Microsoft held a big Surface event today and they had a lot to show off. 10 new products in total were revealed, along with some other important announcements. Unexpectedly, the company even had a Microsoft Surface Android device to talk about. There's a lot of excitement around Microsoft products right now. So without further ado, let's dive into this massive event.
Surface Duo
We'll start with the most surprising product of the day: Microsoft Surface Duo. This is a dual-screen smartphone that runs Android. It's basically a smaller version of the Surface Neo tablet (more on that later) with phone capabilities. It features two 5.6-inch displays connected by a 360-degree hinge.
While the device does run Android, it has been heavily modified to look more like Windows 10X. It is said to be powered by the Snapdragon 855, but other specs are unknown. This device won't be released until the Holiday season of 2020.
Surface Neo
Next up is the Microsoft Surface Neo tablet, which is the same concept as the Surface Duo. This one runs Windows 10X, weighs only 1.44 lbs, and runs the 11th gen Intel Lakefield processor. Like the Duo, this device won't be available until Holiday 2020 and Microsoft shared even fewer details.
There will be an optional keyboard that can flip over one display for more traditional typing. The display shifts content depending on where the keyboard is placed. If the keyboard it towards the top, the bottom area is a trackpad. If the keyboard is moved down, the top area acts like the Apple Touch Bar.
Surface Pro 7 & Surface Pro X
Now let's get into some devices we'll be seeing this year. The Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is the update to Microsoft's main 2-in-1 product line. It features a 12.3-inch display, 10th gen Intel processors, up to 16GB of RAM, and USB Type-C ports. It also has the optional keyboard cover and Surface Pen. The Surface Pro 7 starts at $749 and launches October 22nd.
The Surface Pro X is essentially the ARM version of the Surface Pro 7. It has a 13-inch display, weighs just 1.69 lbs, has USB Type-C, fast charging, and LTE support. It's powered by a custom variant of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8cx processor. The Surface Pro X will go on sale on November 5th for $999.
Surface Laptop 3
There are now two display sizes for the Microsoft Surface Laptop: the classic 13.5-inch and a new 15-inch model. The 13.5-inch Surface Laptop 3 is powered by the 10th gen Intel Ice Lake processor, whereas the 15-inch model has two AMD Ryzen "Surface Edition" chips.
The Surface Laptop 3 features a removable hard drive, 20% larger trackpad, and USB Type-C. Pricing starts at $999 and $1,199 for the respective sizes, on sale October 22nd.
Microsoft SQ1 & Ryzen "Surface Edition"
Speaking of processors, the chip in the Surface Pro X was developed by Qualcomm and Microsoft. It's called the Microsoft SQ1. This 7nm chip has 8 cores and was built for the Surface Pro. It enables always-on, always-connected mobility, enhanced multitasking performance, high-quality 4K video, long battery life, and gigabit-class LTE connectivity. Microsoft also equipped it with the Kyro CPU at 3GHz. GPU performance clocks in at 2.1 teraflops.
On the Surface Laptop side, Microsoft worked with AMD to create the Ryzen "Surface Edition" chip. It's designed to work at 15 watts and can scale up to 20-25 watts. The performance is equal to what you'll find on the Xbox One, around 1.2 teraflops.
Surface Earbuds
Of course, Microsoft has truly wireless earbuds now. The Microsoft Surface Earbuds have large, flat touchpads for a number of gestures. You can even flip through PowerPoint slides with the earbuds gestures. Microsoft claims they offer 24 hours of battery life in conjunction with the charging case. The fit is not deep in-ear as they allow some ambient noise to filter in. They will retail for $249 later this year.