Microsoft Plans to Launch Affordable Surface Tablet, Andromeda Foldable Device This Year: Report

Microsoft is reportedly in plans to upgrade its existing range of Surface computing devices by adding new models. The Redmond company already has its Surface Pro hybrid, Surface Book notebook, and Surface Hub smart screen. But now, it is rumoured that the existing Surface family will get a low-cost Surface Tablet, codenamed "Libra", and Courier-style foldable Andromeda sometime this year. The company is also said to bring the Surface Pro 6 as the successor to the Surface Pro 5. This new device, internally known as "Carmel", is not likely to debut soon as the Satya Nadella-led team recently brought the LTE variant of the Surface Pro 5.

Brad Sams of highly reliable Thurrott.com reports that as per the details available in some internal documents, the Libra tablet is likely to be the device that recently rumoured as the affordable Surface tablet version. It is said to come before the end of the year. The tablet may compete against Apple's iPad range and is expected to come with a 10-inch display.

The internal documents cited by Sams also include details about Andromeda which was revealed last year. Being a foldable device, Andromeda is expected to offer a "truly personal and versatile" computing experience out of the box. Intel at Computex 2018 showcased its Tiger Rapids prototype that may set the pitch for the new form factor. Moreover, manufacturers are likely to follow Microsoft's move and bring new portable devices under the 'Andromeda' category in the future. The original device, however, is rumoured to debut later this year.

Sams also highlights the Surface Pro 6 that will be the successor to the Surface Pro 5. The new hardware may include faster processors as well as brighter and sharper display panels over the preceding Surface hybrid. Having said that, the shipping schedule of the new Surface Pro model hasn't been revealed yet. There might also be some changes in the reported schedule of other Microsoft devices as the spotted documents were created under the leadership of Terry Myerson who is now leaving the company, and his replacement could bring some changes to the original plans.

Back in April, it was spotted that Microsoft is working on a new edition of Windows 10 that could debut as "Windows 10 Lean". The new Windows platform that hasn't been announced so far is 2GB smaller in size. This means that it could be designed specifically for hardware with less storage. The Nadella army could deploy the new platform on its affordable Surface Tablet model to offer compelling performance even with inferior hardware.