Surface Pro 5: New Rumors Point To AMD Ryzen Variant, USB-C & Spring 2017 Reveal

Fans of Microsoft’s Surface series continue to eagerly await the release and announcement of the latest iteration of the critically acclaimed device — the Surface Pro 5. With the device’s speculated release date fast approaching, leaks and rumors about the powerhouse hybrid are trickling in at a steady pace. While Microsoft is yet to confirm any of these speculations, the nature of these rumors is quite encouraging for avid fans of the device. Here then are three new compelling rumors that have recently emerged about the upcoming Surface Pro 5.

An AMD Ryzen 7 Variant

Since the Surface Pro 5 began doing its rounds in the rumor mill, speculations were already high that the upcoming hybrid device would feature Intel’s 7th-generation processors, the powerful Kaby Lake series. These processors are the best that Intel currently has to offer, and because Surface Pro devices have long used the chipmaker’s processors, speculations of a Kaby Lake-equipped Surface Pro 5 appear to be quite solid.

Recently, however, rumors emerged that the Surface Pro 5 might feature another variant that does not utilize Intel’s latest-generation processors, according to a PC Advisor report. These speculations came as a result of the recent trailer for the upcoming sci-fi thriller film, Alien: Covenant, where characters in the movie’s teaser were shown using a very familiar-looking tablet device.

@AlienMoviesUK Walter trailer showing the @Microsoft #SurfacePro5 uses an @AMD processor since they sponsor it? https://t.co/eyOLQh5xSx pic.twitter.com/0yPuZXIMHM

— Robo Lobster (@RoboLobster) March 11, 2017

During the brief teaser for the movie (which could be viewed at the end of this article), a couple of scientists were featured using a device that looks very similar to the Surface Pro series. What was interesting, however, was the fact that the film itself was sponsored by Intel’s arch-rival, AMD. The official Alien: Covenant trailer, which has been uploaded and viewed over 2 million times on YouTube, even includes the phrase “Intelligence powered by AMD, Ryzen and Radeon” in its description.

Of course, the links between the upcoming movie’s recent trailer and the upcoming hybrid device remain pretty slim. Considering the reviews that AMD’s Ryzen chips, mainly the Ryzen 7 1800X, have been getting from critics and users so far, however, there is a pretty good chance that the Redmond-based tech giant is considering AMD as a possible partner for the Surface Pro 5. Since the processors’ release, the AMD Ryzen 7 series has been showered with acclaim, with many stating that the chips were comparable in every way to Intel’s Kaby Lake processors.

Rumors of a multi-variant Surface Pro 5 release have been around for some time. Over the course of the last few months, speculations were high that apart from the Kaby Lake variants of the device, Microsoft would also be unveiling an ARM-based LTE version of the Surface Pro 5. Thus, while the links between the Surface Pro 5 and AMD’s Ryzen chips are pretty flimsy at this point, the idea of an AMD-totting SP5 is completely plausible.

Surface Pro 5 ! pic.twitter.com/hiiL7ph0aQ

— FlashFly46 (@FlashFly46) March 3, 2017

USB-C Port

Apart from the possible partnership with AMD for the Surface Pro 5, rumors are also high that Microsoft might finally begin adopting USB Type-C in the upcoming device. USB-C is quickly emerging as a powerful trend in the portable tech market, with firms such as Apple fully embracing the robust port for its notebooks such as the MacBook Pro 2016 and the 12-inch MacBook. Considering the advantages that the addition of USB-C could give to the hybrid device, there is a pretty good chance that the Surface Pro 5 might debut with the port as its primary connector as well.

Unlike Apple, however, rumors are high that Microsoft would still keep the legacy ports that were present in the Surface Pro 4. Thus, while the Surface Pro 5 might ship with a USB-C port, there is a good chance that the device’s standard USB 3.0 and display ports would still be featured on the upcoming device.

March 2017 Announcement

The official release date for the Surface Pro 5 remains unknown at this point, though speculations are high that Microsoft would be announcing the powerful hybrid together with the next big update for Windows 10, the highly anticipated Creators Update. Considering that the W10 update is due for a Spring 2017 release, speculations are high that the Surface Pro 5 is due for a March 2017 announcement.

As for the device’s availability, rumors are abounding that the Surface Pro 5 would be available sometime around April 2017, if a March 2017 reveal does happen. Of course, these are but speculations at this point, so do take these with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, fans of the hybrid device could be sure of one thing — the Surface Pro 5 is definitely coming, and it is only a matter of time before the highly anticipated hybrid device gets an official release.

[Featured Image by Spencer Platt/Getty Images]