Microsoft will show the world “what’s next” on 23 May, but what is next?

Microsoft recently held an event in New York City where it revealed products aimed at the education sector. They included Windows 10 S, a new operating system that only has access to apps from the Windows Store, which has been done to make sure everything runs quickly and smoothly, and the Surface Laptop, a rather eye-catching laptop that will go head-to-head with the Apple MacBook Air when it launches on 15 June. 

• You can watch Microsoft’s 2 May education event here, Surface Laptop and Windows 10 S revealed

But education isn’t all Microsoft is focusing on this year it seems, as the company has released a teaser to say there will be another event on 23 May in Shanghai to show off what’s next for Microsoft.

But what exactly is next? Microsoft isn’t giving anything away, but we take a few educated guesses as to what the computing giant has up its sleeve.

• Microsoft unveils the Surface Laptop, a Windows 10 S device looking to take down the MacBook

Surface Pro 5

Microsoft’s VP of Devices, Panos Panay tweeted the teaser from his account and included the hashtag #Surface. Panay credits himself as being the creator of the Surface series of devices, so it would be fair to assume there will be another new Surface device on the way. 

Considering we’ve just been given the Surface Laptop, it’s unlikely to be another computer, but could instead be the Surface Pro 5 2-in-1. A search around the web for leaks and rumours surrounding the new device all tend to suggest that any updates will be minor. The Surface Pro 4 already has a very competitive spec list, and any major changes, such as upgrading to a 4K display will make it too expensive and sacrifice battery life.

The most likely upgrade will be to Intel’s Kaby Lake processors for greater efficiency and the Surface Pro 5 should also have a USB Type-C input for charging and connecting accessories. 

There will more than likely be several different variations of the Surface Pro 5 available when it does launch, with different processor speeds and storage. As for price, we can’t be sure, but the starting price will be somewhere between £700 and £1000.

Surface Phone

Talks of a Surface Phone have been on and off in recent months and years. At one point there were strong rumours to suggest Microsoft would channel its Surface laptop 2-in-1 technology into a powerful phone. But since then the company has sold off its phone patents, implying it won’t be working on a phone itself.

But we’ve then seen images of a possible Surface Phone, although some media outlets thought it was a Windows Phone made by Dell. We haven’t heard much more on the subject since those images surfaced. 

However, Alcatel manufactures Microsoft branded phones, and Alcatel is headquartered in Shanghai, the same city where Microsoft’s event is taking place. It could therefore be possible that we’ll either see a new Microsoft phone unveiled, or at the very least get an update on the current state of play. 

Of course, until Microsoft officially reveal whatever it’s planning on 23 May, we can only speculate. We’ll be sure to bring you the very latest news and product announcements as and when we hear them.