Microsoft Surface Pro 5 release date, rumors: Laplet to give iPad Pro 2 a run for its money?

The Microsoft Surface Pro 5 is not coming this year and is looking to go head to head with Apple's iPad Pro 2, which is scheduled to be released early next year.

Microsoft's pulled the same trick last month by setting a launch event for the Microsoft Surface Studio a day before Apple's all-Mac event.

The Redmond-based company's personal computer effectively overshadowed the iMac 2016 from the Cupertino-based tech giant, which is why the Microsoft Surface Pro 5 is expected to get the same treatment.

With the iPad Pro 2 rumored to see the light of day by March, the upcoming Surface Pro might be released earlier than that but likely on the same month.

But even without the strategic planning of the release date, the Microsoft Surface Pro 5 is believed to have what it takes to take on the iPad Pro 2.

The device is expected to house the Intel Kaby Lake, the seventh-generation processor from the company. It will be miles powerful than the current Skylake, which is powering up the current-gen Surface Pros.

Kaby Lake will boost the performance of the Microsoft Surface Pro 5 to a whopping 25 percent while also improving the battery life and handling a 4K resolution display, which is believed to e what the 2-in-1 device will offer. This is good news for those who were aggravated by the battery life of the Surface Pro 4.

However, if the Microsoft Surface Pro 5 were to battle the iPad Pro 2 in this department, it might not hold up as the purported processor coming to the iPhone maker's new tablet will be built on 10-nanometer manufacturing process while the Kaby Lake will be on 14 nm.

With regards to the rest of the specifications and features, the Microsoft Surface Pro 5 is rumored to come with 16 GB of RAM with storage at 1 TB.