MINISFORUM V3: New model released with $969 launch price before rumoured Microsoft Surface Pro 10 launch

Just over a month has passed since MINISFORUM released the V3, its long-awaited challenger to established 2-in-1s like the Surface Pro 9 (curr. $999.99 on Amazon). To recap, MINISFORUM priced the V3 at $1,199, a particularly high entry point for a 2-in-1. With that being said, the company bundled a detachable keyboard cover with MINISFORUM V3 orders, a Surface Pro equivalent for which Microsoft typically sells separately.

Additionally, it is worth keeping in mind that this price also includes 32 GB of RAM, a 1 TB SSD and an AMD Ryzen 7 8840U APU. On top of that, the MINISFORUM V3 has a 165 Hz and 2.5K IPS display that TechTablets observed delivering over 500 nits peak brightness. Furthermore, the V3 has a DisplayPort input, which remains unheard of for a laptop, let alone a more compact 2-in-1.

Now, MINISFORUM has attempted to make the V3 a more attractive proposition by releasing a cheaper SKU. As far as we can tell, the new model contains all the hardware listed above apart from 32 GB of RAM. Instead, MINISFORUM has equipped this new variant with 16 GB of RAM, which is not user-upgradeable. Despite making minimal changes, MINISFORUM has priced the new SKU at $969, a $230 reduction.

Although MINISFORUM has not acknowledged as much, we suspect that it has timed this new sub-$999 release to get ahead of the consumer Surface Pro 10, which Microsoft is expected to announce on May 20. Likely one of many Snapdragon X-powered machines, the consumer Surface Pro 10 is also rumoured to feature an OLED display and a new design compared to the Surface Pro 9. Incidentally, Microsoft has already released a Surface Pro 10 'for Business', albeit with Intel Meteor Lake processors and lacking an OLED display or an overhauled design.