Now you’re playing with power! The next generation Surface Pro has been the talk of the town over in rumor land. And we just got another hint at what Microsoft is cooking, thanks to the FCC.
This new machine has been rumored for a while now. And it looks like it is headed for an immediate launch — likely at the special event that Redmond has been planning.
Historically, Microsoft has had its Surface launch events anywhere from September to November, and things seem to be no different this year. The company is said to be working on a Surface Laptop 5 refresh, a new Surface Studio 3, and a Surface Pro 9.
And as spotted by a Microsoft watcher, a new FCC filing from Redmond has just cleared.
It is under the C3K1997 listing, which in fact carries 21 filings for a new Microsoft device. And while most of the exciting information is under confidentiality for 180 days, there are enough bits in the hundreds of pages that hint at this being a new 5G Surface Pro.
According to the listing, the Surface Pro 9 could use built-in 5G connectivity, Bluetooth 5, as well as offer WiFi 6 capabilities. The listing clearly mentions support for what is being called “multi-band 5G NR, 802.11b/g/n/ax WLAN”.
And it also includes references to the Smart Transmit 3.0 technology from Qualcomm that aims to extend 5G coverage and improve uplink speeds. It also optimizes transmissions across cellular, WiFi, and Bluetooth antennas.
All these new features should result in not just better battery life, but improved wireless and overall system performance when compared to the Surface Pro and especially the Surface Pro X.
Of course, the Surface Pro 9 will also launch with Intel processors, just in case you thought otherwise.
Worth a mention that the information contained in this listing should be taken with a generous helping of salt until we hear the official word from Microsoft. There is always the possibility that we may be looking at a new Surface Pro X and not the Surface Pro.
But with talk that Redmond is ready to merge both these lineups, something great may yet become of this premium line of device carrying the Surface logo.
More so, considering we are at the 10th anniversary mark of the lineup.
