Microsoft’s Surface Pro X 2 is coming. Here’s the latest on the release date, rumors, leaks, everything we know, and everything we want.<\/b>
\nMicrosoft\u2019s Surface Pro X is the company\u2019s endorsement of its Windows on ARM efforts. It uses modified Qualcomm processors for a fanless design that\u2019s thinner than the Intel-powered Surface, and in many ways, it\u2019s ahead of the curve. The Surface Pro X has narrower bezels than the Surface Pro 7, and it\u2019s the first Surface to fit a pen garage into the attachable keyboard. In fact, Microsoft spent a lot of time rethinking what the new Surface device would be like; being so thin, the team couldn\u2019t stick with the traditional Surface features, like magnetically attaching the pen to the side. The keyboard connector was redesigned, USB Type-A was ditched, and more. Since we\u2019re already talking about the Surface Pro 8 that should launch alongside Windows 11, it\u2019s time to talk about the Surface Pro X 2. To be clear, Microsoft hasn\u2019t announced this product, and there really aren\u2019t any solid rumors around it. We don\u2019t even know for sure that it will be called the Surface Pro X 2; that\u2019s just an assumption. Back when Microsoft announced the fifth-generation Surface Pro, it went back to numerical names with the Surface Pro 6, saying it was easier for customers. Unless Microsoft changes up branding on the Surface Pro X entirely, Surface Pro X 2 is the likely bet. As for the release date, my guess would be we won\u2019t see this product until next spring. There\u2019s simply no new silicon for Microsoft to use. The custom Microsoft SQ1 and SQ2 processors in use now are just tweaked versions of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx, which hasn\u2019t been refreshed in a meaningful way since it first launched. I do expect pricing to come down though. When the Surface Pro X first launched, it started at $999.99, although you can get it for $150 less these days. That got you an SQ1 processor,8GB RAM, and a 128GB SSD. For an incredible $300 more, you could upgrade to the same configuration but with 256GB of storage. Prices on these types of things just tend to come down over time. The Surface Pro X was a first-gen product, so it was expensive. The Surface Pro X 2 should be less expensive, although by how much is anyone\u2019s guess. First of all, second-generation Surface products have historically been spec bumps. This was the case with the Surface Pro 2, Surface Book 2, and Surface Laptop 2. Exceptions include the Surface Go 2 \u2014 which had a larger screen \u2014 and even the Surface 2, which had a better screen than the infamous Surface RT. I would expect the Surface Pro X 2 to look and feel exactly the same as the Surface Pro X, just with a faster processor. You might recall the Surface Pro X was actually refreshed last fall with the Microsoft SQ2 processor. It wasn\u2019t rebranded to the Surface Pro X 2 though, even though it also came in a new Platinum color. Even the spec bump from the SQ1 to the SQ2 was that minor. In my testing, Geekbench single-core scores jumped from 766 to 794, and multi-core scores jumped from 2,946 to 3,036. The Microsoft SQ3 will be a much bigger difference. But like I said earlier, there\u2019s simply nothing to base an SQ3 on, which is why I don\u2019t anticipate seeing this product this year. For a Microsoft SQ3, we\u2019ll need Qualcomm to release the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 chipset, something that isn\u2019t going to happen until the Snapdragon Technology Summit this December. The Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 was a difference of 150MHz clock speed over the original, and that\u2019s it. Qualcomm said the reason for such a minor refresh was because it was trying to shorten the time between when a chipset is announced, and when it lands in products you can buy. Indeed, the Snapdragon 8cx was originally announced in December 2018, but the Samsung Galaxy Book S \u2014 the first laptop to use it \u2014 didn\u2019t ship until the beginning of 2020. The Surface Pro X, which used the modified 8cx known as the SQ1, shipped a bit earlier in November 2019. Because of that shift in strategy, we can assume we won\u2019t have to wait as long between when the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 is announced and when it begins to ship. Of course, that means less time between when it\u2019s announced and when it\u2019s modified into the Microsoft SQ3. Of course, it\u2019s also possible Microsoft could announce the SQ3 before Qualcomm announces the 8cx Gen 3, since these two companies work so closely together on both products. Qualcomm actually has a pretty exciting roadmap. Following the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3, it should start sampling completely custom chips using technology from its Nuvia acquisition in late 2022. After that, it\u2019s going to be aiming to compete with Apple Silicon, something the San Diego firm is struggling to do right now. I\u2019m almost hesitant to say this, given Microsoft\u2019s reluctance to adopt modern technologies, but we should expect 5G in the Surface Pro X 2. One of the value indicators with Windows on ARM was supposed to be integrated cellular connectivity, even if many companies are opting to build Wi-Fi-only models instead. But the Surface Pro X comes with 4G LTE, no matter which one you get, and that\u2019s a good thing. The Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3, unlike the first and second generations of the SoC, should have an integrated 5G modem. That should translate to 5G in the Microsoft SQ3. Whether it supports mmWave or only sub-6GHz bands is anyone\u2019s guess though. I can make you all sorts of wish lists around the Surface Pro X. It\u2019s my favorite Microsoft PC. But there\u2019s only one thing I really want \u2014 Thunderbolt. We all know Microsoft is the only PC OEM that sells premium Intel-powered PCs without Thunderbolt. And yes, it\u2019s time. It was time for that years ago. But we\u2019re talking about an ARM-powered PC right now. There\u2019s never been a Qualcomm-powered PC with Thunderbolt, and if there\u2019s an AMD-powered one, I haven\u2019t seen it. The only non-Intel products I\u2019ve ever seen that have Thunderbolt come from one company \u2014 Apple. I understand that this year\u2019s Surface Pro X still isn\u2019t going to compete with Apple\u2019s totally custom silicon. That\u2019s OK. Let\u2019s see Thunderbolt though. USB 4.0 allows for 40Gbps data transfer speeds. You\u2019ll be able to use it to connect dual 4K monitors or one 8K monitor, depending on the limitation of the chipset (Apple supports one external monitor, up to 6K). External GPU support is unlikely without native drivers, but you\u2019d have access to the wide array of Thunderbolt peripherals on the market. But the benefits of Thunderbolt aside, Apple does it. For years now, I\u2019ve been watching as Macs were ahead of Surface on USB Type-C, Thunderbolt, and some other things. Let\u2019s stop watching from the sidelines while Apple goes the extra mile. Apple\u2019s iPad offers a 120Hz ProMotion display, and it\u2019s pretty great. Let\u2019s put something similar on the Surface Pro X 2. To go a bit deeper on that, I\u2019d really like the Windows ecosystem to drop some of the stark differences between PC and mobile. A big example is how any premium smartphone has a high refresh rate display, but in the PC world, that\u2019s seen as a gaming feature, and those high refresh rates will make sacrifices for better gaming performance. This isn\u2019t just a change for the Surface Pro X 2. This is something we need across the board, just like better webcams. The Surface Pro X already has a 5MP front camera for 1080p video though. Most of Microsoft\u2019s lineup offers FHD webcams, although still, you can buy a $300 phone that has a higher-resolution front camera. When Microsoft announced the original Surface Pro X, it came in Black, rather than the more traditional Platinum color that Surface is known for. The Platinum model came later, but one thing worth noting is the Surface Pro X is made out of aluminum, while the Intel-powered model is made out of magnesium. That\u2019s why the Pro X is thinner but still the same weight; aluminum is a heavier material. Aluminum is also easier to anodize, so it can be more easily produced in different colors. The best example is obviously the Surface Laptop. While the Surface Laptop 4 comes in more subtle colors today, it was originally introduced in bold, beautiful colors like Cobalt Blue and Burgundy (we can pretend Graphite Gold didn\u2019t happen). With newer models, we got Black, Sandstone, and Ice Blue. I\u2019d love to see some of these colors in the Surface Pro X 2. I know I\u2019m not a designer; I don\u2019t know if the right choice is the bolder colors that looked so beautiful on the Surface Laptop, or the more subtle colors that might look better on a Windows tablet. I also don\u2019t want to once again fall back on \u201cApple is doing it\u201d, but seriously, Apple is doing it. I actually planned to only include Thunderbolt on my wish list, since it\u2019s really just one of those things that stands out. But the higher refresh rate and the different colors snuck in there. I\u2019d also love to see a quieter keyboard and touchpad, and while this may seem minor, my hope is this will launch with Android app support, something that\u2019s coming in Windows 11, but not at launch. This is all we know about the Surface Pro X 2 for now. We\u2019ll update this page as we learn more. As we get closer to launch, there should be no shortage of leaks and rumors.<\/p>\n