Microsoft’s upcoming Surface Pro 8 features removable hard drives and a better screen

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Microsoft has an event planned for September 22 that’s going to be all about the Surface. Thanks to some early retail listings in China, we know at least one of those devices is going to be the Surface Pro 8.

If the listing is to be believed, the Surface Pro 8 will drop the USB-A ports of its predecessor, swapping those out for USB-C and Thunderbolt. Will that mean a slimmer tablet than the Surface Pro 7, or will Microsoft keep the bulk so it doesn’t compromise on battery life? We’ll find out on Wednesday.

The listing also mentions that the device will have a 13-inch screen, running at 120Hz. It’s also going to have a smaller bezel than the previous devices, giving it a much sleeker design.

The best part of the leak? Microsoft is using removable SSDs on the Surface Pro 8. Yes, no more soldered SSDs, so you’ll be able to buy your own drives and increase the storage capacity. It joins the Surface Laptop 4, Surface Pro X, and the business-only Surface Pro 7 plus in allowing user-install of SSD storage.

We’ll only have to wait a couple of days to find out if this retail listing is legit, as Microsoft is having a Surface hardware event on September 22 at 11 AM EST. The Verge reckons that we’ll see “the Surface Pro 8, a Surface Go 3, a newly designed Surface Book 4, an updated Surface Pro X, and the successor to the Android-powered Surface Duo.”

That’s a lot of surface to cover…

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Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.