How to watch the Microsoft Surface October event 2022
Brace yourself: Microsoft has invited everyone to watch a broadcast on October 12 in which the company will be “talking about devices” starting at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time / 7:00 a.m. Pacific Time.
This is an exciting event as Microsoft is overdue to announce new Surface devices, and given the Surface-shaped image (shown above) in its promotional materials, we expect the company to unveil much-anticipated hardware like the Surface Pro 9 and Surface Laptop introduces 5. We may also get more information about updates to Windows 11 before the end of the year.
Plus, we’re still expecting Apple to host an event in October where the company might unveil new iPads and MacBooks alongside the delayed launch of iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura. Even if Apple isn’t hosting a show, we expect it to ship new computers before the end of 2022, setting the stage for a duel between Microsoft and Apple this holiday season.
While we can’t say for sure until we tune in ourselves, we expect Microsoft to show the following during its big event in October 2022.
How to watch the October 2022 Microsoft event
The event will be streamed live via Microsoft’s event website (opens in new tab) on October 12th. The broadcast is scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM ET/7:00 PM PT and will likely be streamed live simultaneously on Microsoft’s YouTube channel.
We’ll also be live blogging the event, and we’ll have staff on site in person to pick up the announced devices and give you their first impressions. We’ll be starting our live blog a few hours before the event starts, so stay tuned!
What to expect at Microsoft’s October event
Microsoft Surface Pro 9
Most notably, we expect Microsoft to unveil a Surface Pro 9 during its October 2022 event. The Surface Pro 8 was released in September 2021, and Microsoft hasn’t said anything about a successor since September 2022 — but some reporters did earlier this month (opens in new tab) an FCC filing detected (opens in new tab) in September 2022 showing that a device believed to be the Surface Pro 9 has been certified under FCC guidelines.
If that’s true, the Surface Pro 9 could be in stores as early as October 2022, making it a prime candidate for reveal at Microsoft’s October event.
In terms of what we think such a device will look like, there probably won’t be a huge departure from the Surface Pro 8’s design. We’re expecting a Surface Pro 9 with Windows 11 and the same 13-inch (2880 x 1920) display as its predecessor, although it will likely feature the latest 12th-gen Intel CPUs instead of the 11th-gen chips in last year’s model.
However, we have heard a credible report that Microsoft is reportedly going to merge (opens in new tab) its Surface Pro X line of ultra-portable 2-in-1 laptops with the core Surface Pro line, offering the Surface Pro 9 with either Intel or Qualcomm chips. If true, it spells the end of the Surface Pro X, which were effectively Windows tablets with detachable keyboards (sold separately) running on Microsoft-branded versions of Qualcomm SoC (system-on-chip) processors.
On the plus side, it also means we’ll be selling a Surface Pro 9 later this year with 5G connectivity and a Qualcomm SoC (likely to be dubbed the Microsoft SQ3) inside.
Surface laptop 5
Microsoft released the Surface Laptop 4 in April 2021, and since then we’ve barely heard a peep about when (or if) we should expect a Surface Laptop 5.
That’s a bit surprising given how effective an ultraportable Surface Laptop is for work and school. In our Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 review, I called it one of the best Windows laptops out there, praising its comfortable keyboard, impressive speaker configuration, and decent battery life (tested at over 11 hours). It’s also quite powerful thanks to its 11th Gen Intel chips, but there’s plenty of room for improvement.
That’s why I wouldn’t be too upset if a Surface Laptop 5 were unveiled during Microsoft’s October 2022 event. With each iteration, Microsoft gets closer to making the ideal Windows ultraportable, and it would be nice to see the company knock it out of the park next time. The Surface Laptop 4 is pretty good, coming in both AMD and Intel variants, but both the 13-inch and 15-inch models lack a decent port array, a decent webcam, and the graphical power of one discrete GPU. Now that Apple has done such a good job of creating a powerful, stylish macOS laptop with the 2021 MacBook Pro, it would be nice to see Microsoft deliver something similar for Windows 11.
Microsoft Studio 3
At the more radical end of the spectrum, a 2016 Microsoft patent fueled rumors that the next Surface Studio all-in-one might be unveiled at Microsoft’s event and might not be an all-in-one at all, with hints of a modular one Device design based around a standalone Surface monitor with the same touch capability and zero-gravity hinge but without the PC hardware in the base. Such a change could move the Surface Studio away from the all-in-one design of previous models and towards something closer to a high-end display paired with a compact desktop similar to the best mini PCs.
Separating the display and PC would bring the Surface Studio’s benefits to a larger market, but it would be a drastic departure from Microsoft’s current line of products, which turn a single, complete package into a less-impressive mini-PC paired with a great monitor would. While I’d love to see Microsoft offer a Surface monitor with the benefits of Studio’s ergonomics and input capabilities, naming it the Surface Studio would effectively boil it down to nothing other than the most innovative Windows all-in-one device on the market a nice device reduce monitor.
Microsoft October Event 2022 Outlook
Mark your calendars: October is the month when new laptops from Microsoft drop. Sure, the company hasn’t confirmed anything publicly yet, but all indications are that a lineup of new Surface devices will be announced on October 12th.
As exciting as this is, Microsoft may be in for an uphill battle to claim significant market share with its new Surface devices. While we still haven’t heard when (or if) Apple will host its own Fall 2022 event, we still think the company will ship a MacBook Pro with M2 Pro (and maybe a new 2022 iPad Pro) this year . Will Microsoft have a lot of competition? There’s only one way to know for sure – stay tuned!
What to expect at the Microsoft Surface Event 2021
Here’s what we’re expecting from Microsoft’s Surface event: Following the leaks and rumors so far, we’ll likely see the Surface Pro 8 unveiled, which will hopefully bring a new design and better specs, including access to AMD processors. We can also expect a new Surface Book, which again may feature a slightly different design that takes inspiration from the Surface Studio’s easel-like aesthetic.
We’re not expecting a new Surface Studio or a new Surface Laptop, but a Surface Duo 2 is on the way, hopefully building on the smart design but flawed execution of the original Surface Duo.
Speaking of smart design, while the Surface Pro X was an interesting ARM-based Windows 10 tablet, we’re not too confident that a new version will be unveiled at the event. That’s because we haven’t seen many leaks or rumors surrounding such a device, and we think Microsoft may have moved away from developing its own Windows on ARM devices.
As for other things, we expect a bigger entry into Windows 11, perhaps with some tidbits as it runs on various PCs and potential partner machines from Asus, Dell, Acer, Lenovo and more.
In short, we can expect a good range of Surface and Windows 11-based products and updates from Microsoft. We’re not sure there will be many surprises, although the Surface Neo’s return wouldn’t be the worst thing that could happen.
Be sure to visit Tom’s Guide for the latest news from the Microsoft Surface event and beyond.