MPP and the Qualcomm chipsets are much better in this regard. Not unlike the reasons why 5G is so hard to find in Intel devices as well.
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I haven’t seen any direct evidence, but the AT&T clerks tell me that tethering is the reason they aren’t selling a lot of tablets at their stores (or maybe it could be typical AT&T adhesion contracts)…
https://x.com/techinamul/status/1745427492901728319?s=46
https://twitter.com/gus33000/status/1745166996856008790
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Full article, translated into English
Surface: Five new models spotted, also with Qualcomm’s Apple killer
Microsoft is working on a number of new Surface devices, as can be seen from the list of supported devices in a recently released driver package. This apparently includes the first Surface Laptop with Qualcomm’s new high-end ARM chip.
Roland Quandt, 11.01.2024 12:36 p.m.
Qualcomm
Configuration files reveal new models
Gustave Monce, also known as @gus3300 on X/Twitter, is known to deal extensively with all kinds of drivers for Microsoft’s devices due to his activities in the field of software modification around the Surface Duo. That’s why he recently took a look at newly released drivers for the Surface Pro 9 5G - and came across some very interesting entries.
In one of the files for configuring telemetry collection, there is a list of supported devices, which has recently been updated with a total of five new entries. There you will find the typical entries in the format “OEMXX”, as they are used internally by Microsoft as a designation for various Surface models. The last two letters are an abbreviation of the internal code names.
The following entries are new:
- “OEMSA”: “Unnamed_Surface_Laptop_SE”
- “OEMML”: “Unnamed_Surface_Laptop”
- “OEMHT”: “Unnamed_Surface_Pro”
- “OEMBR”: “Unnamed_Surface_Laptop_Qc”
- “OEMMN”: “Unnamed_Surface_Pro_X”
While the specific code names are not yet comprehensible from the abbreviations, the list at least reveals what kind of device it is in each case. So MIcrosoft has both a new Surface Pro and a new Surface Pro X in the works. There are also new entries for a new, affordable Surface Laptop SE as well as a “normal” version of the Surface Laptop, which will again feature x86 processors.
‘OEMBR’ with ‘Qc’ - Snapdragon X Elite also spotted
What is really interesting is “OEMBR”, which is apparently a Surface Laptop with “Qc”, i.e. presumably a variant with a Qualcomm platform. It would be the first time that Microsoft has offered a notebook with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon platform based on ARM, because so far only the Surface Pro is available in versions with ARM chips from Qualcomm.
The fact that the Qualcomm chip installed in the first Surface Laptop with ARM platform could be the new Snapdragon X Elite with its 12 extremely powerful “Oryon” cores, the internal codename “Hamoa” and the internal model number SC8380XP is suggested by an entry in another file from the recently released driver package.
There, in a list of supported platforms, the name “SurfaceSmf8380Client” is explicitly mentioned - and thus the model number of the new high-end ARM processor from Qualcomm is clearly mentioned. Of course, it remains to be seen if and when the new Surface Laptop with Qualcomm’s Uber chip will be launched. It is also still unclear whether the Surface Pro X, among others, will soon also get an enormous performance boost with the new chip. However, there were already rumours to this effect in October 2023.
The Snapdragon X Elite is expected to find its way into the first finished Windows notebooks from the second half of 2024. According to the manufacturer Qualcomm, the chip will significantly shrink or even close the performance gap compared to Apple’s M1/M2/M3 chips and at least beat the Intel chips currently available in mobile devices in benchmarks - while at the same time significantly higher energy efficiency.
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Tech garble translation please - will there be a thinner lighter Surface Pro WOA with 5g and keyboard/pen before 2025?
More important question - where did they bury the supply of Surface Neo’s that I could dig up!
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It looks like there will be a Pro WOA before 2025. Whether it is lighter and 5G is anybody’s guess. I hope they don’t just put it in a Pro shell. The Pro X shell is much better to hold than the Pro vented shell. And, 5G please. No mention of the 11" WOA.
I have to be honest, I’m goign to be hard pressed to give up my Pro X for something new unless it is an improvement.
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I haven’t seen a PEEP about anything below 13". I finally saw a Pro X and it does seem quite a bit smaller than the Surface Pro 9 shell, but it still BEGS for a Surface X Neo design!
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The last word I heard was the design rehaul was pushed to 2025 and that would be when the 11” Pro would be making its debut. Meanwhile, 2024 would bring processor and display improvements while keeping the same familiar aesthetic and frame that began with the Surface Pro X and 8.
Then Im not likely to be tempted to trade in the Pro X.
Good grief - 2025? Why even bother?
Full article
Microsoft’s next Surface PC announcements may take place in March
By Zac Bowden
published about 9 hours ago
March 21 is the current working date, with new hardware expected to ship in April and June.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
What you need to know
- A new leak appears to reveal the date of the next Surface hardware announcements.
- March 21 is the current working date, which our own sources can confirm.
- Microsoft will ship new Surface PCs in April and June.
Microsoft looks to be gearing up to announce new hardware in March, where the company is expected to unveil updated versions of the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop. Reliable leaker WalkingCat first posted the potential date of March 21 on X, and my own sources have confirmed this to be accurate.
Late last year, I wrote about Microsoft’s plans for its upcoming Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6, which are expected to feature some major upgrades in the form of refreshed designs, new chips, and next-gen NPU silicon that will power some of the upcoming advanced AI features Microsoft is building into the next version of Windows.
In my report, I mentioned that these devices would be announced in the spring. With that in mind, I am now hearing that Microsoft is planning to roll out new hardware in two waves, the first of which will be in April, and the second in June.
Microsoft’s current Surface Pro. (Image credit: Windows Central)
I know that the June wave will include the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6, as that’s when the first Qualcomm X Series PCs are expected to start shipping across the board. These PCs depend on the Windows Germanium platform release, which won’t RTM until April, making it too late for any PCs launching that month.
That means the April wave will consist of Intel hardware launching with Windows 11 Moment 5, but I don’t believe these will be the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6. According to my sources, Microsoft intends to ship a commercial focused version of Surface Pro and Surface Laptop that feature the current in-market designs, but with newer Intel 14th-gen chips and a scoped set of features designed for commercial customers.
These features include an anti-reflective display, a new NFC reader, and support for Windows Studio Effects. While I don’t know the name of these devices for certain, I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up shipping as the Surface Pro 9+ and Surface Laptop 5+. Microsoft did this with the Surface Pro 7+ back in 2019, which was also a commercial focused release.
The commercial-focused Surface Pro 7+. (Image credit: Windows Central)
As I understand it, consumers will be able to purchase these commercial focused devices if they wish, but the recommendation is to wait for the true Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 coming in June with next-gen Arm chips and updated designs.
Microsoft intends to market the upcoming Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 as its first true AI PCs, and will be some of the first to ship with the new Windows Germanium platform release. The upcoming Windows OS release this fall will enable a number of next-gen AI features designed specifically for this hardware, known as CADMUS PCs internally.
It’s unlikely that Microsoft will talk about the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 in March, though it may tease them. I suspect we’ll hear more about those devices, along with the next version of Windows, closer to June.
Elsewhere, I also hear Microsoft is planning to ship an updated Surface Laptop Go 4 and consumer-facing Surface Go 4 this year, which are likely to appear in October, if not sooner. That will round off the Surface lineup for 2024.
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Speaking to the above, if you look at these benchmarks of Intel’s latest and “greatest” 14th Gen processor, you can quickly see why Microsoft is demoting 14th Gen to Surface Pro 9+ while they Surface Pro 10 gets the premium Snapdragon X Elite treatment.