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Microsoft is working under pressure on the imminent launch of a low-cost Surface tablet. For the first time, we have hardware details that tell us how Microsoft wants to ensure that its new surface, which is primarily positioned to compete with Apple's cheaper iPads and Chromebooks, is cheaper.
As WinFuture.de learned from sources around Microsoft, the smaller surface model will of course still be in tablet form. The goal is to offer a device very similar to the Surface Pro, which probably also takes its form factor with a 3: 2 format display, but with a much smaller screen diagonal. about 10 inches.
Price Microsoft wants to compete with the device in a direct competition with the iPad, with only the most expensive variants of the new surface should also compete with the iPad Pro. As a result, Microsoft is planning both a cheaper stylus as well as cheaper versions of the distributed with the Pro type surface type coverage. Bloomberg had first reported on Microsoft's plans for a cheaper surface.
Pentium Gold and Pentium Silver
The "price downgrading" on the new, smaller surface is made possible by internal features. Who was hoping that he would receive a device equipped with an Intel Core M processor or even a core i chip – regardless of an ARM-based model – look at the surface of the tube "lite" . Instead, Microsoft again relies on Intel technology in the form of Pentium Gold and Pentium Silver chips from its leading semiconductor supplier.
Since Intel offers up to here only a limited number of chips of this type, it is already possible to get a pretty good idea of which SoC systems to use. The cheapest models of the small Surface tablet will likely come with the Intel Pentium Silver N5000, a four-core x86 SoC of the "Gemini Lake" family running at a base frequency of 1.1 GHz, and up to the same time. to 2 if necessary, 7 GHz can wake up.
"Kaby Lake" for the most expensive versions
As mentioned, the more expensive versions of the new smaller Surface model will make a Pentium Gold service. Again, the choice is limited because Intel offers only three of these SoC. Due to thermal constraints, it can be the Intel Pentium Gold 4410Y and the Intel Pentium Gold 4415Y, both based on the "Kaby Lake" architecture.
The 4410Y has two cores and operates at 1.5 gigahertz, but is inherently more powerful than the Pentium N5000 because of its architecture. The almost identical 4415Y is only slightly faster at 1.6 gigahertz. The chips mentioned have some similarities because they are all manufactured on a 14 nanometer scale and have an officially declared power loss of six watts. A fanless operation is therefore easily possible.
If you navigate a little in the relevant databases, Geekbench will quickly propose results for devices called OEMTX EV1 or OEMTX EV1 LTE. These have each installed the mentioned processors and come with every four or eight gigabytes of RAM and Windows 10 Pro in the 64-bit version as a result. The fact that LTE is mentioned here confirms the information from the first report on the smallest area.
At market launch, it is currently difficult to provide information. Earlier reports indicated that product briefings were already taking place at Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond last week. The fact that the new product is likely to be seen for the first time soon also indicates that a variant has appeared recently on the FCC American communication regulator and there is probably also the corresponding stylus recorded.
See also:
Microsoft Surface, Surface 3, Microsoft Surface 3
Microsoft
2018-07-04T13: 47: 00 + 02: 00 Roland Quandt
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