Microsoft Surface Pro 5 release date, specs: Intel i7 Kaby Lake processor to be featured?

(Microsoft Official) Shown in the picture is Microsoft Surface Pro 4. According to rumors, the Microsoft Surface Pro 5 will be released in early 2017.

Microsoft's upcoming Surface Pro 5 tablet may be powered by Intel's newest Kaby Lake processing chips. There are also rumors that it will be capable of showing 4K videos.

According to reports, the i7 Kaby Lake chipset has a performance boost of 15–20 percent from its predecessor Skylake. The boost is a result of Intel's optimization of the previously released chipset and not a revamping of clock or design.

Because of Kaby Lake's increase in power and performance, if the upcoming Surface Pro 5 will indeed feature it, the tablet may be the most fitting device for gaming and video streaming. This new Intel chipset is expected to debut the HEVC Main10 video encoders that is capable of streaming 4K videos smoothly with frame rates that are as high as 60 fps by consuming as low as 3.2 watts of power. Although the previous i7 generation chip can stream 4K videos, it is noticeably choppy, while consuming 16.5 watts of power.

Not only is Kaby Lake's video performance remarkable, the new I chipset is reportedly 20–30 percent better performing when it comes to graphics with HD Graphics 620. Its graphics performance can even be at par to NVIDIA's dedicated GPU for laptop, the GeForce 920 M.

According to other reports, Microsoft's Surface Pro 5 will be bundled with a Surface Pen. Plus, the Surface Pen that comes with it will also be getting some upgrade as it will have a rechargeable battery that can be wirelessly charged.

Aside from a 4K display variant, there might be a less expensive variant with a 2K screen resolution. The RAM may also be boosted to 26 GB. The tablet may also be ditching the USB 3.0, which is present in the Surface Pro 4, to sport the trending USB Type-C port. The rear and front cameras are also expected to get an upgrade.

Microsoft is yet to announce the release date of the Surface Pro 5, but rumor has it that it will come out sometime in 2017.

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