Surface Pro 5 is rumored to be released alongside Microsoft Surface Book 2 and the much-rumored Surface Phone, codenamed Panos Phone. (Photo : YouTube/CTNtechnology)
The MacBook Pro 2016 on release date will reportedly boast of AMD GPU, OLED strip keys and Touch ID as key feature upgrades but not to be outdone, Microsoft is also bumping up and will launch soon the Surface Pro 5 and Surface Book 2, bannered by Intel Kaby Lake chip and 4K display.
It's likely that the introductions will be made in the next few months and rollout is no later than December 2016, according to a report by Windows Central, which also mentioned Microsoft's plans regarding the Xbox One S, the Surface Phone and at least three models of the rumored Surface AIO desktop. The earliest that these devices will unbox would be the first half of 2017.
So the focus for now is on the Surface Pro 5 and Book 2 that the report claimed will debut before the end of the year, which aligns with the prevailing rumors. Windows Central said that with the Windows 10 Anniversary Update now rolling out, Microsoft's attention is now geared on the hardware.
The new Surface devices "won't radically change the current design but do offer some modest modifications," the report said. The Book 2, for instance, is envisioned as the direct competitor of Apple's MacBook Pro 2016 and per Windows Central, the hybrid laptop will rely on Intel Kaby Lake as its main engine.
And while the MacBook Pro will reportedly beef up its GPU muscle with an AMD Polaris 11 graphic card, the same report indicated that the Surface Book 2 when unboxed will have "a new graphics architecture for 3D and 4K graphics." But no specifics on the matter were provided in the report.
The Book 2 is also tipped for a notable redesign that will eliminate the gap when the hybrid laptop's lid is closed. It's unclear though if Microsoft will replace the fulcrum hinge used with the original Surface Book or engineering adjustments on the same mechanism will simply be made.
As for the Surface Pro 5, the upcoming 2-in-1 Windows 10 device is seen to share most of the feature upgrades that will be delivered with the Book 2 but it's likely that the laplet will debut ahead of latter. As noted by BGR in a report, well-known Microsoft insider Mary Jo Foley has previously reported that the sequel to the Surface Pro 4 will unveil anytime in fall of 2016, pointing to the device's commercial availability between October and November 2016.
Both the Surface Pro 5 and Surface Book 2 on release date will hit the market running Windows 10 Anniversary Update or Redstone 2.
