Almost exactly a year after Microsoft held its last Surface event, the company has announced another one.
It’ll take place in October for the first time since 2019, raising the prospect of a return to an in-person event. But either way, it’ll be available to watch online around the world.
Aside from a time and date, Microsoft hasn’t revealed any details regarding what will be announced. It doesn’t even say that Surface hardware will be revealed, but leaks and rumours point to at least three new devices being unveiled. Here’s everything you need to know.
When is the next Microsoft Surface event?
Microsoft has confirmed that its next event will take place on Wednesday, 12 October 2022. Proceedings will get underway at 10am ET – that’s 7am PT, 3pm BST, 4pm CET or 7.30pm IST.
Remember, this is only when any new products will launch. Pre-orders may go live immediately, but we’ll probably have to wait at least a couple of weeks for them to go on sale.
How to watch the Microsoft Surface event live
So far, we only have an official event page on the Microsoft website. It’ll probably be available to watch live there, wherever you are in the world.
However, the company also livestreamed its 2021 event to the Microsoft Surface YouTube channel. That’s likely to be the case again, although a page for the stream isn’t yet available.
Finally, there’s also a chance you’ll be able to watch via the Microsoft Surface Twitter account.
What to expect from the Microsoft Surface event
With only the Surface Laptop Go 2 and education-focused Surface Laptop SE having launched, there are plenty of potential launches at the October. However, according to leaks and rumours, it looks like just three will be announced.
The first is the Surface Pro 9, Microsoft’s next flagship 2-in-1. After the wholesale changes introduced by its predecessor, this is understandably expected to be a more iterative update. However, it seems that the device will be merged with the Surface Pro X, meaning some models use an ARM-based Qualcomm processor and offer 5G support. But Intel, 4G and Wi-Fi only models are still expected.
New Forest (green) and Sapphire (blue) colours are expecting to join the existing Platinum and Graphite options, while Microsoft may ditch the 128GB SSD model at the entry-level.
Then there’s the Surface Laptop 5, where more wholesale changes are expected. They include the move to a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate on both 13.5in and 15in models, an upgraded webcam and new Intel processors. However, there may be no option for AMD CPUs this time around.
The third product we’re expecting is a long-awaited update to Microsoft’s all-in-one desktop PC. The Surface Studio 3 looks set to arrive four years after its predecessor, although very few details have been revealed. Upgraded Intel processors are almost certain and a revamped design are likely, but aside from that it’s anyone’s guess.
However, just as significant are the products that we aren’t expecting to be announced. The Surface Duo 3, Surface Go 4, Surface Laptop Studio 2 and Surface Laptop Go 3 may all arrive in 2023 instead.
Learn more in our separate article on what to expect from the October Surface event.