Ahead of next month’s expected reveal of the Microsoft Surface Pro 8, more details have leaked that point to a smart decision in terms of the specifications of the Windows 10 tablet.
A number of Surface Pro 8 variants have already shown up online through store listings and benchmarking sites. These have focused on the Core i5 and Core i7 models, revealing the increased memory and larger SSD capacity on the higher end machines.
But what of the entry-level machines? There’s an argument that Microsoft could leave the i5 as the first step on the Surface Pro ladder, but previous generations of the 2-in-1tablet computer have started out with the Core i3 processor.
The latest leaked details, which come from a number of product listings picked up by Roland Quant at German site WinFuture:
“According to the information we have, a variant is planned that comes with an Intel Core i3 SoC.
“We can’t say anything about the exact type of CPU in the case of the i3 model. However, there is good news regarding the memory configuration of what is likely to be the cheapest version of the new Microsoft tablet. The dealers list the new model with eight gigabytes of RAM, which is double that of the Surface Pro 7.”
The news that Microsoft will be upping the minimum RAM to 8 GB will come as welcome news to many. Although Windows 10 can run on 4 GB of RAM (and Microsoft offered a version of the Surface Laptop Go with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of MMC storage) it’s fair to say that with those specs the experience is… interesting.
Given the totemic nature of the Surface Pro in Microsoft’s line-up, bringing the base level of RAM up to 8 GB feels like a really good quality of life choice for those who go for the entry level model of the Surface Pro 8 family.
Microsoft is expected to launch the new Surface Pro tablets during January 2021.
