Microsoft Surface Pro 5 release date, specs rumors: next hybrid laptop speculated to be announced in Q1 2017 with other Surface products?

Though official confirmations are rare on the prospects of the next most awaited Surface products such as the Pro 5 and Surface Phone, rumors are rife that the Pro 5 along with other products are going to be announced within the first quarter of 2017.

Several reports are suggesting that the silence of Microsoft about Surface Pro 5 and Surface Phone will only last for a couple months from now. Many are speculating that within early 2017, the world will get to see what Surface Pro 5 and Surface Phone have to offer.

More specifically, some reports note that the Mobile World Congress annually held in February is the most likely time to announce the mentioned products. However, there are also reports that note it might happen in February but in a separate event hosted by Microsoft.

It can be remembered that last Oct. 27, Microsoft released the all-in-one PC Surface Studio that is believed to put up a good fight against Apple's iMacs. Also in the same event, Surface Book i7 was also unveiled.

It has been more than a year since Surface Pro 4 has been released and fans of the hybrid laptop-tablet just cannot wait to get their hands on its successor. It is speculated that Microsoft is waiting for Intel Kaby Lake processors that will pave way for faster performance.

With Kaby Lake, the Thunderbolt 3 ports will have a swift performance. These ports are capable of up to 40 GB per second data-transfer speeds. Kaby Lake will also enable the Surface Pro 5 to function with a 4K ultra high-definition (UHD) display.

On the other hand, Microsoft is yet to confirm whether or not Surface Phone is in the pipeline down at Redmond. However, despite the lack of confirmation, sources say that Microsoft is indeed working on more than one prototype of the much-speculated smartphone.

Just recently, Microsoft's chief executive officer Satya Nadella addressed questions about Surface Phone and told Australian Financial Review, "We will continue to be in the phone market not as defined by today's market leaders, but by what it is that we can uniquely do in what is the most ultimate mobile device."