Microsoft Surface Pro: Leaked photos of next PC tablet shown, no major changes seen

Microsoft will be holding a special event on May 23 in Shanghai, China where a refreshed Microsoft Surface Pro is anticipated. This will be a Windows 10-powered tablet that hardly comes with changes, though most would want to catch a glimpse to believe it.

Thanks to reliable tipster Evan Blass, leaked images of the Microsoft Surface Pro are out in the open. The early photos are up at Venture Beat, hardly showing any changes from its predecessor.

The main Microsoft Surface Pro hardly offers anything to be excited about aside from the accessories that come with it. These include the pen and keyboard, which will be available in four colours. Do take note that these are optional accessories, meaning they will have to be bought separately.

Aside from the overall mold of the Microsoft Surface Pro together with the pen and keyboard, a USB-C port is still nowhere to be found. Detailed information was held off, though there is growing belief that the redesigned laplet will be powered by Intel’s seventh generation chips.

All that should be revealed in a couple of days at the event in China. For those hoping to see a Microsoft Surface Pro 5, the Redmond company already made it clear that no successor is coming out for now.

As mentioned in a previous post, a successor to the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 is years away, according to Microsoft CVP for Surface Computing Panos Panay. The Redmond company still sees the current Microsoft Surface Pro 4 good for a couple of more years – meaning only some new technology may convince it to buckle down to work on a successor ahead of schedule.

The same case holds true for the Microsoft Surface Book 2. There was the initial word from DigiTimes that Microsoft was working on a new 13.5-inch clamshell form-factor laptop, which could carry a suggested retail price of US$1,000 (AU$1,341). Unfortunately, ZDNet reports that a Surface Book successor is unlikely as well, with the Surface Book 2 machines still not quite ready.

There is no telling when Microsoft plans to offer a successor to its Surface Pro solutions. Both the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book came out in October 2015, and both are still performing up to par. The upcoming Microsoft Surface Pro may be joining the duo, something that may have to do for now, unless a more surreal development convinces Panay and company to work on a successor.