It's still unclear whether or not the Surface Pro 8 will appear before the end of the year. October came and went with no specifics, though a new eBay listing for what the Pro 8 is supposed to be brings good news and bad. So at this point, we're not sure what to expect from the next generation Surface Pro. The eBay listing for the Sufrace Pro 8 shows a tablet that looks almost identical to the Surface Pro 7. However, some intriguing patents that already have been revealed give us hope that the Surface Pro 8 may have some design updates. Mainly because while Microsoft has expanded its product lines to cover almost every need, from casual users to creative professionals, the Surface Pro series has been a mainstay of its Surface product lines since 2013. Microsoft never rests on its laurels and has taken it upon itself to keep its Pro series up to date by releasing a new model almost every year since its introduction. Last year it launched not only the Surface Pro 7, but also the 2020 Surface Pro X with an ARM processor. So the Surface Pro 8 could still boast new design features when it launches, every time it does. In the meantime, we're here to keep you up to date with everything you need to know about the device before it hits the streets. Bookmark this page as we will update it as new information comes in.
Come to the point
- What is it? Microsoft Surface Pro 8
- When did it come out? Hopefully by the end of 2020
- How much will it cost? Presumably € 799 to € 999 for the device only
![Surface Pro 8]()
(Image credit: future)
Surface Pro 8 release date
There have been no announcements or rumors regarding the release date of the Microsoft Surface Pro 8. Given the recent release date of the Pro 7 and Pro X, we may not know for a while. Normally, the Pro series is updated once a year. And, while it hasn't been consistent, most of the time, Surface devices launch in October. The big question regarding the release date of the Surface Pro 8 has to do with the other Microsoft products that the IT world has been waiting for, namely the Surface Duo and Surface Neo. It's possible that Microsoft will do what it did last year when it released the Pro 7 in October 2019 and the Pro X the following month. It is also possible that Microsoft wants to give more space to its new dual-screen devices. At this point, however, the safe bet for Microsoft Pro 8 is a late 2020 release date.
![Surface Pro 8]()
(Image credit: future)
Surface Pro 8 Price
If the Pro Series story is anything to go by, we've got a pretty good idea of what to expect in terms of pricing. Entry-level pricing for a newly released Surface Pro typically started between $799 (about $610, AU$1,170) to $999 (about $760, AU$1,470) with one machine topping out at $2,299 . (around €1,760, AU€3,370). No pricing rumors have been circulating yet, but the Surface Pro 8 is likely to follow a similar pricing pattern. Unless there are big design revisions (think Apple's Touch Bar), entry models should be between that €799-999 range with RAM upgrades. and storage, which translates to additional price increases similar to previous models. Where we could see a more significant price increase is the type of blankets. The cheapest type case that works with the 7 is €129,99 (£99, AU$191) and the exclusive model is €159,99 (£122, AU$235). While base-type covers for the Pro 8 with the same features as these will likely command similar prices, Microsoft has a few things up its sleeve. There are two patents shaking up the computing world: the solar-powered type cover and the type cover equipped with an external speaker. We don't know if any of these concepts will go into production. However, if they do, expect to see a price increase for the new features.
![Surface Pro 8]()
(Image credit: Microsoft)
Surface Pro 8 Specifications
Newer Surface Pro devices have generally taken incremental steps into the future every time there's been a release. The Pro 7, for example, improved on the Pro 6 by replacing Intel's eighth-generation chips with the newly released 6th-generation chips, upgrading Wi-Fi to Wi-Fi 1824, and including a USB-C port. Its storage, RAM and screen, among other specifications, have not changed. So what can we expect? While a 12,3-inch 8p display doesn't really need a higher resolution, and the larger RAM and storage options probably aren't necessary for anyone looking at a Surface device (these aren't really designed for heavy gaming or video editing), we may see a new chip in the Pro 8. It all depends on whether Intel's 2020th-generation chips, called "Tiger Lake," are ready by the time the Pro 8 is. And the current speculation is late 7 at the earliest for these chips. The good news is that a mysterious eBay listing shows a Surface Pro 1165 with an Intel Core i7-32G1 processor, 3GB of RAM, and 7TB of SSD storage inside. The inclusion of USB-C was necessary to keep up with today's devices, and we hope Microsoft goes a step further and includes a Thunderbolt 6 port instead of USB-C. We're also hoping to regain some of the battery life lost by the Pro XNUMX compared to the Pro XNUMX. At the moment, there's not much news on what to expect when it comes down to it. battery life, so we'll have to wait and see what Microsoft does.
![Surface Pro 8]()
(Image credit: Microsoft)
Surface Pro 8 Features
In keeping with its incremental improvements, the Microsoft Surface Pro hasn't changed much visually. It's still a tablet with a detachable type cover that doubles as a physical keyboard. The bezels of the device remain the same; in fact, every aspect of the screen between the Pro 6 and 7 is the same. Will Microsoft stay in step with the times and go for thinner bezels? We don't know, but we can only hope that there will be at least some improvement. In fact, we really don't know much about the features that will change on the device compared to previous generations. Will Microsoft accept the removable SSD it introduced with the Pro X for the Pro 8? It would be a welcome addition, though only time will tell. Where we get a glimpse of the design improvements Microsoft has made is in the two patents that have been filed for its typefaces. One of them may be a creative solution to extend the battery life of the Pro: a solar panel type cover. The patent describes a type of roof loaded with four outward-facing solar panels that could even draw power from artificial light sources. The other patent, which should be of interest to any previous Surface owner, is for a type of cover equipped with an external speaker. The type of cover described in the patent could be used in an open or closed configuration. And, when used in the kickstand position, it faces outward, away from the device, into an expandable enclosure using the kickstand as a soundboard. It would help amplify the sound without having to resort to a bigger or heavier speaker. If Microsoft manages to pull this off, it would be a huge improvement over the small speakers Pro series users are currently limited to. Of course, those two patents may not be forthcoming when the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 launches, so we won't know if we'll see solar-powered or speaker-equipped covers before launch. However, rest assured that we will update this article whenever new information about the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 reaches us until the device is released. Be sure to bookmark this page to stay up to date on all things Surface Pro 8.