Microsoft Surface Pro 8 and Surface Laptop 4 could arrive soon with these big specs upgrades (report)

(Image credit: Laptop Mag)

Microsoft will reportedly launch the Surface Pro 8 and Surface Laptop 4 in the first half of 2021, according to a Windows Central report.

The upcoming models will come with new processors and expanded RAM options, but keep the same external design as the previous versions, reports Windows Central, citing anonymous sources.

Surface Pro 8: Specs, release date and price
Surface Laptop 4: Rumors, release date, price and more
Which Surface is right for you?

Surface Pro 8 specs

More specifically, the Surface Pro 8 will be powered by Intel 11th Gen "Tiger Lake" chips with Iris Xe graphics and up to 32GB of RAM.

We're seeing a healthy performance boost from 11th Gen chips when compared to 10th Gen Ice Lake processors, but the Iris Xe graphics is the real star of the show, allowing portable PCs to run AAA games at playable frames (at lower graphics settings).

The jump from 16GB of memory to 32GB is another interesting change, and should let you load up as many RAM-hungry Google Chrome tabs as you want. The Surface Pro 8 (or just Surface Pro) will supposedly be sold in Wi-Fi-only and LTE versions; there is no word on a 5G variant.

Surface Laptop 4 specs

As for the clamshell device, the Surface Pro 4 will launch a few months after the Surface Pro 8 and feature the same Intel 11th Gen processors with up to 32GB of RAM.

Like the previous model, there will be AMD Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 variants with custom "Surface Edition" chips in the 15-inch model and the 13.5-inch version. We hope Microsoft uses the newer Ryzen 4000-series chips, or, if they arrive on time, Ryzen 5000 CPUs.

Outlook

I have mixed feelings about these reports. On one hand, both models getting up to 32GB of RAM is great for power users, and the new 11th Gen Intel and AMD Ryzen 4000 chips we're expecting to see will deliver impressive gains in performance.

But there's no denying that these Surface products, especially the Surface Pro 7, are in need of a design update. Thinner display bezels and a more compact footprint would go a long way to making the Surface Pro 7 a more compelling competitor to the iPad Pro, or get people to buy the Surface Laptop 4 instead of a Dell XPS 13 or Apple's new MacBook Air or MacBook Pro.

Phillip Tracy is the assistant managing editor at Laptop Mag where he reviews laptops, phones and other gadgets while covering the latest industry news. After graduating with a journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin, Phillip became a tech reporter at the Daily Dot. There, he wrote reviews for a range of gadgets and covered everything from social media trends to cybersecurity. Prior to that, he wrote for RCR Wireless News covering 5G and IoT. When he's not tinkering with devices, you can find Phillip playing video games, reading, traveling or watching soccer.