Microsoft to launch Snapdragon 845-powered Surface device

Microsoft is making a new Surface device powered by ARM processor that is likely to feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset and support LTE connectivity.

"Microsoft is planning some type of ARM-powered Surface hardware. That wouldn't be a surprise given its Windows on ARM efforts, but it's still not clear what type of device we'll see," TechCrunch reported late on Friday. Besides, a new job listing has been spotted by German blog WinFuture.de and according to the publication, Microsoft is likely working on an ARM-powered Surface device.

As for the job listing, the company has posted an advertisement for a radio engineer to be based in Redmond Building 85, one of the many buildings Microsoft uses for its Surface and hardware employees, the report added. As per the job ad, the tech giant is also looking for an engineer that has LTE experience with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 chipset. All in all, the details in the ad strongly hint that some sort of Qualcomm-based Surface device is in the works. However, it is yet to be confirmed by the company.

The chipset has not been officially unveiled yet but the company is expected to reveal it next week at the Qualcomm Snapdragon Technology Summit in Hawaii.

According to media reports, the new processor could be announced on the very first day of the event. However, the mass production may not start by early 2018. Moreover, Qualcomm is also expected to reveal details of its Windows on ARM plans at the summit.

Meanwhile, reports have also suggested that Samsung will likely be the first electronics manufacturer to bring a device with the 845 chipset. Speculations suggest that the Samsung Galaxy S9 will feature this chipset.

Source: IANS