Last we heard, Microsoft was planning to launch the Surface Pro 8 and Surface Laptop 4 in January, but what we got instead was the Surface Pro 7+. Now, it seems like the Surface Laptop 4 will arrive in April as part of a spring product launch, thanks to a report from Zac Bowden of Windows Central.
Once again, the processor choices are between Intel and AMD, with Intel using its 11th-generation 'Tiger Lake' processors. That means that graphics power is once again being bumped up with Iris Xe, although don't expect to see Thunderbolt 4, especially because there are also AMD options. The report doesn't specify whether Microsoft will be using Ryzen 4000 or 5000, but rumors up until this point have pointed at Ryzen 4000.
One thing that's different this time is that you'll be able to find AMD and Intel variants in both the 13.5- and 15-inch sizes. Previously, the 13.5-inch model was Intel only, but the $999 base model will now include a Ryzen 5. There's probably no change in the 15-inch model, which used AMD in the consumer models and Intel in the business models.
The report also confirms that there's no change in the design, and there's no surprise there. While the Surface Laptop has visually looked the same since the first-generation, aside from the USB Type-C port that was added, quite a bit of it was redesigned for the Surface Laptop 3. The report did say that the beloved Cobalt Blue color is finally going away in favor of the Ice Blue color that we've seen in the Surface Laptop Go.
I've been told that Microsoft is focusing on more subtle colors for now, and those include colors like Ice Blue and Sandstone. But if you're a fan of the bolder colors that we used to see from Surface Laptop, such as Burgundy and Cobalt Blue, they could make a comeback at some point. You're going to see changes in colors yearly, and it's going to be whatever the team thinks is in style.
The Surface Laptop 4 is likely going to be announced at a mid-April event. Naturally, it will be virtual-only.
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