Microsoft Surface Pro 5 release date, news, rumors: Device to be released in 2 variants; Delay caused by Kaby Lake shipping, Redstone 2 update

It is highly speculated that Microsoft is about to unveil the next iteration of the Surface Pro brand this year. Not much has been known regarding the plans of the Redmon-based tech giant for their hybrid Surface device this year, although the rumors are rife that the Surface Pro 5 will arrive in the later months of 2016. Nevertheless, the reports keep coming in about the device's features.

Microsoft Surface Pro 5 is reported to be released in two variants towards the end of this year, Yibada reported. The base model or the low-end model will sport a 2K screen display resolution, while the high-end variant is going to get a 4K hi-res feature. It has yet to be confirmed how much will the higher model fare in terms of its core specifications compared to the base model. As for now, Microsoft has remained silent regarding the details.

There are no clear reports yet regarding the exact release date of the Surface Pro 5, although majority of the latest rumors point to a 2016 launching.  PC Advisor UK reported that Microsoft may have a special announcement coming this October for the Surface Pro 5. After the unveiling, the device will arrive on the market after a few weeks or months, although it is likely that it will happen in November.

Earlier rumors suggested that the Surface Pro 5 will be released in the third or fourth quarter of this year. However, the company has been very silent about their Surface Pro plans. If anything were to be launched this year, Microsoft should have already been gearing up for the marketing of the particular device. Some tech enthusiasts are starting to think that the Surface Pro 5's release is delayed, but the reason is still unknown. 

It was reported that the shipping of Intel Kaby Lake chipset is one of the main reasons why Microsoft was not able to release the Surface Pro 5 sooner. The Kaby Lake processors are not expected to be shipped until late 2016. In this case, the public still can't expect the arrival of the Surface Pro 5 in the coming months. Also, the device is rumored to be the first to sport the Windows 10 Redstone 2 OS, but the upcoming Windows 10 update is not yet expected to be finished anytime soon. People may have to wait a little longer before the official release of the Surface Pro 4's predecessor.