It looks like Microsoft has developed a cheaper Surface tablet.
The company has been rumoured to be working on a budget Surface-branded device, and it appears to have finally passed through the US Federal Communication Commission this week. The filing, discovered by WinFuture, has few details, however, so there's a lot of speculation at this point. It reveals a low-powered charger, which would be for a smaller Surface device, and that's about it.
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Keep in mind a $400 Surface tablet is expected. Bloomberg previously reported that Microsoft is also working on three different Surface devices, which could have more rounded design, 10-inch displays, USB-C for charging, up to 128GB internal storage, and optional LTE support. They'll also work with various new low-cost accessories, such as a dedicated keyboard cover, stylus, and mouse.
The new Surface models are thought to be lighter than the current Surface Pro. They'll also have Intel processors and run a full version of Windows 10. Just remember that Microsoft has yet to confirm it’s working on smaller Surface tablets, and it’s not clear when the company plans to introduce the budget Surface tablet that just cleared the FCC. But we suspect it could be soon.
Devices tend to appear in FCC listings when a launch is imminent.