Microsoft Surface mini to arrive next month sans built-in kickstand

On Monday, we told you that Microsoft had sent out invitations to its event on May 20th. During the festivities, Microsoft is expected to introduce the Microsoft Surface mini. As we mentioned yesterday, this slate is expected to be powered by a Snapdragon CPU instead of the NVIDIA Tegra chip that was under the hood of the full-sized Microsoft Surface 2. While Microsoft has apparently 86'd the built-in kickstand for the Surface mini, one of the cover accessories will be able to work as a kickstand.

According to some new reports, the Surface mini will be available in Silver, like the Surface 2, and will support an Active Pen, similar to what is available for the Microsoft Surface Pro 2. Early speculation has the Microsoft Surface mini marketed as an outstanding device for note taking, which would make a digital pen or stylus a necessity. Most likely, there will be 32GB/64GB versions of the tablet, with 2GB of RAM. Initially, the Surface mini will have Wi-Fi only connectivity, with LTE enabled versions coming later.

While earlier rumors had the screen on the Surface mini measured at 8 inches, the new report that we are looking at on Tuesday, lists the display as being 7.5 inches with resolution of 1440 x 1080. The screen on the Surface mini is believed to offer a 4:3 Aspect Ratio, in line with the Apple iPad. That compares to the 16:9 Aspect Ratio on the Surface and Surface Pro.

The ARM based slate will have Windows RT installed, according to today's report, and should be shipped by the end of next month.


source: Neowin, TheVerge via MicrosoftNews, WMPoweruser