Reports from Petri's Brad Sams suggest that the Surface Book 3 and Surface Go 2 will launch at a Microsoft hardware event in spring. The conference is expected to be held in New York, as usual, with availability of the devices shortly after.
Sources of the respected reporter also indicated what internals we can expect. The Surface Book 3 will reportedly support 16-series Nvidia GPUs, which is supported by previously leaked benchmarks. It'll also include 10th gen intel processors, with up to 23GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD.
Nothing there is especially unexpected, but top-end, 15-inch Surface Books may have a surprise in store. Sams says the devices will include the option of a pro-level Nvidia Quadro card for use in AI and Machine Learning or other heavy-duty tasks. The target audience of Quadro is primarily data scientists, so it stands to reason that the high-end 2-in-1's will have a similar market. Sadly, it doesn't look like there are plans for a mobile RTX 2060, but you can't win them all.
Meanwhile, fans shouldn't expect too much from the Surface Go 2. By all indications, it will continue with its winning combination of low-end Intel chips in a tiny 2-in-1 form factor. Those rumors about a Snapdragon 7c variant may not be accurate, then, but given the growing pains with the Surface Pro X that could be a good thing.
One of the main criticisms of the Surface Go in 2020 is its fairly sizeable bezels, and it seems unlikely that will change with its second generation. Sams says to expect only a minor visual refresh, and it doesn't look like we'll be getting the option for a larger screen, either.
All in all, it doesn't sound like these additions will blow anyone away, but there's the incoming launch of Surface Duo and Surface Neo to scratch that itch.
Last Updated on July 10, 2020 9:46 pm CEST