There has been no Microsoft Surface hardware event this fall. That means the Surface Book 3, Surface Go, and Surface Laptop Go released earlier in the year are all the devices we get in 2020. Looking ahead, 2021 will see the Surface Pro 8 and Surface Laptop 4 become available.
In the latest indication the devices will be introduced earlier rather than later in 2021, leaked images for both the Surface Pro 8 and Surface Laptop 4 have leaked online. Both images were found by Cozyplanes and posted on Twitter.
Both images seem to be regulatory photos, like those we see for FCC filings. It is worth noting Microsoft updates Surface devices less frequently than the yearly bump we see smartphones get. So, there’s no surprise to see the Surface Pro 7 remain in place beyond the one-year anniversary of its launch.
A two-year gap between generations is normal, so a 2021 launch for the new hardware is expected. That said, an early-2021 launch will come as a surprise. Some reports suggest the Surface Pro 8 could even be revealed in January. That would be the first time a Surface device has been launched in the first month of the year.
https://twitter.com/cozyplanes/status/1331969412102909952
2021 Launch
I think a January of Q1 2021 release is unlikely. It misses the important Holiday Season and Q1 is often the quietest sales period of the year. A January announcement is possible, but a Q2 launch more likely.
Earlier this month, an apparent prototype Surface Pro 8 was made available on auction site eBay. The listing showed the device with the newest generation Intel Core processors, up to 32GB of RAM (double that of the Pro 7), and up to a 1TB Samsung SSD.
