Microsoft has an announcement event this week, will we see new Surface devices?

Next week Microsoft are holding an event, which so far, has not garnered much in the way of fanfare.  At this March 21 (US time) event, if some rumours are to be believed, Microsoft may announce a new Surface Laptop 6 and the Surface Pro 10.

The title of the event is “New Era of Work” which undoubtedly refers to AI so we expect to see Microsoft talk about the future of Windows and its Copilot AI, and how they all marry together into Microsoft’s Surface devices.

While we will undoubtedly be wowed by some new fandangled AI feature that is coming to Windows and Surface devices, much of my focus will be on any new Surface devices that Microsoft will be bringing to market.

Keep in mind that this is all rumour and speculation with some outlets suggesting that this week’s event will be solely for business users with only small incremental bumps in specs in the below-mentioned devices and the larger refreshes and redesigns coming later this Autumn.

One thing we can be relatively certain of, these device redesigns and refreshes will arrive some time this financial year and I’m here for them.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 6

The Microsoft Surface laptops are some of the best looking and functional laptops on the market, often with a price to match.  Being an owner of a Surface Laptop Go 2 I can say that they are worth it for a quality device.

Once again, like the Surface Laptop 5, we expect the 6 to be incredibly thin and lightweight without any frills but what it will include will be excellent if it follows suit.

Rumours are suggesting that the Laptop 6 will be more than just a simple refresh with a new chipset but will receive a new display with a much smaller bezel and rounded corners.  Some rumours are suggesting that the Surface Laptop 6 will see an OLED display model but that is not the consensus.  

Other rumoured notable improvements include a haptic touchpad, two USB-C ports and one USB-A port, longer battery life (which is needed given the impressive battery life of the new MacBook Airs from Apple), improved performance from an updated Intel chipset with AI onboard.  

Of note is that some are expecting the Surface Laptop 6 to arrive with an option for the Snapdragon X Elite chipset which will be an interesting development – I’m looking forward to checking out the performance of this chipset in an everyday laptop.  

Microsoft Surface Pro 10

Alongside the Surface Laptop 6 the tenth generation of the Surface Pro is also expected to make an appearance.  I’ve long been a fan of the Surface Pro devices, having owned one myself for a long time, with the ability to use it as a tablet or a laptop has come in incredibly handy for work.

Rumours are suggesting that Microsoft will be upgrading the display with an anti-reflective coating on top of an OLED display and an ultrawide webcam.

This generation there is expected to be two models just as for the Surface Laptop 6, one with Intel chipset and the other with a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chipset.  We expect the models to both include Microsoft’s new AI features thanks to onboard AI support in the new chipsets.

The big ticket item for both laptops in Microsoft’s eyes though will be the AI component.  Just as Google and Samsung have made AI a large component of their flagship smartphones, Microsoft will be likely doing that as well with all of their new devices.  We expect to see real-time translations, animated wallpapers, in-built noise suppression and more.

With under a week until the event we don’t have long to wait before we see what Microsoft has in store for us.  Tune into EFTM this coming Friday morning to see all the new things Microsoft.