Alleged Surface Pro 8 leak reveals a device with a larger screen, Thunderbolt ports, and a 120 Hz display.
Just days before Microsoft’s next Surface hardware event, Twitter user @Shadlow_Leak posted what appears to be a leaked store listing detailing some key specs of a new Surface Pro device (via The Verge). According to the listing, the new convertible tablet appears to ditch USB-C and USB-A ports in favor of a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports, and also adds 11th Gen Intel Core processors, a 13-inch display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a user-replaceable SSD like those found in some other current Surface devices.
The renders show a Surface with a design similar to the current Surface Pro 7, only with a significantly larger screen and smaller bezels than the current Surface Pro 7. Take this with a grain of salt: the “screens” in these press renders are often posted on the devices afterwards, and are known to get the screen size wrong. Still, a larger screen with smaller bezels ties into other Surface Pro 8 rumors doing the rounds, as well as general design trends in the PC industry.
A bigger screen for the Surface Pro 8 would make this the biggest hardware overhaul since the Surface Pro 3 in 2014. Microsoft has been deliberately conservative in updating the design of the device over the years to improve compatibility with existing chargers, keyboard covers and accessories. † Surface Pro X from 2019 introduced a refined design, but that tablet is only available with ARM processors rather than x86 chips from Intel or AMD, limiting compatibility and performance for many existing Windows apps.
We hope to see a new Surface Pro and all sorts of other Surface hardware at Microsoft’s September 22 hardware event. Current rumors also point to a redesigned Surface Book, and a new version of the Surface Duo dual-screen Android phone has just been approved by the FCC.