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Surface Pro 7 reportedly getting new design with nearly borderless screen

Two versions of the Surface Pro 7 are reportedly in the works, one of which may feature a nearly borderless screen and an ARM CPU.
Dan Thorp-Lancaster

What you need to know

  • A new report alleges to provide details on some of what Microsoft has planned for its October 2 Surface event.
  • Among the leaks are a Surface Pro 7 with a borderless display and ARM CPU, more colors for the Pro range, and a Surface Laptop 3 without Alcantara fabric.
  • The leak is reportedly based on a review of images of the devices, though the images haven't been provided.

We're mere days away from Microsoft's October 2 Surface event, but a new report has surfaced alleging to have details on the designs of two of the devices Microsoft plans to show off. French blog Frandroid alleges to have seen images of the Surface Pro 7 and Surface Laptop 3, both of which are largely expected to debut at the event. In an effort to protect its source, Frandroid explains, it hasn't published the images themselves, but the site has described some big changes reportedly coming to both lines.

Surface Pro 7

The device that appears to be in for the most change is the upcoming Surface Pro 7. According to Frandroid, a version of the Surface Pro 7 will see a "drastically" modernized design, featuring a nearly borderless display. The report likens the look of the display to the latest iPad Pro, though it notes the bezels on the top and bottom are a little wider than those on the sides in order to accommodate the camera and magnet.

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This model will also drop USB Type-A and the MiniDisplayPort in favor of USB-C, according to the report. It will also likely come with LTE connectivity and may be the ARM version of the Surface Pro that has been rumored in recent months.

While Microsoft is said to be planning a major redesign of the Surface Pro 7, the report goes on to say that other, more traditional models that carry forward the previous generation's design will also be available. The main change here is that these models will include a USB-C port in place of the MiniDisplayPort, through USB Type-A remains as well. This version is also said to pack Intel processors; likely the company's latest 10th Gen chips.

Lastly, the report notes that the model with the new design may end up being known as simply "Surface 7" while the Intel models will continue forward the "Surface Pro 7" moniker. The codenames for the devices are reported to be "Campus" and "Harper" respectively, two names that were recently dug up by Microsoft watcher WalkingCat on Twitter.

Surface Laptop 3

The Surface Laptop 3, meanwhile, will reportedly see a slight design shift of its own. At least one model will be offered without the Alcantara fabric covering that has been included since the launch of the original Surface Laptop. It will also see the addition of two USB-C ports, according to the report.

Further, three new colors are said to be launching with the Surface Laptop 3: yellow sandstone, glacier blue, and poppy red. These would join the black, platinum, blue, and red variants available in previous generations.

Get ready for October 2

As with all leaks and rumors, it's best to take all of this with the requisite grain of salt. However, we'll know much more once the event kicks off on October 2. In the meantime, Microsoft's Surface chief, Panos Panay, recently posted another teaser for the event on Twitter, and it's quite the tease at that.