Microsoft Surface Pro
Microsoft's Surface Pro 2 is seen during the launch of their Surface 2 tablets in New York September 23, 2013. Reuters/Shannon Stapleton

The Surface hardware has proved to be an immensely successful venture for Microsoft. The company is heavily focusing on content creators and those who would generally go with Apple devices. The Microsoft Surface Pro 5 is highly expected in the first quarter of 2017. The last time the Surface Pro line received a refresh was in October 2015 and it came with the release of Surface Pro 4. Thus, another refresh is required and anticipated.

A recent leak by China's Economic Daily News, reported by DigiTimes, reported the launch date to be first quarter of 2017. The leak reportedly came from inside sources, loose-lipped manufacturers, and seems credible. Pegatron Technology will manufacture the Microsoft Surface Pro 5 device and Microsoft is also considering Quanta Computer as another Surface Pro 5 manufacturer.

It is not yet clear whether the Surface Pro 5 will go with a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset or the recently released Intel Kaby Lake processor. Another highly expected Surface Pro 5 feature is the Surface Pen or the magnetic stylus that will recharge automatically when attached to the side of the device, reports BGR. This is a good move by Microsoft away from the AAAA batteries.

Microsoft also recently refreshed the Surface Book with a GTX 965M GPU and a faster Intel Core i7 processor, writes Tech Spot. Those who are not accustomed to the Surface Pro devices, they are laptops that can be stripped down to the bare display. A user can detach the display completely to use it as a tablet. The Microsoft Surface Pro 5 is believed to receive Ultra HD tech with a maximum screen resolution of 3840×2160 pixels.

Other rumoured specs include Thunderbolt 3, USB Type-C port and 4K compatibility. The Microsoft Surface Pro 5 was expected to be released in 2016 but the company released the Surface Book i7 and Surface Studio instead. As the Microsoft Windows 10 Creators Update will happen during spring of 2017, many believed the device to be released along with this update.

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