On October 6th, 2015, Microsoft will host a big event at 10:00 EDT in New York City. The expected announcements include a new version of the Microsoft Band, as well as at least two new smartphones, the Lumia 950 and 950 XL. One of the most anticipated products that will be announced just in time before holiday shopping begins is the release date of the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 and possibly the Surface Mini.
According to Gotta Be Mobile, there are some new rumors surrounding the Surface Pro 4. One of them states that it will have almost no bezel to support it. In other words, its display will run to the edge of its display.
Sources say that it will use "smart frame technology" to adjust the amount of screen available to users as they switch orientations and modes. The Surface Pro 4 will have a 13.3-inch display in notebook mode, and then a tablet mode will darken parts of the display, reducing the screen down to 12 inches. Why has the shrinking screen? The user has to put their fingers somewhere and with no bezel, something has to give. According to The Verge, the resolution could be as high as 4K or even 5K.
Another rumor is that the Surface Pro 4 is expected to have an Intel RealSense 3D camera. Not only is this more advanced, but it can also be used to for Windows 10's new facial recognition feature. This will allow logging in just by looking. Speaking of logging in, there will also be a fingerprint scanner as well as the facial recognition.
One of the biggest rumors is that the Surface Pro 4 will have a larger screen. This might have something to do with a recent announcement from Apple with the iPad Pro. If there is a trend for bigger screens on tablets, then it stands to reason that the Surface Pro 4 could have a screen as huge as 14 inches on the diagonal.
This is assuming that the Surface Pro 4 will come in only one size. There has been a report that a Mini Version of the Surface will be released. This Mini Surface Pro is probably out to compete with the iPad Mini market, and little is known about what will come after the iPad mini 3. It is believed that the mini Surface Pro is made to provide users with all the features necessary for a tablet, while allowing for scaling up to Desktop usage, simply by connecting to a larger display.
In addition to the possible screen sizes, there could also be some improvements to the Surface Pro 4 pen as well. Microsoft has apparently acquired some Surface Pen technology from N-trig earlier in the year, and it could be enough to give the Apple Pencil a run for its money.
As far as the price and the release date is concerned, the 12-inch Surface Pro 4 is estimated to cost about $800, the larger $14-inch model could be $100 or $150 more. As or the Mini, that would depend on the screen size, but most report that the new Surface Pro 4 and its derivatives will be on sale in October.
