No Surface Pro 8 or Surface Laptop 4 release this year as Microsoft targets mid-October for second-generation Surface Pro X and new 12.5-inch Surface Laptop release

Microsoft has already released revised versions of the Surface Book and Surface Go in 2020, but Windows Latest claims that these will not be joined by Surface Laptop or Surface Pro refreshes this year. Citing sources familiar with the matter, the website states that Microsoft may unveil the so-called Surface Laptop 4 and Surface Pro 8 in 1H 2021. Presumably, this would mean that Microsoft is planning to bring Tiger Lake-backed versions of the Surface Laptop and Surface Pro to market, rather than revised Ice Lake models.

Windows Latest claims that Microsoft has pushed the release of new Surface Laptop and Surface Pro hardware to market because of current global economic instability. The website stresses that plans could change between now and next year, although it is certain that the Surface Laptop 4 and Surface Pro 8 will not debut at Microsoft's next hardware event, which is rumoured to be occurring in mid-October.

Apparently, Microsoft will use this event to showcase a new version of the Surface Pro X and a 'budget' Surface Laptop. The former is thought to feature a Microsoft SQ2 processor. If the SQ1 is anything to go by, then the SQ2 will be an ARM-based chipset that Microsoft has co-developed with Qualcomm. As for the 'budget' Surface Laptop, then multiple Geekbench listings has shown this with a Core i5-1035G1, an Ice Lake-U series processor that Microsoft may pair with up to 16 GB of RAM. The device is rumoured to have a 12.5-inch display, too.