The Microsoft Surface Pro lineup has some of the best tablets on the market, perhaps the only ones that can give Apple’s iPad lineup some real competition in the slates business.
However, one thing that many wish for is a Surface Pro tablet that comes with LTE support thanks to a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, something that would indeed make it the ultimate mobile PC. We’ve seen rumors claiming that Microsoft has plans to release an ARM-based notepad device featuring dual screens that are foldable, much like the Courier concept. Even though the latest development hints more towards such a device, there are still no specifics of what exactly Microsoft is planning.
According to a discovery made by WinFuture, the Windows OS maker has made a job posting that suggests there’s a Surface ARM device in the mills. The company is looking for a radio engineer that will be based in building 85, which is largely associated with its Surface devices as well as hardware employees.
Once hired, the engineer will be tasked with the duties of hardware testing radios in the Surface device. The job posting is quite specific, mentioning that the company prefers someone who is flexible with traveling to China 4-6 times during the forthcoming 6 months, with some travels lasting between 2 to 4 weeks per trip. Of course, the aim of this travels will be to meet with the company’s manufacturing teams based in China’s Pegatron plant, which Microsoft uses to make its Surface and Xbox hardware.
As noted earlier, the tech giant is looking for someone to join building 85, which is synonymous with Surface devices. Now that there’s the mention of China, it makes sense to think that the company is looking to come in with a Surface Pro or other Surface device in future.
It gets even interesting given that the company wants someone who has LTE experience with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, a chipset that has yet to be released. We all know this is the processor that will power a flurry of 2018 flagship phones, but Microsoft hasn’t been keen to continue with its mobile phone division. With this in mind, it’s safe to believe that Microsoft is working on an ARM-based Surface device, which is not necessarily a Surface Pro.
This development comes at a time when the Intel-powered Microsoft Surface Pro LTE is making its way to business consumers, but there’s no doubt that many would prefer a Surface Pro LTE powered a Snapdragon processor – and chances are that the Snapdragon 845 will make it to a Surface device.