Rumors abound that Microsoft Surface Pro 5 release may happen in June. It is expected to have the latest Kaby Lake processor, which is faster and more power-efficient.
Apple is planning to release MacBook Pro 2016 at the Worldwide Developers Conference, which is going to be held in San Francisco from June 13-17. Hence, Microsoft may release the much-awaited tablet in order to provide some competition to MacBook Pro 2016, according to CNET.
On the other hand, there are also speculations that the release may be shifted to early 2017 in order to accommodate the release of Microsoft's latest operating system. Windows 10 Redstone release is expected in early 2017 and it may be launched alongside Microsoft Surface Pro 5, according to ZDNET. However, it should be noted that Microsoft has not confirmed the release date of the Surface Pro 5.
On the other hand, Microsoft Surface Pro 5 specs may include a faster Kaby Lake processor in order to compensate for the myriad power issues, which the previous model faced. Surface Pro 4 had numerous heating and battery-draining issues due to a faulty processor. The upcoming device may also be packed with an USB Type-C port, Mini DisplayPort for video, an audio jack and a microSD card slot.
Earlier this year, Microsoft filed a patent application for a Surface dock and Pen, which has an built-in battery. Microsoft Surface Pro 5 is expected to include the new built-in battery dock and Surface Pen in its default kit and be available with the base model onwards.
This is a huge improvement over the previous generation of Surface Pen, which required a button cell battery to function. The latest Surface dock and Pen is also in direct competition to Apple's iPad Pro Pen, which can be recharged with a lightning connector.
Microsoft Surface Pro 5 price is expected to start from $899 for the base model. The prices for the Intel Core i7 and the i7 Extreme models may be $999 and $1,599 respectively. There are also rumors that a better processor and a bigger hard drive could escalate the price of the high-end models to beyond $2,000.
Watch the concept trailer of Microsoft Surface Pro 5 here: