Now another sale is coming to the Surface line, this time the Intel Core i5/8GB RAM model. The change knocks the price down to $999 rather than the previous $1200. The deal is only running in the U.S., and expires on March 27, 2017. The i5 model marks a great middle ground for customers, offering a 4GB increase in memory over the $799 model, as well as 128GB of SSD space. Though it doesn’t feature the high end i7 model, it should be good enough for most tasks.
Surface Pro 5 Rumors
The price cuts have led to natural conjecture about the future of the Surface Pro line. Some believe Microsoft is trying to dump its stock before it officially announces the Pro 5. Back in December, rumors suggested a Q1 2017 announcement of the device, and that deadline is quickly approaching. However, recent rumors suggest that the Pro 5 will miss Intel’s Kaby Lake processors. In fact, fans believe Microsoft will be using AMD’s new Ryzen chipsets. The information is founded in a trailer for Alien: Covenant, where the character is seen using a Surface-like tablet and an android is injected with an AMD chip. While the theory is far from concrete, it is a possibility. AMD and Microsoft have a close relationship, and the Ryzen chips are looking to be very competitive so far. Still, the “evidence” is shaky at best, and all we can confirm is that Microsoft is working on the Pro 5. While it would be great to see an announcement this quarter, this latest sale doesn’t necessarily indicate that. It could simply be a reaction to reduced sales due to the rumors, or just part of general promotions. Whatever the case, $999 is hard to argue with for such a solid device. You can get the Pro 4 i5/256GB and a $25 gift code from the Microsoft store.
