Microsoft Surface Book 2, Surface Pro 5 release date, news, specs rumors: New Surface devices to be unveiled on Oct. 26

For the past several months, it has been rumored that the new Surface devices from Microsoft will be released in the last quarter of 2016. So far, the Redmond-based tech giant has no official words confirming the development of new gadgets, particularly the Surface Pro 5 and the Surface Book 2. However, it was confirmed recently that Microsoft will have a huge hardware event in the last week October, and it is possible that the event will be focused on Microsoft's Surface family.

According to University Herald, the Microsoft hardware event will be held on Oct. 26. If the rumors are anything to go by, the much awaited next series of the Surface Book will be released during that day. Likewise, the hybrid Surface Pro laptop will be revamped. 

One of the highlights of the Surface Pro 5 and Surface Book 2 is the next generation of Intel Core i7 processor, the Kaby Lake chipset. This is expected to boost the performance of the Surface devices much greater than the current Intel Skylake chipset. However, the problem will be the availability of the Kaby Lake processor, as there are no confirmed reports that Intel has already finished shipping the chipsets.

Unfortunately, the delay in the release of Intel Kaby Lake may possibly affect the release of the Surface Book 2 and Surface Pro 5. Thus, the arrival of these Surface devices on Oct. 26 may not be set in stone just yet. As reported by Mobile N Apps, the hardware event of Microsoft this month might focus on the latest Windows 10 OS update instead. It is possible that the release of the Surface Pro 5 and Surface Book 2 will be moved to early 2017, and by then, Intel may have already completed the Kaby Lake shipment.

Aside from the two Surface devices, tech enthusiasts are expecting the October event to feature the first ever Surface Phone, which has long been rumored to be Microsoft's next smartphone line after the Lumia series.