A new — and affordable — Microsoft Surface tablet might arrive this week

Those who expected a rather boring summer should get ready for a big hardware launch at the end of this week, because — if at least some of those insiders on Reddit are right — Microsoft will launch an affordable Surface tablet this Friday. Obviously, horror movie fans can easily consider the Friday 13th launch date as a bonus.

According to the information that surfaced on Reddit, the new tablet will be available in multiple versions that start at US$399 and can hit US$829, without even counting the accessories. The list of versions coming includes a basic one with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB internal storage (processor model not mentioned), going up to 8 GB RAM, 256 GB storage, 4G LTE, and a Pentium Gold 4415Y processor.

All models are expected to use a 10-inch display with 1,800 x 1,200 pixels. They will obviously use a metal body and will sport USB Type-C connectivity, as well as microSD support.

If you were expecting a Microsoft Surface with an ARM processor inside, this does not seem to be in the cards yet. The reason seems to be the need for full compatibility with legacy applications demanded by the educational and business sectors.

Obviously, if you happen to have some additional inside information, please don't be shy and feel free to share it with us in the comments section below.