It is already expected that Microsoft will continue its popular and successful Surface Pro lineup. Supposedly, its next flagship, the Surface Pro 5, will be a co-release with another new flagship, the Surface Phone.

According to speculations, the Microsoft Surface Pro 5 was supposed to be released this year as an annual refresh cycle. This is already expected since the current-gen Surface Pro 4 was released in October last year. However, the Redmond-based tech giant focused on other flagship expansions. It has set aside the new Surface Pro slate in favor of Microsoft's first-ever desktop, the Surface Studio.

This means that the Surface Pro 5 will likely release early next year instead. In addition, it dovetails with the supposed timeline schedule for Microsoft. It is said that the tech maker is thinking of an April 2017 release for another Surface product, the Surface Phone. Since Microsoft will likely take advantage of having a media event, it will possibly make the launch a co-release event for the two Surface products.

As to what fans can expect from the next-gen Surface Pro tablet, it is already expected that the Surface Pro 5 will have major upgrades and improvements over its predecessor. Rumors suggested that the new slate will feature the seventh-gen Intel Kaby Lake chipset, along with as much as 16 GB of RAM. There will also be different onboard storage options.

Meanwhile, upgrades on its design and features supposedly include 2K and 4K display configurations, as well as an improved Surface Pen support. The new slate is also likely to switch to USB Type-C, the first in the Surface Pro series. Although the new slate is already expected to come out with Windows 10 onboard, it is said that the Surface Pro will be the first Microsoft product to showcase the upgraded Redstone 2 platform in the lineup.