Two of the biggest names in the tech industry are rumored to launch their new devices before the year ends. The Cupertino-based Apple Inc. is expected to unveil the new MacBook Air 2016 amidst other devices, while the Redmond-based Microsoft Corporation is said to introduce the next iteration of the Surface Pro lineup, the Surface Pro 5.

Both technology giants have not explicitly confirmed that they will be releasing the aforementioned devices, but rumors about the Surface Pro 5 and MacBook Air 2016's specs and features are making the rounds, building the hype for their release.

MacBook Air 2016 specs rumors

Latest reports suggest that MacBook Air will soon be discontinued and will be replaced by the MacBook Pro lineup. Whether or not this rumor is true, the MacBook Air 2016's impressive specs continue to be part of the rumor mill. It is expected that the new Air model will be thinner and much lighter than its predecessors.

MacBook Air may also come with a 15-inch model, instead of the standard 11-inch variant, coupled with a 5K screen resolution. It's expected that the laptop will have a more powerful battery, a USB-Type C port and an Intel Skylake chipset.

Given that Apple just unveiled its new macOS Sierra at the recently concluded Worldwide Developers Conference, the MacBook Air is assumed to come preloaded with this new operating system.

Surface Pro 5 specs rumors

As noted in PC Advisor, Chinese sources hinted that Surface Pro 5 will have a 2K screen resolution, which means that MacBook Air will have superior resolution if rumors are anything to go by. However, a 4K option of the Surface Pro 5 may also be offered but consumers will have to pay extra.

Microsoft's next hybrid laptop is also said to adopt the USB-Type C port. This significant update will reportedly help for more efficient charging of the device. There were previous rumors saying that Surface Pro 5 could run on an Intel Skylake processor, but more recent reports suggest Microsoft will use the upcoming Kaby Lake chipset.

Both Surface Pro 5 and MacBook Air 2016 are expected to compete against each other and a fall release is likely for both.