Rumors of Microsoft's next-generation Surface Pro tablet have been surfacing in the tech space for many months now, and latest speculations suggest that the launch of the tablet has been delayed.
The current-generation Surface Pro 4 runs on Intel's Skylake processors. However, rumors hint that the Surface Pro 5 will run on Intel's next-gen Kaby Lake processors, which are faster than Skylake processors.
Rumors pointed out that Microsoft will launch the Surface Pro 5 in June following the official launch of the Kaby Lake processors at the 2016 Computex. However, Intel has confirmed that the Kaby Lake processor will launch toward the end of this year.
If Microsoft is to launch the Surface Pro 5 in June, then it will not run on Kaby Lake processors. With Surface Pro 5 expected to be a premium tablet, though, Microsoft will want them to run on the latest processor available in the market.
Microsoft unveiled the fourth-generation Surface Pro 4 tablet in October 2015, and tablet enthusiasts are likely hoping for the launch of the Surface Pro 5 around the same period this year. Given the launch time of the Surface Pro 4, many customers will anticipate that the next-gen tablet in the Surface Pro series launches in October this year.
It is worth noting however, that Microsoft has not followed a specific launch cycle for the Surface Pro tablets. The first-gen Surface Pro was launched in June 2012 and released in February 2013. The company launched the Surface Pro 2 in September 2013 and it hit the shelves in October 2013. The Surface Pro 3 was unveiled in May 2014 and released in June 2014.
Going by the launch date of the previous generation tablets in the Surface Pro series, it is difficult to estimate the arrival time of the Surface Pro 5. Some reports also suggest that Microsoft may not launch the Surface Pro 5 this year and will push the launch of the tablet to 2017.
Apart from a faster processor, the Surface Pro 5 is speculated to have a better battery, 4K Ultra HD display, improved Surface Pen, USB Type-C port and more.
Speculations suggest that the base model of Surface Pro 5 may have a price tag of $899 and the top variant of the tablet may cost $1,800.
Microsoft has not confirmed anything about the Surface Pro 5 tablet, so fans will have to wait untill the company officially announces specs, launch date and price of the tablet.
