#What to Expect on September 22nd – Review Geek

Microsoft is hosting its annual Surface event on Wednesday, September 22. It’s the company’s first opportunity to show off Windows 11 on all-new hardware, and judging by what’s leaked, we expect some exciting new products. Here’s what to look out for during the 2021 Surface event.

Of all the products rumored to appear during this year’s Surface event, a new Surface Pro 8 seems the most likely. Not only is Microsoft using a picture of the tablet to advertise its Surface event, but historically, Microsoft announces a new Surface Pro every two years. Oh, and we have leaks.

We expect the Surface Pro 8 to be a bit thinner than its predecessors. It may run on Intel’s new 11th gen CPUs and sport a 120Hz display. Leaks indicate that the tablet lacks any bulky USB-A ports, opting instead for a dual USB-C Thunderbolt 4 setup. (Microsoft previously called Thunderbolt “insecure” and refused to support the standard, so take this claim with a grain of salt.)

And while it’s only tangentially related to Windows 11, there’s a good chance that Microsoft will show off the Surface Duo 2 foldable Android phone on Wednesday. Leaked photos show that Microsoft may thicken up the second Surface Duo release to improve its durability, and a new tri-camera array could replace the original’s crappy camera.

There’s also a chance that the new Surface Duo will run a Snapdragon 888 processor for flagship performance and 5G support—again, these are things that were missing in the original release.

And then there are the products that we’re less sure about. Rumor has it that Microsoft will announce a new Surface Book 4 that ditches the detachable keyboard design, replacing it with a Lenovo Yoga-style foldable form factor. Such a move would improve the Surface Book’s performance in tablet mode, as its keyboard contains a GPU and other important components.

We could also see a new Surface Go 3, and leaks suggest that it will run more powerful processors than last year’s model. But that seems to be the only change here. Otherwise, the Surface Go 3 is just a rehash of the Surface Go 2. (Assuming that it exists, of course.)

Some rumors hint that Microsoft could announce a Surface Studio 3 desktop. We’ve found zero evidence of such a device, but to be fair, the three-year-old Surface Studio 2 is definitely ready for an upgrade. Other device rumors, including those for the Surface Neo or a new Surface Laptop, seem very unlikely.

We’ll finally learn what Microsoft has planned during its Surface event on September 22nd. The event starts at 11 AM EST (or 8 AM PST), you can catch it live on YouTube or at Microsoft’s events page.